Meet a WSAVA Partner – Mark Johnston

Dr Mark Johnston is Chief Executive of WSAVA Educational Partner Vetstream and Vice President of the WSAVA Foundation.

Dr Mark Johnston

Could you introduce yourself briefly to WSAVA members?

I graduated from Cambridge and spent six years in referral Equine practice in Newmarket before carrying out a PhD and post-doctoral research into perioperative equine fatalities. I became involved in Vetstream to apply my interest in taking data and information from practices and turning it into point of care information for practitioners.

What does your day job as CEO of Vetstream involve?

I am responsible for the Vetstream team, its peer-reviewed content for the six Vetlexicon services (Canis, Felis, Lapis, Exotis, Equis and Bovis) and identifying new partnership opportunities with organizations such as practice management systems, associations and practice groups around the world.

Vetstream has been a Global Educational Partner of the WSAVA for many years. Why did you want to get involved with the WSAVA?

We are keen to work with associations offering preferential terms as a member benefit. The WSAVA’s 113 member associations represent the core of professional associations in small animal practice but we are also working with equine and cattle associations to help provide relevant Vetlexicon services at pricing appropriate for the country in which the association is based.

How can WSAVA members get the best out of the resources that Vetstream offers them through the partnership

Practices that value the Vetlexicon services most are those that use it often and embed access to it into their normal clinical workflow. Some practices, even small ones, are using Canis and Felis up to 40 times a day to access the clinical point of care information they need.
We have recently launched a service called VideoWithMyVet which provides veterinary clinics with their very own tele-medicine and video consultation experience for clients and patients under their care. VideoWithMyVet makes follow up consultations, repeat prescriptions and emergency conversations easier for clients, especially those who may have difficulties getting to the practice or who live further away.

You’re a Director of the WSAVA Foundation. What are its key achievements so far? What’s next?

The WSAVA Foundation helps to support veterinarians in developing countries. Its most significant achievement so far is the AFSCAN project in sub-Saharan Africa under which new professional associations have been formed and become members of the WSAVA. We are also working with suppliers of repurposed IT equipment to support veterinarians in accessing digital educational content.

Could you tell us something about you that might surprise us?

As a beekeeper with five hives, I am increasingly interested as to how our current agricultural methods are impacting the environment. I am also a keen photographer and take my camera when I’m travelling to photograph wildlife, landscapes and street scenes.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

I am delighted to be working with the WSAVA as an Educational Partner and as Vice President of the WSAVA Foundation and look forward to playing my part in the profession for many years to come.