Webinar to reveal results of MMI-funded alcohol study
The panel will explore ways to support reduced drinking and encourage help-seeking.
Researchers from Oxford Brookes University are to host a webinar, exploring the results of a study into alcohol use in the profession.
The study, which was funded by the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI), explored how those in the veterinary profession used alcohol and their barriers to seeking help.
The research will be presented as part of a webinar, ‘Opening the conversation around alcohol use in a veterinary setting’ and will take place on Tuesday, 13 January from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Panellists, including three researchers which led the project, will present an evidence-based discussion into their findings.
Dr Jennifer Seddon, Olivia Cormier MRCVS and Dr Emma Davies will explore what their study has revealed about drinking, mental health, and seeking support in the veterinary workplace. It will examine the factors influencing alcohol use in a veterinary setting and considering the links to mental health.
The panel will also explore effective ways to support reduced drinking and encourage help-seeking behaviour in the professions.
The other panellists include Dr Rosie Allister, a veterinary mental health researcher and a consultant helpline manager at Vetlife. Dr Allister researches veterinary wellbeing and supporting colleagues in crisis, and provides workplace training on mental health and wellbeing.
Another panellist is Dr Kirstie Pickles, who is equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) lead at Harper Adams University and provides training to support those who are neurodiverse or experiencing mental health difficulties.
In 2024, Dr Pickles spoke to the BBC about her own experiences using alcohol to combat stress and anxiety in the veterinary profession. She describes using alcohol as ‘emotional support’ after difficult work days, suggesting it is ‘normalised’ in veterinary life.
In an interview with the BBC, she said: "It’s when you put your recycling out and you’re embarrassed about it that you realise that’s probably not normal."
She added: “"It became something I did to numb emotional pain."
The panellists hope that a panel discussion will ‘bring the research alive’, exploring how alcohol issues can impact an entire veterinary practice. It will also assess what colleagues can do to provide non-judgemental support to themselves and others.
To book your place on the panel discussion, visit the event page.
Image © Daniel Tadevosyan/Shutterstock.com
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
