Kate Sharpe

I have lived and worked in North Yorkshire (Ripon) for the past 20 years and throughout my veterinary career I have been actively involved with the BVA.

Since qualifying from the RVC some years ago I have worked in a variety of veterinary roles starting in mixed practice, then in Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and am now in the Home Office. I was the Divisional Veterinary Manager in Leeds APHA for 8 years, starting during the recovery phase after the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 2001. You may have met me during this time or as council member of the Yorkshire Veterinary Society.

Having attained an MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology, I later took on the national role as Head of the APHA Surveillance Intelligence Unit and I am currently an Inspector in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in the Home Office Home Office. This career path has led me to appreciate the great diversity within and the enormous contribution that the veterinary profession makes in delivering for the public good both within and outside clinical practice. Throughout my career, I have been active within BVA regionally in the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Divisions.

I was President of the Association of Government Veterinarians and have recently completed a 3-year term on BVA’s policy committee during which I chaired the working group to develop the BVA’s position on veterinary surveillance. I would particularly like to support the Young Vet Network who are facing a very different veterinary world from that in which I started. I am proud of the veterinary profession and have watched BVA develop its governance processes over the years to become, I believe, a truly representative body for the profession.

Based on my experience, I know that it can only do this effectively if members engage and provide their views in order to shape the policy positions.