Meet our new BSAVA President, David Godfrey

20 June 2025

At our Annual General Meeting yesterday (19th June), we welcomed our new BSAVA President for 2025-26 – David Godfrey! David takes over from Julian Hoad who now moves into our Senior Vice President role. We spoke to David to find out more about him and what his plans are for his Presidential year.

What has your journey been as a volunteer so far?

I was working from home at the time in quite an isolated job and wanted more contact and interaction with people. My wife suggested volunteering as a way to get to know people whilst doing something useful and BSAVA seemed an obvious choice.

I helped set up the West Midlands committee. I became Chair and a BSAVA Council member, then Chair of the Regions for three years. I joined the Board in the Honorary Treasurer role and then the presidential ladder.

What or who has been the biggest influence on your career?

Hopefully, this ages me and my undergraduate education and things are now better, but a real light-bulb moment was CPD when I heard an American dermatologist, Craig Griffin, using a (now standard) systematic approach to working up dermatology cases. The process of gathering the evidence, creating and ranking a differential diagnosis list to fit the evidence gathered, using this to then plan and prioritise further diagnostics, was new to me and improved my practice enormously – not just dermatology cases.

From outside the veterinary world, due to my continuous curiosity about what is going on, I discovered the work of Taylor Swift (rather late I do admit) and was inspired to copy her example to merge whatever abilities I have with hard work, using setbacks to create opportunities, to find and collaborate with the best, and treat everyone well.

Can you tell us about your career journey and day-to-day job?

I have had an eclectic career. Initially, I did a mixed practice locum job in Northern Ireland, then I was a very well-paid night vet in London to help pay off some student debts. I spent a year in Newfoundland, Canada as a SA vet then, after travelling, returned home to become a SA clinician in London for a few years before setting up and becoming a partner in our cat-only practice for 10 years.

As I love studying, I completed certificates in SA dermatology, then SA medicine, became board-certified in the USA in Feline Practice and achieved an FRCVS in feline osteoarthritis research. I worked from home for a UK veterinary lab for several years as one of their “remote” clinical pathologists which very such suited life with a young family.

I have been doing peripatetic veterinary dermatology for a number of years now which I love. I am suited for self-employment and have agreements with several practices to provide a dermatology referral service in their practices, seeing dogs and cats. I also perform BAER hearing testing.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the veterinary profession?

I’m very curious by nature and can get interested in most things in life. I seem drawn to medicine despite enjoying surgery. Dermatology has enabled me to tailor-make a career that suits me. I like the challenge of contextualising a work up and treatment plan for each owner and pet. I get to meet a wide range of veterinary practitioners, though working for yourself in this way can be quite isolated which is a downside that I manage by engaging with BSAVA.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

I love learning new things and painting in oils. I walk and watch birds. I’m interested in history, art and culture and when I have time plan to take an Open University BA in Arts and Humanities.

What do you have planned for your presidential year? (Priorities, goals etc)

I am going to be really focusing on helping support BSAVA’s programme of change which is already well underway. It’s exciting as well as challenging times for the profession. BSAVA exists to help the small animal veterinary community, our clients and patients thrive, so I’m really looking forward to announcing some new products and services which will enable us all to do just that.

You can read the full interview in this month’s issue of Companion.