RCVS Mind Matters celebrates tenth anniversary with fifth veterinary mental health research symposium

This year marks ten years of our Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) – a project founded in 2015 which aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of those in the veterinary team including students, veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons, practice managers and those in non-clinical settings.

To mark the occasion, this World Mental Health Day on Friday 10 October 2025, we are hosting our fifth biennial MMI mental health research symposium to highlight current contributions to veterinary mental health research from around the globe. The event will take place from 9am to 5pm at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, UK.

The theme for the symposium this year is 'Advancing veterinary mental health research: learning from the past, considering the present, and looking to the future'. The day will consist of a variety of oral presentations and poster presentations centred around this theme, as well as lots of networking opportunities. A range of exhibitors will also be attending the event, including charitable organisations ranging from mental health, veterinary, and agriculture groups, to wider animal health and welfare organisations.

We're inviting all those interested in the field of veterinary mental health to attend the day.

RCVS Council member and Chair of MMI, Dr Louise Allum, said: "Our symposium presents a fantastic opportunity for knowledge exchange in the veterinary mental health sphere so that, together, we can continue to foster a compassionate environment and build a solid evidence-base for veterinary mental health research to grow and evolve.

"Our symposium presents a fantastic opportunity for knowledge exchange in the veterinary mental health sphere so that, together, we can continue to foster a compassionate environment and build a solid evidence-base for veterinary mental health research to grow and evolve."

"This is an inclusive event open to all with an interest in veterinary mental health including vets, nurses, students, practice managers, academics, healthcare professionals, policy makers, mental health advocates and everyone in between."

MMI Lead Rapinder Newton added: "We have come a long way in developing our understanding of mental health in veterinary professionals over the past ten years but still have a way to go.

"Only through continued collaboration with mental health researchers, and learning from other allied professions, can we efficiently work towards our shared goal of enhancing mental health and support within the veterinary professions.

"This is why events such as our symposium are so important. Veterinary mental health is a small but growing field. Creating environments for open discussion and networking are key to advancing our understanding of where the challenges lie. By extension, this also plays an invaluable role in learning how research can be applied in a practical manner to help improve the lives of veterinary professionals which, ultimately, aids in upholding animal health and welfare too."

On the day, delegates will have the chance to hear from previous Mind Matters Mental Health Research Grant recipients on topics such as mental health in student veterinary nurse education in the UK, and alcohol use behaviours and barriers to help seeking within UK veterinary practice. Other research topics include:

• Organisational contributors and intervention strategies to address burnout in veterinary nurses.
• Staff experiences of teaching neurodivergent veterinary students in clinical learning environments.
• Confronting taken-for-granted truths – a systematic review of risk and protective factors associated with suicide risk in veterinary professionals.
• “For three of my four miscarriages, I was at work”: Workplace management of UK veterinary professionals’ miscarriage, infertility and assisted fertility.
• How does attendance at Schwartz Rounds impact veterinary professionals experience in clinical practice?
• Nursing Matters: A mixed-methods study of workplace mental health in UK veterinary nurses and nursing students. 

Tickets are available to purchase at an early bird rate of £45 until 11.59pm on Sunday 31 August. Thereafter general admission tickets will be available at a price of £75. Refreshments will be provided. Attendance at the event will count towards CPD for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

For more information and to book your place, please visit the MMI Symposium Eventbrite page. Students aged 18+ studying a full-time veterinary/mental health/psychology related course, and those who are currently unemployed or retired, may be entitled to a concessionary rate or free ticket. Those in these categories should email [email protected] for further information on how to apply.