Published: 30 Oct 2024 | Last Updated: 10 Dec 2024 12:59:54

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Katharine Nelson as its first Director of General Practice. Dr Nelson will take up the position later this year, in which she will lead the RVC’s new General Practice (GP) division.

The new division will further develop our general practices, setting the standard in patient and client care and for student learning, and supporting the evolution of general practice within the profession by generating practice-focused research and sharing quality improvement initiatives. By creating a dedicated division, the RVC will enhance its operational delivery, collaboration and knowledge-sharing between its GP sites.

Dr Nelson joins the RVC from the RVC-owned Acorn House Veterinary Hospital in Bedford, where she has worked for the past 21 years, serving as both Clinical Director and Practice Principal. During this time, she has been responsible for leading the practice, ensuring the sustainable provision of a high standard of veterinary care for pets and their owners, while also supporting a culture of lifelong learning for RVC students and veterinary professionals at all stages of their careers. Prior to this, Dr Nelson worked as an emergency veterinary surgeon in Milton Keynes, Luton and Lincoln and has also provided consultancy services in animal behaviour to Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr Nelson graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2003 and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2024, for services to clinical practice. She also sits on the Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee (Essex), which facilitates medical and social research by protecting the interests of research participants and is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Preliminary Investigation Committee.

In her new role and drawing on 21 years of clinical expertise, Dr Nelson will uphold the highest standards of care, teaching and research and help raise the profile of general practice within the profession. She will also be part of the RVC’s clinical leadership team, contributing to the strategic direction, delivery and accountability of the general practices.

Of her appointment, Dr Katharine Nelson, said:

“It is essential for the veterinary sector that successful, sustainable general veterinary practices thrive; that a career in general practice is valued and respected by the profession; and that the knowledge and experience of general practitioners is considered alongside that of veterinary specialists as the profession evolves. “For these reasons, I am delighted to be taking up the role of Director of General Practice at the Royal Veterinary College. By leading the RVC’s general practice sites to pursue the highest standards of contextualized care, research and teaching, I am looking forward to shaping the student experience to produce a generation of veterinary surgeons ideally prepared to care for the patients and clients in the communities they serve.”

Amanda Boag, Vice Principal for Clinical Services at the RVC, said:

“I am delighted that Katharine Nelson will be joining the RVC in our new role of Director of General Practice. Katharine has spent her clinical career in general practice and brings with her a wealth of clinical and operational experience that will help us evolve our general practice sites and provide our students with the best possible experiential learning.”

Notes to Editors

For media enquiries, please contact: ·     

• Jasmin De Vivo at Jasmin.devivo@plmr.co.uk or rvc@plmr.co.uk       
• Press Line: 0800 368 9520  

About the Royal Veterinary College  

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a Member Institution of the University of London.   
• It is one of the few veterinary schools in the world that hold accreditations from the RCVS in the UK (with reciprocal recognition from the AVBC for Australasia, the VCI for Ireland and the SAVC for South Africa), the EAEVE in the EU, and the AVMA in the USA and Canada.
• The RVC is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world in the QS World University Rankings by subject, 2024.   
• The RVC offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences.   
• The RVC is a research-led institution, with 88% of its research rated as internationally excellent or world class in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.
• The RVC provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals and first opinion practices in London and Hertfordshire.