Our Guest Speakers

Carly Blann (dip) RVN
Carly is a Registered Veterinary Nurse with over 20 years of experience and a specialist interest in surgical nursing. As a practice owner at Vets for Pets, she is passionate about clinical excellence and driving the veterinary nursing profession forward. Carly is a strong advocate for the development, recognition, and empowerment of RVNs across the industry. Outside of her professional life, she is a proud mum of three sons and enjoys travelling.

Julie Dugdale RVN
j.dugmore@rcvs.org.uk
Julie has worked in veterinary nursing for nearly 40 years, beginning in small animal practice where she developed strong clinical skills and a passion for mentoring. She moved into teaching, creating learning resources and delivering veterinary and dental nursing programmes, gaining broad insight into the UK education and training system. A dedicated advocate for the profession, Julie has focused on strengthening standards, education, and professional recognition for veterinary nurses. As Director of Veterinary Nursing at the RCVS, she supports the profession’s development, ensuring nurses are recognised, integrated, and able to work to their full potential. Julie contributed to VN Vision: The Future of Veterinary Nursing, RCVS publications, and the AAVMC Team-Based Healthcare competencies. She is also Chair of ACOVENE and Treasurer of ESNO, reflecting her commitment to advancing veterinary nursing education and professional development across the UK and Europe.

Greg Dunlop MA VetMB CertSAS MRCVS
Gregory graduated from Cambridge University in 1994. After 8 years in practice in England, Gregory returned to Northern Ireland and opened Hollygate Veterinary Clinic which subsequently merged with Earlswood Veterinary Hospital. Since 2006 Gregory has focused on orthopaedics and neurosurgery. He achieved his RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2010 and his case load has been 100% second opinion since then. He is an active member of AO Vet, ESVOT and the BVOA. Following the establishment of an arthroscopy facility at Earlswood, Gregory has developed a specific interest in minimally invasive surgery and has been trained in percutaneous plate osteosynthesis and other techniques guided by fluoroscopy. He has set up Ireland’s leading total hip replacement service with Harry Scott and Andy Craig as lead surgeons who have now performed over 100 hip replacements with over 95% successful outcome. He left Earlswood last year and is currently providing a local peripatetic orthopaedics service.

Corinne Flynn CertAVN RVN
Corinne qualified from Harper Adams University in 2016 with a BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Nursing and joined the Dovecote Veterinary Hospital team. Having initially trained in First Opinion practices, she quickly realised that Referrals was her passion. During her time at Dovecote she developed a keen interest in anaesthesia and neurology. She completed a PgC in Anaesthesia with Harper Adams and joined the Advanced Veterinary Nurse (AVN) register in 2021. In 2024, she successfully gained her Veterinary Technician Specialist qualification in Neurology. She looks forward to continuing to improve the support of neurology patients and owners in the practice, as well as delivering lectures to other veterinary professionals. Corinne is kept busy at home with her Border Terrier and flock of Shetland sheep.

Professor Jon Hall MA VetMB CertSAS DipECVS SFHEA FRCVS
Head of Soft Tissue Service – European and Royal College Specialist in small animal surgery, Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Jon grew up in the veterinary world as his parents owned a practice near Wigan, Greater Manchester. He graduated from the University of Cambridge and spent several years as a primary care vet in Lincoln. He then completed an internship at the Royal Veterinary College and a residency at Cambridge, becoming Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2015. Jon stayed at Cambridge for a couple of years as an affiliated lecturer, moved to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies as a Senior Lecturer in 2017 and then started as Head of Soft Tissue Surgery at Wear Referrals in 2021. He has been a Professor of Small Animal Surgery at the University of Nottingham since 2020.  Jon’s contribution to teaching and clinical excellence within the veterinary profession have been recognised by his admittance as a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He regularly speaks at National and International conferences and courses; he has a passion for helping vets achieve the best that they can for their patients. His goal is to provide the highest level of compassionate care for the animals he treats within the expert soft tissue team at Wear Referrals.

Lauren Hargrave BSc (hons) (Applied Animal Behaviour), FdSc RVN 
Lauren qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2020 and has since completed a top-up degree in Applied Animal Behaviour. As a people manager at Vets for Pets, she enjoys managing the team and introducing new ideas to push the veterinary nurse profession forward, focusing on advanced consultations and surgical skills. Lauren strives for positive change in the industry by supporting, uplifting, and empowering RVNs to reach their full potential. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys horse riding and walking and training her dog, Walter.

Joe Higgins BVSc CertAVP DipECVS MRCVS European Diplomate in Small Animal Surgery
Joe graduated from Liverpool University in 2012, following this he went on to work in mixed practice in the North Wales and Cheshire area before joining a busy referral centre in Merseyside. Joe joined Kentdale Referrals in 2020, and his main interests include treatment of cranial cruciate ligament disease, fracture repair and surgery to treat slipped discs. Outside of work Joe enjoys travelling, tennis, snowboarding in the winter and kitesurfing in the summer. He has two very energetic dogs; a lurcher and Jack Russell Ernie and Lola, which require lots of exercise otherwise they have been known to cause rather a lot of trouble!

Jill MacDonald DipAVN (Surgical) RVN FHEA
J.macdonald@rcvs.org.uk
Jill has worked in veterinary nursing for over 25 years, starting in primary care practice where she spent 12 years as a lead nurse, with responsibilities for nursing standards and training across the practice. She later joined the University of Liverpool Vet School, establishing and delivering postgraduate veterinary education and contributing to undergraduate teaching in professional and communication skills.
A passionate advocate for veterinary nursing, Jill has founded an online CPD company and led research producing the first communication guide specifically for veterinary nurses. She is a contributing author for the BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing and Professionalism and Reflection in Veterinary Nursing.
Currently, Jill is Veterinary Nursing Progression and Development Lead at the RCVS, where she works on initiatives that drive advancement within the veterinary nursing profession.

Thomas Mignan BVM BVS MRes DipECVN FHEA MRCVS
Thomas graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2016 where his passion for neurology arose. He then moved to Canada to complete a rotating internship at the University of Saskatchewan before returning to the UK to complete by a neurology/neurosurgery internship at the Animal Health Trust. Thomas then joined Dovecote Veterinary Hospital in 2018 where he completed a neurology/neurosurgery residency in 2021 shortly before becoming an RCVS & EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology in 2022. He enjoys all aspects of neurology/neurosurgery, with a particular interest in intracranial and neuro-muscular disorders.

Ian Self BVSc BSc CertVA DipECVAA FHEA FRCVS
Ian is a 1995 Liverpool graduate and a European, and RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Ian initially worked in mixed private practice in the North West of the UK where he developed an interest in analgesia and analgesia, resulting in obtaining the RCVS CertVA qualification. He then moved to UCD in Dublin as an anaesthesia lecturer where he gained his European Diploma in Anaesthesia and Analgesia before returning to a post-residency position at the R(D)SVS in Edinburgh. There followed spells at the RVC (Head of anaesthesia), Nottingham vet school and his current position as Principal Clinical Anaesthetist at the University of Cambridge Vet School. Ian has a keen interest in anaesthesia of unstable patients and runs regular pain management clinics. He mentors and supervises undergraduates training to be veterinary surgeons and postgraduate students training for specialist pain qualifications, and is passionate4 about providing anaesthesia and analgesia training to the profession as a whole.. He is currently the chair of BSAVA Scientific Committee and is very interested in evidence-based approaches to pain treatment. Ian is passionate about veterinary education and is currently studying part time for a PhD looking at attitudes to lifelong learning in the veterinary profession.