Tributes paid to John Sheridan, 'a giant within the profession'
John Sheridan was president of the BSAVA from 1974 to 1975 and first president of the VPMA from 1993 to 1996.
MRCVSOnline is saddened to hear of the passing of renowned veterinary surgeon, John Sheridan.
After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 1960, John spent the first 25 years of his career in small animal medicine, establishing a franchise of eight veterinary practices. In 1985, he was hired as managing director of Anicare Group Services, providing an array of management consultancy services to the profession.
John was president of the BSAVA from 1974 to 1975 and first president of the VPMA from 1993 to 1996. He held a diploma in Management Studies, a Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management from the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, and a Certificate in Veterinary Practice Administration awarded by Purdue University and the AAHA.
John Sheridan was joint founder of Veterinary Practice Initiatives Ltd, the first veterinary corporate consolidator in the UK, and was chief veterinary officer from its launch in July 1998 until he retired from the company executive team in 2003.
More recently, John offered part-time management consultancy to the veterinary profession and published Veterinary Business Briefing, an online practice management resource for the international veterinary community. He also published and presented the Veterinary Business Video Show, with a new episode every two weeks.
Tributes
Tributes from across the veterinary community flooded onto Twitter following the news, with RCVS president Niall Connell tweeting: 'Sad news indeed. John Sheridan MRCVS @johnsher has passed away. I enjoyed listening to John's thoughtful and insightful podcasts. RIP John.'
BSAVA president Sue Paterson wrote: 'We heard today of the passing of John Sheridan. John was President of BSAVA from 1974-1975. He was a giant within the profession but as importantly a wonderful person. The sympathies of the whole of the BSAVA family go out to his loved ones.'
Internationally-recognised vet and author Dr Ernie Ward commented: 'Veterinary friends, I am so sorry to hear that John Sheridan (UK) passed away last night. He was an icon in #veterinary practice & truly inspired me many years ago. My gratitude for his unrelenting kindness & generosity.'
John was a kind gentleman and innovator in practice management and will be missed by all that had the pleasure to know him.
The VMD has announced dates for its next Veterinary Dispensary Manager Online Course.
