Guest Blog from RVC Bioveterinary Student, Sofia Di Bernardini
22nd July 2025
As a student at the Royal Veterinary College who is entering the world of veterinary medicine, it is always fascinating to see how innovation continues to open new doors in animal health. Attending the NOAH summer event on the 17th of July 2025, gave me a chance to understand the emerging importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and its growing role in veterinary medicine.
The panel discussion was both insightful and thought-provoking. While AI has already become largely embedded in many aspects of human healthcare, it’s clear that veterinary medicine is just beginning to explore its full potential. The speakers highlighted the promise AI holds for diagnostics, decision support, and streamlining administrative tasks. These necessary, but potentially burdensome processes can impede regulatory reviews, authorisation processes, and ultimately delay medicines from reaching the marketplace. AI is not set to replace people, but to help them work more efficiently and with greater precision and speed.
What really stood out to me was how practical the discussion was. AI wasn’t presented as a silver bullet or a threat, but as a valuable tool to support vets, scientists and regulators in their day to day work. It is less about replacing people and more about enhancing their capacity and helping them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on advancing the profession.
As someone at the beginning of my career, it was inspiring to hear from leaders who are embracing new tools while keeping the core values of veterinary medicine at heart. It made me reflect on how the role of technology in our field is not just about science it is about people, animals, and the relationships we build between them.
This event reminded me that the future of veterinary medicine will not be defined solely by innovation, but by how we choose to implement it responsibly. I feel lucky to be entering the profession at a time of such exciting change, and I am curious and hopeful about where this path will lead.
The panel was led by:
Dan Jamieson
CEO and Founder of Biorelate, Dan leads the company’s work in using AI to extract biomedical knowledge and support drug discovery.
Catrina Stirling
Director of Regulatory Affairs – Biologics at Zoetis, Catrina oversees regulatory strategies for veterinary biologics across global markets.
Suzanne Eckford
Head of International Office at the VMD, Suzanne leads the UK’s international engagement on veterinary medicines regulation.
Carmen Coxon
Principal Scientist at MHRA, Carmen leads a GAMRIF-funded team focused on antimicrobial resistance and regulatory science.
The panel was facilitated by BBC Technology Editor, Zoe Kleinman