The RCVS Collaboration Award

Hello. My name is Dr Shereen Williams, and I'm a global animal health advisor at the international animal welfare organization, Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys. And I'm really delighted to be here today receiving, I think, the first ever RCVS Collaboration Award for our project alongside the World Veterinary Association to create the first ever essential veterinary medicines list for food-producing animals.

Importantly, we put this project together because what we realise and what we know is that vets around the world are treating complex and difficult cases with literally a handful of medicines in some cases. And this has got really huge impacts, detrimental impacts, on both animal health and welfare, but also human health if we think about the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials and also the lack of access to veterinary vaccines. 

So what this project has really done is to pull together a blueprint so that countries can really take the first steps themselves to improve access to veterinary medicines, really giving vets the tools that they need to put their knowledge and skills into action. But what's really fantastic about this project is that it has been put together by vets from all over the world, and not even just all over the world, but also from all different parts of the profession.

So we have had antimicrobial experts from the World Organization for Animal Health. We've also had veterinary school deans, we've had research specialists, veterinary medicine specialists, and also first-opinion vets and paraprofessionals that have all provided really valuable input. And it's this collaborative approach that we are really seeing this real-world impact, both at a policy level, but importantly also at a field level, where we know that impact and change is needed the most.

Oh, I feel really, really honoured. It's been amazing to receive the award, and the award ceremony has also been fantastic. But really, this project has been a culmination of incredible veterinary expertise and passion for animal welfare from all around the globe. And really, this award is certainly shared with everybody that's had such valuable input into the project. And what I hope this really highlights is the value of collaboration from all areas within the profession, because it's really easy, I think, to think, oh, there's somebody with more experience than you, there's somebody with more expertise than you. But there is such real power in working together where all voices are both present but valued equally. And we just really want to thank the RCVS for the recognition and for their support today.

I would say do it. It has been really motivational for me personally, but also for the wider team that I work in. And I think when I reflect on it, I think there's always so much more to be done to improve the lives of animals, both here in the UK and around the world, and sometimes that can feel really overwhelming. Whereas what we, I think, can be better at sometimes is celebrating the milestones and not just the finish line. And I think awards like this, days like this, are a really great way to do just that. 

All members of the veterinary teams, veterinary paraprofessionals, play such an important role in animal health and welfare, but also human health. We are safeguarding antimicrobials. We're developing and administering vaccines. We're treating and taking care of people's family members. We're working in international development. We're supporting feeding growing populations, both here and across the world. We're working in research for both human and animals. It's such a varied role and such important and impactful work, but it can sometimes be in the background. And I think that it's really important to shine a light on all of the different roles that vets and veterinary professionals play in keeping both humans and animals safe, happy, and healthy.