Who Are We?

Above all, the VCS is a friendly society made up of members from different backgrounds and at different stages of their careers who are enthusiastic about their common passion for veterinary cardiology.  If you would like to join, please click on the link to the membership page.

The VCS is affiliated to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). We hold two in person meetings for our members every year in Spring and Autumn.  All members are welcome to speak. Presentations vary from specialist and resident-led lectures to shorter case presentations and summaries of major international veterinary conferences (ACVIM Forum and ECVIM congress).

We host a triennial joint meeting with the British Equine Veterinary Association with a focus on equine cardiology. In 2024 we introduced an additional stream at the Autumn meeting for nurses with an interest in cardiology.  Most of our meetings have a central theme that links with a talk from an invited human cardiologist, although other themes often emerge during the meeting.

The Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS) was formed in 1975 by Peter Darke, one of the founding fathers of veterinary cardiology in the UK.  Originally consisting of just a handful of vets with an interest in cardiology, the society now boasts nearly 600 members made up of general practitioners, academics, nurses, researchers and industry members.  Throughout our 50-year history, the core aim has been to promote animal welfare through the study and development of veterinary cardiology.  Importantly, this includes ALL species, because we learn just as much from differences in physiology, disease and husbandry across large, small and exotic animals as we do when we find areas of common ground.

“The Veterinary Record , September  1975 , pg. 226”

The VCS is very keen to promote clinical research in veterinary cardiology and undergraduate and postgraduate education.

To this end, we award 4 bursaries every year for selected members to attend the ACVIM and ECVIM conferences and report to the society on the key presentations.  The Alistair Gibson Memorial Award (funded by Breatheazy) provides funding to one member every year to undertake CPD to aid their career progression. We also provide 2 joint-funded clinical research grants annually (Petsavers/VCS Joint Award and the Horse Trust/VCS small project grant).

Poster abstracts of clinical cases or research are now an established feature of the autumn meeting, and commonly feature work by interns, residents and undergraduates.

As an affiliate group of BSAVA all VCS members are encouraged to participate in BSAVAs wider functions. Contributions could include writing articles, speaking at BSAVA congress, teaching at BSAVA courses and providing reviewer and editorial support.

Members of the VCS are actively involved in trying to reduce the incidence of both acquired and congenital breed-related heart disease in dogs and cats.  This is undertaken by our breed-related subcommittee (CSAG) and involves screening for heart disease.  Heart testing is done through a combination of listening to the heart with a stethoscope (auscultation) and cardiac ultrasound (Doppler echocardiography).  In certain instances, additional testing can be done with a 24-hour ECG monitor (Holter) and even genetic testing, usually from a blood or saliva sample.

We host on our website a list of screening cardiologists approved for heart testing because they have achieved a high level of post graduate experience around inherited heart disease.

If you would like to join VCS, please click on the link to the membership page.

The VCS Committee

The Committee comprises six member volunteers who are in post for three years. The current team can be above with their pictures. The committee is responsible for organising the two annual meetings in association with conference organisers Planet Pursuits; managing the VCS finances, running the website and communicating with members about relevant veterinary cardiology matters.

Nurse program

Liza Ebeck RVN NCert Anaesth, CVLM

Lauren Osborne RVN FdFc

BEVA liaison

Katya Potter BVetMed DipACVIM MRCVS

Prof John Alexander Keen BVetMed BSc CertEM(IntMed) DipECEIM MSc PhD FRCVS

VCS Committee members from the past.

Chairpersons: Geoff Culshaw, Lesley Young, Malcolm Cobb, Mark Patteson, Anne French, Simon Swift, Jo Dukes McEwan, Mike Martin, Serena Brownlie, Peter Darke, Sue Matic, Paul Wotton, J R Holmes, Brendan Glazier, Brian Alps

Secretaries: Rachel Blake, Chris Linney, Ursula Lanigan, Eva Pavelkova, Liz Bode, Hannah Stephenson, Emily Dutton, Paul Wotton, Jo Cottee, Yolanda Martinez Pereira, Sue Roberts, Nuala Summerfield, Chris Little, Adrian Boswood, Malcolm Cobb, Mark Patteson, Mike Martin, Jo Dukes McEwan, Sue Matic, Serena Brownlie, Ron Lowe, Dermod Malley, Peter Darke

Treasurers: Laura Korenchy, Katya Potter. Ruth Willis, Jo Arthur, Jan Cormie, Sheena Milne, Jo Arthur, Ruth Willis, Leslie Young, Anne French, Simon Swift,

Proceedings editors & website managers: Jo Harris, Kieran Borgeat, Jordi Lopez-Alvarez, Sonja Fonfara