Veterinary surgeons

Priya joined the team in 2013 as a senior veterinary surgeon and became our clinical director in June 2014. Having graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2006 she worked as a general practitioner in a veterinary hospital in Hampshire. She developed an interest in ophthalmology and obtained a post graduate certificate in this subject in 2011. She is currently working towards advanced practitioner status and sees interesting and challenging ‘eye cases’ at the hospital. Priya has a mischievous rescue tabby cat, called Peanut, and is continually pestering her husband about getting a dog!

When she’s not busy with work and her young family, Priya enjoys photography and travelling. Priya recently spent a year on sabbatical and was working in New Zealand for a year but came back to the Village Team in July 2019.

Tiago graduated in 2006 in Lisbon (Portugal) during which time he gained a particular interest in Small Animal Surgery. In 2010, after two years of intensive study Tiago gained his GP Certificate in Small Animal Surgery. Tiago has a particular interest in advanced soft tissue surgeries, minimally invasive keyhole surgery (biopsies, gastopexy, speys, etc), and the management of stifle (knee) problems such as cranial cruciate disease and luxating patella. He then moved to the UK and worked in practices in Yorkshire and the Midlands before moving to the South East in 2010.

In June 2018 he joined us at The Village Animal Hospital as Acting Clinical Director while Priya was on her sabbatical but loved it so much he has stayed on with us as a Senior Veterinary Surgeon. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, playing all kinds of sports and spending time with his daughters and wife.

Sally qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in London and initially went into mixed practice. She then changed to just small animals and has worked in both Sevenoaks and Ashford in general practice. She gained her certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2016 and enjoys both medicine and abdominal ultrasonography. In her spare time she runs with her dog and participates in the occasional triathlon. She particularly likes mountain sports like via ferrata and skiing.

Jo graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2006 and has worked in small animal practice ever since. She has recently moved back to the area from Derbyshire and joined the Smallfield team in 2016. She works part time and enjoys all areas of general practice but particularly enjoys soft tissue surgery. Jo has a daughter and a Bengal cat called Stig who keep her busy outside of work. (Jo is currently on maternity leave).

Helene qualified as a vet in South Africa in 1996 and has been working in the UK ever since then. She joined The Village Veterinary Group in November 2017 and works at the Smallfield branch. She enjoys all aspects of general veterinary practice and has a special interest in holistic medicine including acupuncture (having trained with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society), herbal medicine and natural nutrition. She has three rescue cats called Merlin, Larry and Cheeky Monkey. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, yoga, meditation and spending time in nature.

Russell graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2013 and went on to work in a veterinary hospital in Norfolk for three years. There he gained experience in all areas of veterinary work from management of hospitalised patients to the latest laparoscopic surgical techniques in both routine and emergency cases. He then went on to work as a locum vet whilst travelling around Australia and New Zealand and lately the UK. Russell joined us here at the Village Animal Hospital as a permanent member of staff in October 2018 and is currently undertaking two post-graduate certificates in diagnostic imaging and cardiology which will be a great addition to the services we can already offer. Outside of work he can often be found running, cycling or even swimming around Kent and Surrey.

Alicia graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in 2014 and worked at a small animal practice there until September 2015, when she moved to the UK to work at a veterinary hospital in East Sussex. Alicia joined our team in August 2017 and is based at Caterham. She enjoys all areas of general practice but is developing an interest in internal medicine. Outside of work she likes bouldering and playing with her recently adopted and very cute kitten Gauss.

Eleanor graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2018 and joins our new out of hours team, having previously worked for the former out of hours provider at Caterham over the last few years. She is currently completing her certificate in emergency and critical care and in her spare time enjoys playing the violin, baking and hiking. At home she has two rescue rabbits, four rescue rats and a cat called Elf.