Page 47 - Eclipse - RVC Alumni Magazine - Autumn 2020

MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Rachel Lumbis
We were very sad to say goodbye to our colleague Rachel Lumbis in February. She will be known by many RVC alumni, particularly the UK and Hong Kong nursing graduates.
Rachel initially worked in the Clinical Skills Centre before becoming a lecturer in the Veterinary Nursing School and BSc/FdSc VN Course
Director. Rachel is a passionate and innovative teacher, who was dedicated to her students and a highly organised and effective course director.
Rachel also had a wide-reaching impact at the RVC as one of the founding members of the Interprofessional Education Team (iPET). This team is
a group of staff who aim to increase opportunities for veterinary nursing and veterinary students to learn with, from and about each other, for the ultimate benefit of patients, clients and practices.
As part of the iPET, Rachel delivered several interprofessional sessions on topics such as dentistry, roles and responsibilities, and euthanasia. She was also fundamental in gaining an award to develop and run the first Inter-Professional Orientation and
Development (interPOD) day in January 2020, alongside POD colleagues.
Rachel’s passion for dentistry and animal nutrition was evident to all those that she lectured. She was responsible for the very popular scaling, polishing and extracting simulator in the Clinical Skills Centre and also had a prominent role in the World Small Animal Veterinary Association global nutrition committee, developing a range of resources for practices and promoting nutritional assessment as an integral part of patient care.
Rachel left the RVC to pursue a full-time PhD and we send her our best wishes.
Written by Rachel’s friends and colleagues at the RVC
Prestigious research award for internal medicine expert
Harriet Syme, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine, was the winner of the 2020 Petplan Charitable Trust Scientific Research Award, which was announced in the summer.
The award is made for outstanding contributions to veterinary research and reflects Professor Syme’s status as one of the leading
veterinary clinician-scientists in the
UK, recognised internationally for her knowledge and expertise in nephrology and endocrinology.
The Petplan Charitable Trust Scientific Award is an annual celebration and recognition of the work carried out by organisations and individuals dedicated to the health and welfare of dogs, cats, horses and rabbits. The Veterinary Research Award is presented each year to a scientist, selected from nominations submitted by the UK's eight veterinary schools and the Animal Health Trust. The nominations are judged by the Petplan Charitable Trust’s scientific committee, for outstanding contributions to the art and science of veterinary medicine.
Professor Syme leads RVC research into the pathophysiology and epidemiology
of feline hyperthyroidism and the endocrinological diseases that lead to hypertension in cats. Both hyperthyroidism and hypertension are common conditions which particularly impact older cats and her work has advanced clinical practice in their diagnosis and management.
Professor Syme, who is an RVC alumna, has also made major
contributions to RVC’s research into Feline Chronic Kidney Disease and the endocrinology of bone mineral disturbances associated with this common feline medical condition.
Commenting on her award, Professor Syme said: “I am thrilled to receive this award. It is made particularly special by the fact I was nominated by my peers. It is important to emphasise though that research is a team effort, and I am just one of many people, vets and nurses alike, working together at the RVC to try to further our understanding of the diseases that old cats get, so that we can improve their quality of life.”
Jonathan Elliott, Vice-Principal for Research and Innovation and Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology, said: “We are delighted that Professor Syme has won this prestigious award. Her research has made such a difference to the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term monitoring of common medical problems in both dogs and cats.”
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