US$1million gift to boost future vets’ business skills at the Dick Vet
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies receives generous gift from former student.
A generous gift from vet, entrepreneur, and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies alumnus Dr Peter R. Beaumont will ensure future veterinary students are equipped with the business skills needed for successful and sustainable practice.
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS), part of the University of Edinburgh, was founded in 1823. The School has enjoyed a reputation for providing outstanding veterinary education for 200 years and is now ranked as one of the world’s premier veterinary schools.
Central to this reputation is the School's commitment to the very highest teaching standards, an award-winning curriculum, and innovation in response to the changing needs of the profession.
Investing for the future
In this, its bicentenary year, the School has announced its intention to further invest in business skills training for its veterinary students in tandem with plans to develop a new general practice unit.
This new facility will provide the next generation of vets with a learning experience fit for the future, ensuring greater opportunities for first opinion clinical practice material for teaching students and, crucially, a dedicated programme centred on the financial and practical business skills our graduates need to thrive.
Dr Beaumont’s generous US$1million commitment will enable the further development of the planned new facility and aligned business skills programme for those choosing to study at the R(D)SVS. The University intends to name the business skills unit and programme after Dr Beaumont in recognition of this gift.
Supporting business skills
Dr Beaumont is an experienced small animal veterinarian, investor and entrepreneur based between New Jersey and London.
After graduating from the R(D)SVS in 1972, Dr Beaumont was awarded a three-year Thouron Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed an internship and residency in soft tissue surgery. He later received an MBA from New York University.
Over the last 30 years Dr Beaumont has owned, managed, and sold a variety of successful businesses, including veterinary practices, pet retail businesses and a London restaurant. He has been a chairman or board member of several companies and was on the board of NASDAQ-listed pet insurance provider Trupanion for six years.
He currently chairs two panels at Trupanion and invests in and mentors start-up animal health companies.
As a teenager growing up in Yorkshire, I spent weekends and holidays working on a dairy farm, so to be able to follow the dream of large animal medicine and enroll at the R(D)SVS at the University of Edinburgh, was almost an end in itself. During five years at Summerhall, my interests tended more towards small animals, and after leaving for the University of Pennsylvania I could not thank the Dick Vet enough for providing a supportive, village-like environment in which to learn, with wonderful professors and colleagues. Much later, I am grateful to have been able to give back to where I cut my teeth and provide financial help for what is now a very dynamic institution.
The modern vet impacts society in many ways, from preserving the food chain to supporting companion animals and their owners. Their work affects the health and welfare of both animals and humans. Running a successful business takes a range of different skills and with this generous donation the R(D)SVS will be able to ensure our graduates are equipped for whatever the future may bring. We are immensely grateful to Dr Beaumont for this extremely generous donation.
If you would like to support the R(D)SVS, please contact Nicole Bell, Senior Philanthropy Officer, on nicole.bell@ed.ac.uk.
About the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is a one-of-a-kind centre of excellence in clinical activity, teaching and research. Our purpose-built campus, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pentland Hills Regional Park, is home to more than 800 staff and almost 1400 students, all of whom contribute to our exceptional community ethos.
The School comprises:
The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
The Hospital for Small Animals
The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education
We represent the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise in Europe, impacting local, regional, national and international communities in terms of economic growth, the provision of clinical services and the advancement of scientific knowledge.