Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Inaugural Lecture Showcase 2026

Join us for an inaugural lecture showcase from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. 

With:

• Professor Silke Salavati - Personal Chair of Small Animal Gastroenterology
• Professor Claudia Hartley - Personal Chair of Veterinary Ophthalmology

Professor Silke Salavati graduated from the JLU University in Giessen in Germany, where she also completed her doctoral thesis on gastric emptying in dogs. She completed her PhD at the Royal Veterinary College, assessing the effects of a synbiotic on canine chronic enteropathy. She then moved to the University of Edinburgh in 2016 as a senior lecturer, and became Head of the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service in 2023. She holds an ECVIM-CA diploma in small animal internal medicine, and the RCVS-recognised Specialist title in Small Animal Gastroenterology. She has a particular interest in gut motility, immunology, probiotics, the microbiome and faecal microbiota transplantations, and has published extensively on these topics. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, a Border Terrier called Jäger and two cats, Maisy and Guinness.
 

Professor Claudia Hartley graduated from the University of Bristol in 1995, after which she spent 9 years in general practice in large animal, mixed, and small animal practices. Whilst in first opinion practice she gained the certificate in veterinary ophthalmology and undertook a scholarship at the University of Cambridge. In 2004, Claudia joined the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and successfully gained the European diploma in veterinary ophthalmology in 2007. She was Head of the Ophthalmology Service at the AHT 2009-2015, worked as a senior clinician in ophthalmology at Davies Veterinary Specialist 2015-2017, followed by four years as Head of the Ophthalmology Service at the University of Bristol (2017-2021) re-establishing the department within the vet school. Claudia works with many charities worldwide, assisting with welfare and zoological ophthalmology cases. Claudia has been an active committee member/chair, published several book chapters, lectured both nationally and internationally on veterinary ophthalmology. She was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award for outstanding contributions in the field of small animal veterinary medicine in 2016 and Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018. In September 2021 Claudia joined the University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Science where she is Personal Chair of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
 

5-6.30pm | Inaugural lectures

6.30-7.30pm | Drinks reception