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Kate realised that in academia you need a PhD, so she moved fields to a more equine medicine related topic and successfully gained her PhD in laminitis and insulin resistance in ponies in 2011. She undertook a wide range of studies to determine whether insulin resistance could be used to identify animals prone to laminitis, a painful condition of the equine foot. Her studies resulted in five excellent peer-reviewed publications that made a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in this area of equine science. She always undertook her research with a smile and was happiest when undertaking field studies with the ponies.
Kate returned to her position of Lecturer in Anaesthesia. However, she met Peter, and in 2010 they were married in a beautiful ceremony in Oxford. Following her maternity leave, she decided that she would devote her time to being a mum, and resigned from her position as Lecturer. However, she did not give up on anaesthesia. She wrote a major chapter on analgesia for the 11th edition of the text book Veterinary Anaesthesia. In recent years, she contributed a huge amount to the RVC’s CPD programme; running several very popular online courses relating to equine anaesthesia and pain management. She was also an assessor for the RVC’s CertAVP B module and anaesthesia C modules. She was a key player in preparing the RVC for the reaccreditation visits from
RCVS, AVMA, EEAVE and AVBC last autumn through her involvement in an extensive learning outcome and assessment mapping project. Her commitment to the project and attention to detail was awe inspiring.
Despite the massive time pressures of working in veterinary anaesthesia, Kate had many hobbies. She took up running and completed the Great North Run. Horses remained her hobby as well as her work - her holidays were often very adventurous riding holidays; for example, she did the BHS sponsored ride across Jordan, as well as a riding Safari in Africa, which afterwards she recounted being carted as the horses very sensibly took to their heels on seeing a bull elephant in the long grass. On a trekking holiday in the Spanish Sierra Guara she was able to indulge her hobby of photography, taking pictures of the spectacular scenery and the really beautiful spring flowers.
Kate is a huge loss to veterinary science, to the speciality of veterinary anaesthesia, and to teaching. She will be missed by her colleagues, and by many vets who were her students during their time at the RVC. She had so much more to contribute. However, the greatest loss is to her husband Peter, and to their two small children, William (age nearly 6) and Elizabeth (aged 3). We send them our heartfelt condolences and our greatest sympathy.
MARCIA KIRK
RVC staff, students, alumni, clients and the wider veterinary profession have paid tribute to the life and work of veterinary nurse Marcia Kirk, who has died at the age of 90. Marcia was the head nurse at the RVC’s Beaumont Animal Hospital for many years. She is thought to be one of the first in the country to qualify as a registered animal nursing auxiliary, which automatically led to the title of veterinary nurse.
We also proudly remember . . .
Mr Derek William Whitfield Moore 1952 Mr Michael John Ranger 1956 Mr Mark Richer 1993 Mr Robert Thorndike Gardner 1970 Mr David Brockis 1951 Mr J Pemble 1964 Mr Robert Dudley Oaksford 1968
...and our other RVC alumni and friends who are sadly no longer with us.
OBITUARIES
We are keen to pay tribute to RVC alumni who have sadly died. If you would like to share your stories and memories of a relative, friend or colleague, please email us at development@rvc.ac.uk
Mr John Hodgart Reid
Mr Edward Donald Evans
Mr Kenneth Charles Gledhill
Mrs Heike Mojay-Sinclare
Mr Paul Jenkerson
Mr Bryan Sayle 1959 Mr Peter William I’anson Laing 1952
1953 James Edward Downes 1954 1955 Michael Brewster Toosey 1949 1945 David William Brocklesby 1954 2012 Harry Epps 1954 1958 Professor Ian King MacSorley Smith
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