Mixed practice veterinary surgeon appointed to leading Quality Improvement role at RCVS Knowledge

Veterinary surgeon Julie Gibson BVetMed MRCVS has been appointed by veterinary charity RCVS Knowledge as Quality Improvement (QI) Clinical Lead – a role which will see her using her expertise to support the veterinary professions to deliver high quality veterinary care for better animal health and welfare outcomes.

Julie’s focus will be to work with the veterinary community to bring together the concepts of QI with contextualised care and evidence based veterinary medicine for measurable improvements in veterinary practice. This broad role will see Julie use her voice in the veterinary sector to proactively engage the wider veterinary community in QI concepts and practices.

Since graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2005 Julie has worked in farm, small animal, and equine disciplines, and currently works at an equine practice. In 2025 Julie is set to submit a QI-focused PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham on the topic of ‘just culture’ in veterinary practice which describes working environments that are conducive to continual learning and improvement. Her work focuses on two main areas that aim to achieve this in the veterinary sector: supporting clinical personnel in relation to adverse events and harnessing the perspectives of animal owners.

Outside of RCVS Knowledge, Julie will continue to practise as a veterinary surgeon as well as serving on the British Veterinary Association Policy Committee, and volunteering for the VetLife helpline.

Julie Gibson said: “I’m delighted to have taken on the role of Quality Improvement Clinical Lead for RCVS Knowledge. It is an exciting opportunity, and I hope my knowledge and experience can help build on the excellent and far-reaching work that RCVS Knowledge has already done in encouraging QI in veterinary practice.

“The veterinary QI landscape has evolved tremendously in recent years. A key priority as I start this role is to work with the team and the professions to develop and deliver on a QI strategy that is fit to meet our professions’ evolving needs”

Ashley Doorly, Head of Quality Improvement at RCVS Knowledge, said: “We’re delighted Julie is joining our team. Her varied clinical and academic background and leading QI expertise make her the perfect person to support the veterinary professions in the UK and beyond. The demand for QI support only continues to grow. Julie’s expertise will be crucial in helping us continue to support veterinary teams to make positive changes in practice.”

Julie succeeds Pam Mosedale who retired in January 2025.