International Postgraduate Veterinary Education Symposium

Professor Olle ten Cate will explore the multi-layered nature of competence in the health professions and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), a framework he pioneered.

Biography

Professor Olle ten Cate, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Medical Education at University Medical Center Utrecht and a 2024-25 Visiting Professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

With a background in medicine and a PhD in social sciences, Olle has spent four decades advancing curriculum innovation, educational research and faculty development at the Universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht.

He founded and led the Center for Research and Development of Education at UMC Utrecht (2005 - 2017), and served as President of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education (2006 - 2012).

He has authored 500+ publications and 600+ presentations, and supervised more than 25 PhD candidates. His honours include the NBME J.P. Hubbard Award, AMEE Ian R. Hart Award, the Han Moll Medal, and a Dutch Royal Distinction. A Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, AMEE, and an Honorary Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Educators, he focuses on competency-based education, especially entrustable professional activities and entrustment decision-making.
 

Professor Lambert Schuwirth will share cutting-edge insights into how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support learning.

Biography

Professor Lambert Schuwirth is Professor of Medical Education, NewMed School, and Director of Healthcare Innovative Learning Solutions (HILS), Australia.

Lambert earned his MD from Maastricht University and has held various roles there since 1991, including Chairman of the Inter-university and the Local Progress Test Review Committee, the OSCE Review Committee and the Case-based Testing Committee, and coordinator of the assessment programmes for the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.

While in the Netherlands, he also advised medical colleges in both the Netherlands and the UK.

Since 2007, Lambert has been a full professor for Innovative Assessment at Maastricht University. From 2011 to 2025, he was Strategic Professor for Medical Education at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and chaired the Prideaux Health Professions Education group.

He currently leads research and evaluation at NewMed, an innovative medical school initiative in Australia, and advises multiple Royal Australian Colleges and the Australian Medical Council on assessment.

His interests focus on the ethical and effective use of modern technology, including generative AI, in education and assessment.

Professor Suzanne Chamberlain will present an overview of the large-scale medical licensing assessment processes conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Biography

Professor Suzanne Chamberlain PhD is Head of Assessment and Liaison for the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) at the GMC. In this role, she provides expert assessment advice to support the development of the MLA, including leading on the GMC’s oversight of the applied knowledge test for students at UK medical schools and spearheading plans for MLA reporting and evaluation research.

With more than 20 years of experience in educational assessment, Suzanne has worked as a psychometrician for the medical schools of Plymouth and Exeter, a senior researcher at the UK’s largest GCSE and A-level awarding body, and Deputy Head at the National School of Healthcare Science, NHS England.

She is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

Professor Martin Cake will present his work on professional identity formation and the preparation of veterinary students for entry into the profession.

Biography

Professor Martin Cake PhD is Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching and Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, in Perth, Western Australia. 

A veterinarian and musculoskeletal researcher, Martin is passionate about veterinary education, including teaching, curriculum development and educational research.

Through a leadership role in Murdoch's Veterinary Professional Life programme, Martin has developed a particular interest in fostering professional skills, employability and resilience in the next generation of veterinarians.

He also led the multinational project VetSet2Go: Building Veterinary Employability, which developed a framework outlining key capabilities for success in veterinary practice. 

Biography

Wendy Preston MSc is Head of Nursing Workforce at the Royal College of Nursing.

With over 35 years’ experience, Wendy specialises in advancing nursing practice across diverse roles.

She holds an MSc in respiratory care and independent nurse prescribing, plus a PG Cert in higher education. She is now pursuing a PhD in nursing research, with an international focus.

After a decade in ward management, Wendy moved to clinical academia, combining advanced nurse practitioner and senior lecturer roles before becoming a consultant nurse.

She advocates for legislative change to empower nurses in delivering safe, effective care.

Biography

Jane Sykes is a Professor at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, with a special interest in small animal infectious diseases.

Her research interests are focused on infectious diseases of dogs and cats of public health significance; she has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is the editor of several textbooks on
canine and feline infectious diseases.

She founded the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases (ISCAID) and has held several leadership roles in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
(ACVIM). This includes President of the Specialty of Small Animal Internal Medicine, President and Board Chair of the ACVIM, ACVIM representative for the AVMA Veterinary Specialty Organizations Committee (VSOC), and most recently Chair of the ACVIM Pathway to Competency Taskforce.

She has trained over 50 residents and several clinical infectious disease fellows, including the first fellow to be officially recognised by the ACVIM. She is also the Director of the UC Davis Center for Continuing Professional Education, speaks internationally on infectious diseases and postgraduate veterinary education, and is the “Ask A Vet” columnist for the Washington Post.

Biography

Lindsay Sproule became Director, Regulatory Programs Performance at the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in October 2024, after previously managing the College’s licensure programme. She has over a decade of experience in professional regulation in Ontario.

In her current role, Lindsay provides strategic leadership and direction for operational policy and oversees the performance and outcomes of the College’s regulatory programmes.

Her responsibilities include monitoring programme effectiveness through key performance indicators, preparing organisational performance reports, and overseeing decision writing and case outcomes. She also leads the Practice Advisory Service and manages strategic projects.

Lindsay is deeply committed to transparent, objective, and fair licensing processes for both domestic and internationally educated veterinarians. She advocates for continuous improvement in entry-to-practice pathways, guided by best practices and evidence-based decision-making. Her work supports modernisation efforts in veterinary licensing, including exams and assessments, to ensure a fair and effective system
for all candidates.

Biography

Amy Farmer is the Director of License Mobility for the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) and an active volunteer with the Kansas City Society of Association Executives (KCSAE).

She is also a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri - Columbia researching the motivations of association professionals who choose to sit for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) exam.

Please note: Session and presentation titles have been condensed for ease of reference. For the full details, refer to the official programme and abstract booklet. 

09:20–10:40 — Plenary

- History & evolution of workplace-based assessment (Prof John Norcini) 
- “Summiting Mount Miller”: outcomes beyond graduation (Prof Martin Cake)
 
11:00–12:30 — Parallel sessions: Graduate Transitions 

- Professional identity (Rachel Davis)
- VetGDP national support (Dr Linda Prescott-Clements)
- Graduate preparedness (Kirsty Williams)
- Student preparedness (Paul Wood)
- Cultural humility (Neerja Muncaster)
- Graduate programme (Dr Rob Kelly)
- VetGDP advisor vs graduate preparedness (Prof Alexander Corbishley)
- Generative AI in PGT programmes (Dr Victoria Lindsay-McGee)
- “Qualified but not yet competent?” (Prof Harold Bok)
- Graduate retention & support (Alison Price)

13:30–14:40 — Plenary 

- Trends & challenges in veterinary specialty education: North America (Prof Jane Sykes)
- Advancing human nursing practice (Wendy Preston)
 
15:15–16:15 — New Ideas & Innovations

- Parallel postgraduate training for vets and nurses (Dr Peter Kronen)
- International shared assessment item resource (Dr Linda Prescott-Clements)
- Mapping postgraduate opportunities via EVBS data (Julie Rosser)
- Coaching approach in postgraduate education (Aurora Zoff)

16:15–17:30 — Parallel sessions : Postgraduate Education (I) 

- Role of VN in team-based care (Jill Macdonald RVN; Julie Dugmore RVN)
- CPD frameworks (Stuart Garde)
- Active learning (Gemma Coleman)
- Intermediate PG award (“missing middle”, Dr Aidan McAlinden) 
- Wellbeing & programme standards (Natasha Hetzel)
- Skills mapping (Mark Bowen)
- CertAVP impact (Ewan Holdsworth)
- COVID-19 case study (Emily Chapman-Waterhouse)  

17:25–17:45 

Closing panel: Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, Prof Harold Bok, Prof Martin Cake, Julie Dugmore RVN. 

Please note: Session and presentation titles have been condensed for ease of reference. For the full details, refer to the official programme https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/pgve-programme/and abstract booklet.

09:00–10:10 — Plenary 

- Latest developments in AI in learning (Prof Lambert Schuwirth)
- Rethinking veterinary competence (Prof Olle ten Cate)

10:45–11:30 — New Ideas & Innovations  

- Non-clinical/humanistic training integration (Petra Agthe)
- Expeditionary veterinary medicine (Tom Roffe-Silvester)
- Modified Competency Framework for emergency vets (Aoife Reid)

11:30–12:45 — Parallel sessions: Postgraduate Education (II) 

- Error management training (Gemma Coleman)
- Nurse transition programme (Natasha Hetzel)
- Simulation-enhanced echo training (Stuart Garde)
- Teaching non-technical skills (Bethan Ellwood)
- Mapping European rotating internships (Julie Rosser)
- VETCEE & CPD accreditation (Lidewij Wiersma)
- Empowering educators (Louise Dingley)
- AI review for question quality (Mark Bowen)
- Sustainability leadership (Sharon Boyd)
- Modular/post-personalised training (Gemma Coleman) 

13:45–15:15 — Licensing & Revalidation Plenary 

- Assessing doctors for UK practice (Prof Suzanne Chamberlain)
- Limited licensure in Canada (Lindsay Sproule) 
- PAVE & Evaluated Clinical Experience (Amy Farmer) 

15:40–16:45 — Parallel: Postgraduate Education (III)—Licensure & Revalidation
 
- Webb’s DoK for specialists (Mark Bowen)
- Distributed clinical teaching & residencies (Jessica Reynolds)
- ISVPS assessment innovations (Dr Charlotte French)
- EPAs & wellbeing (Robert Favier)
- Oral healthcare education development (Natasha Hetzel)
- Personalised video feedback (Gemma Coleman)
- EBVM Academy (Jenny Stavisky)
- Quantitative skills audit (Stephanie Richardson)

16:45–17:00 

“Moving forwards towards an International Community of Practice” — panel-led discussion & closing remarks (Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, Prof Harold Bok, Prof Martin Cake, Julie Dugmore RVN).