Vacancy - Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist: Aquatic, Zoo & Wildlife Species

IZVG Pathology is currently seeking to recruit an experienced Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist.

International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG) was founded in 1976 and is the largest freelance zoo medicine practice in the world, working exclusively with non-domestic species. IZVG Pathology was established in 2003 and provides dedicated anatomic pathology services for the practice’s zoo, aquarium and wildlife conservation work. IZVG Pathology works from our own fully equipped post- mortem facility and histology laboratory situated within IZVG’s main building in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Keighley is on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and within easy travelling distance of the Lake District, and close to the larger cities of Leeds and Bradford.

The role: Working alongside our existing principal veterinary pathologist, who will be your direct line manager, with two histology technicians, and supported by zoological medicine clinical specialists, you will take immediate responsibility for a caseload that comprises significant numbers of marine aquarium fish, non-domestic mammalian (particularly primate), avian, and lower vertebrate species, as well as invertebrates. Diagnostic histopathology will be a major part of your daily work, for IZVG’s own clients and for external clients including veterinary surgeons and referral laboratories. Necropsy examinations are also a frequent (typically daily) and irreplaceable feature of our work, occasionally necessitating travel off-site. A network of external collaborators enables us to source additional diagnostics as necessary. Opportunities exist for input into conservation projects in association with field biologists and vets.

The person: MRCVS (or immediate eligibility) and a postgraduate qualification in Veterinary Pathology are essential (FRCPath, DipACVP, DipECVP or equivalent), as are robust diagnostic and communication skills. We are particularly seeking experience and enthusiasm for fish pathology, and experience with other non-domestic animal pathology would also be an advantage. Whatever your prior experience you will be expected to demonstrate a genuine interest and enthusiasm for aquatic species pathology and a willingness to develop relevant expertise rapidly, with a commitment to providing the best quality diagnostic service to our clients. Experience of research methods and a track record of publication would also be desirable.

Remuneration: The post carries a competitive salary along with additional benefits including medical insurance. Relevant CPD is encouraged and funded and there are considerable in-house training resources.

Contact: Informal enquiries are welcomed to the Principal Veterinary Pathologist Dr Mark Stidworthy by email (M.Stidworthy@izvg.co.uk) or telephone (01535 692000 (laboratory) or 07771 567506 (mobile)).

Please see the job specification for full details.

To apply, please send the following to c.kelly@izvg.co.uk
     1. A completed application form
     2. A letter briefly outlining past experience and future goals
     3. Your current Curriculum Vitae

The closing date for applications is 9 a.m. (GMT) on Friday February 7th 2025

The position is available from March 1st 2025.

Christmas Office and Pathology Opening Times

We wish all our clients a very Happy Christmas and send best wishes for 2025.

The Office
The office will be closed completely on Wednesday 25th December, Thursday 26th December, and Wednesday 1st January 2025.
The office will close at 2pm on Tuesday 24th December and Tuesday 31st December.
On the days between Christmas and New Year, the offices will be open but operating on a reduced service. The office reopens, as normal, on Thursday 2nd January 2025.
Please note, orders will not be despatched on Tuesday 24th December and Tuesday 31st December. The last date for orders of non-stock items for Christmas delivery is Tuesday 17th December at 2pm.

Pathology Lab
The laboratory will be closed completely on Wednesday 25th December, Thursday 26th December and Wednesday 1st January 2025.
We will close for receipt of routine samples at midday on Tuesday 24th and Tuesday 31st December.
The laboratory will be offering a limited service on Friday 27th and Monday 30th December with reduced staffing levels.
The last day for water microbiology testing before Christmas will be 19th December 2024 – this is due to incubation times and to enable confirmations to take place with no delay. Please ensure that the samples are sent directly to Nationwide Laboratories before this date.
Please contact the pathologist via pathologists@izvg.co.uk if you have any questions during this time. A normal service for all samples will resume on Thursday 2nd January 2025.

IZVG Welcomes our new veterinary surgeon - Matt Siddle.

We are very pleased to welcome Matt Siddle to our clinical team!
Matt graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2016 and subsequently worked for three years with small, farm, exotic, and zoo animals in Northumberland. In 2019, he moved to Canada for a one-year exotic, zoo, and wildlife internship at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan. In 2020, he moved to Hong Kong to work at a large, exotic animal referral hospital where he stayed for 3 years before joining IZVG.
He has completed externships at Dallas and Edinburgh Zoos as a student, published articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has attended multiple exotic and zoo conferences. He attained a post-graduate certificate in exotic animal practice in 2018 and is a RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine.
Matt is based in Yorkshire.

IZVG Welcomes our new veterinary surgeon - SJ Smith.

We are very pleased to introduce SJ Smith, who joins our clinical team!
SJ graduated from The Royal Veterinary College in 2012. In addition to her veterinary medicine degree, she also has a degree in Conservation Medicine from University of Liverpool. SJ spent the first part of her veterinary career working in general practice looking after pets, farm animals, wildlife and zoo animals throughout the South West of England and the Greater Sydney area, Australia, before joining Marwell Wildlife, where she worked for 6 years. She has previously held posts on the councils of The British Veterinary Zoological Society and BIAZA, and currently leads the BIAZA bovine TB focus group. SJ enjoys working with all species, but is particularly fond of anything with feathers or scales. She has a particular interest in geriatric animal care and human factors in animal care, including animal carer mental wellbeing.
When not working, SJ can usually be found running or crocheting zoo animals for her niece and nephew; she is yet to find a way of successfully doing both at the same time!

Goodbye and good luck Nic.

Please join us in wishing vet Nic all the very best in his exciting adventure.
Nic has accepted the position of Director, Wildlife Health at Toronto Zoo, starting in January 2023. Toronto Zoo has a very strong tradition and track record in conservation science and, with its 50th anniversary fast approaching in 2024, has launched a new strategy and masterplan reflecting this. Nic will lead the Wildlife Health department to deliver excellent health and welfare for the large and diverse animal collection, and to contribute wildlife health expertise in all the zoo’s research, training, and conservation activities.
Its been great Nic, good luck.

Goodbye vet Steph.

Please join us in wishing vet Steph all the very best in her next adventure.
Steph has been working with IZVG for the last two years and will have met many of our clients during visits. She is now sadly leaving us to return to Australia her family.
Its been a pleasure Steph, good luck.

IZVG Welcomes our new Pathologist - Andrew Rich.

We are very pleased to introduce Andy Rich, who joins our pathology team this week!
Andrew qualified from the University of Liverpool and worked in equine and companion animal practices in the Scottish Highlands, developing his own exotics service, before undertaking a residency in anatomic veterinary pathology at the University of Liverpool (2017-2020). During his residency, he developed special diagnostic and research interests in aquatic, zoological and exotic pet pathology through the Chester Zoo Diagnostic Pathology Service at the Leahurst Campus. Following his residency, he worked for a private UK diagnostic pathology lab where his main duties included cytology, histopathology, ocular pathology, haematology, and microbiology, covering small and large companion animals, plus zoo animal and exotic pet submissions for which he was solely responsible. In 2021, he became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (DiplECVP). In January 2022, he joined the International Zoo Veterinary Group as a veterinary anatomic pathologist. He is passionate about research and has already published over 10 articles/scientific proceedings focussed on zoo/exotic animal/aquatic and domestic animal pathology, including Nectarivorous bird emphysematous ingluvitis (NBEI): A novel disease in Loriinae birds associated with Clostridium perfringens infection.
Having come from a clinical-background, Andrew is keen to work with clients to research and develop criteria for prognostic assessment of various diseases, especially neoplasia of zoo/exotic and aquatic species, alongside undertaking retrospective reviews to identify the most common forms of diseases in currently less-studied species.

IZVG Welcomes our new Veterinary Surgeon - Rowena Killick.

We are very pleased to welcome Rowena Killick, who joins our veterinary team this week!
Rowena qualified as a vet over 20 years ago and spent the first few years of her career working in general vet practice. She completed an MSc in Wild Animal Health at ZSL/RVC in 2005, spent another year in a mixed and exotics practice in West Sussex and then completed a 3-year University of Bristol residency at Bristol Zoo Gardens, training as a zoo vet. Shortly after that she was offered a permanent position at Bristol Zoo Gardens as a staff vet and has been there ever since, until a couple of weeks ago when she left to join IZVG. She worked with all the taxa at BZG, including invertebrates and fish, and also at Wild Place Project, BZGs sister site, once that opened in 2013. She enjoys working with all species and is passionate about training of zoo animals to reduce the stress of veterinary treatment and procedures. Her other favourite subject is vitamin D/UVB.
She does of course have a few animals of her own, but apart from 5 giant spiny stick insects they are of the more mundane variety 2 moggies and a couple of small human primates! The small human primates take up a lot of her spare time, but also make sure she gets plenty of exercise and give her an excuse to watch Star Wars!
Welcome to IZVG Rowena.

IZVG Welcomes our new Veterinary Surgeon - Elliott Simpson.

We are very excited to introduce Elliott Simpson, who today joins our growing team of veterinary clinicians!
Elliott graduated from Bristol in 2014. He has steadily built up his experience working with a range of zoo collections and private exotic animal owners in the East of England, as well as gathering his own growing menagerie. In his spare time, Elliott tells us he will quite frankly entertain most hobbies that are an excuse to get outside and lose himself in the countryside, apart from downhill mountain biking, which in flat Norfolk where he is based is quite the challenge! Welcome to IZVG Elliott.

IZVG Welcomes our new Animal Health Technician - Bryony Andrews.

This week, we have welcomed a new team member! Based in Weymouth, Bryony Andrews has joined us as an Animal Health Technician, alongside Derek and Jo. Bryony graduated from University of Plymouth in 2013, with an MSc in Zoo Conservation Biology. She spent time working in various zoo and aquarium collections across the south coast before taking a supervisory position in collection management. She is also particularly interested in animal transport welfare. In her spare time Bryony is found exploring the countryside with her naughty Border Terrier, Ralph.