Dr Mark Johnston is Member Representative for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). A founder member of the WSAVA, BSAVA is a strong supporter of WSAVA CE activities in Sub-Saharan Africa and has recently become an Educational Partner.
Dr Mark Johnston
Could you introduce yourself briefly to WSAVA members?
I qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in London in the UK in 1981, before spending a year there as an Intern. I then worked in South Wales for five years in mixed practice before moving to southern England to run a companion animal practice with my wife for twenty years. I gradually started volunteering for BSAVA and did more and more, eventually becoming BSAVA President in 2012. Our pets now consist of one dog, two cats and two tortoises.
What is your ‘day job’ and what do you most enjoy about it?
Last year I stood down as Clinical Director of the practice but I have continued to carry on working three days a week. I am enjoying my work even more now as I am still an enthusiastic general practitioner. I have developed an interest in veterinary dentistry but still believe that being a generalist is the most fulfilling route for a veterinarian and would not have chosen a different career path.
Why do you think it’s important for BSAVA to be a member of WSAVA?
BSAVA and WSAVA have been actively involved together since WSAVA was formed in 1959. During my time as a BSAVA volunteer I became acquainted with the work of the WSAVA and realized that both associations have a similar ethos of ‘science and education.’ By working together, we can promote higher veterinary standards thereby improving animal welfare.
You’re the WSAVA Member Representative for BSAVA. What have been the highlights?
I particularly enjoy WSAVA Congresses and find vets to be remarkably similar the world over. Meeting people face to face whom you have only exchanged emails with forges better relationships and facilitates a more effective exchange of knowledge.
Would you like to see more BSAVA members get involved with the WSAVA? If so, how could they contribute most usefully?
I would encourage all vets to get more involved in veterinary associations, national or international. I strongly recommend the various WSAVA Committees where there are enough topics to satisfy everyone’s interest. If you have an interest in a particular area, such as dentistry, animal welfare or professional wellness, then support, join or help to disseminate the information provided by the relevant Committee.
BSAVA is a long-term supporter of the WSAVA’s CE work in Africa and is an Educational Partner. What do you hope will result from our increased collaboration?
For years I have followed the Sub-Saharan CPD sponsored by BSAVA. It very much reminds me of the time when I first started going to BSAVA meetings, meeting fellow vets, exchanging information and getting caught up in our sheer enthusiasm for the profession. It is good to see the formation of veterinary associations in Africa and the support they are receiving.
Could you tell us something about you that might surprise us?
In my sixties, to my surprise, I have taken up and enjoy cycling. I particularly enjoy cycling around the country lanes of East Sussex and, last year, I completed the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton fund-raising cycle ride.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I believe under the present very difficult COVID-19 emergency, one of the WSAVA’s principal tenets, that of One Health, and its aim to ‘ensure the prominence of the small companion animal-human interface in the global One Health agenda’ has never been more important.