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.

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.

Liberty graduated from the University of Surrey and has been working in small animal practice since. She is interested in all aspects of general practice. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her recently adopted geriatric cat - who may be an older lady but still has a big personality, and her chinchilla who has been a fluffy companion for over a decade.

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.

Deepa graduated from Sydney University in Australia in 2015. She worked in Adelaide, South Australia before moving to the UK in 2019. After travelling and exploring Europe and the UK, she joined the team here at The Village Animal Hospital in Summer 2020. She has developed a passion for surgery and is currently undertaking her GP Cert in Small Animal Surgery. Back in Australia, Deepa has two dogs, Prince and Duke, who are living happily with their grandparents. In her spare time or weekends off, she still loves to get away and explore new areas as much as possible.

Yasemin graduated from University College Dublin and has been working with the Village Team ever since. She is developing an interest in internal medicine but enjoys surgery as well. In her free time, Yasemin enjoys doing yoga, reading and smothering her three cats with unwanted affection.