Dr Karen Hiestand

PhD, BVSc, BSc, MSc, MA, Dip. ECAWBM (AWSEL), PGCert, FHEA, MRCVS
Lecturer in Veterinary & Animal Ethics

Department: Pathobiology & Population Sciences

Campus: Hawkshead

Research Groups: Animal Welfare Science and Ethics

Research Centres: RVC Animal Welfare Science and Ethics

Karen is Lecturer in Veterinary and Animal Ethics. Her main interests lie in exploring facets of human:animal relationships, particularly regarding companion animals, the veterinary-client-patient triad, differing ethical perspectives and societal and indiviudal moral duties towards animals. She also researches animal empathy, has a background in shelter medicine and working with animal welfare charities. She likes cats, a lot. 

Karen Hiestand is a lecturer in veterinary and animal ethics at the RVC and is a European and RCVS Specialist in Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law. She originally trained as a vet at Massey University in New Zealand, and she has wide ranging experience of first opinion mixed practice, shelter medicine, rehoming charities and voluntary work, particularly dog and cat population management programs. Having always been focused on how to improve animal welfare, she entered post-graduate education starting with an MSc in applied animal behaviour and welfare at Edinburgh. This experience kicked off a very expensive habit, and over the ensuing years Karen completed a BSc in psychology, an MA in medical ethics and law, a residency with the European College of animal welfare and behavioural medicine, and a PhD in psychology - investigating the role of animal empathy in human-companion animal relationships. Alongside her role as an educator, she continues to volunteer in the animal welfare sector and advise on welfare and ethics internationally.

 

Karen holds a number of external positions:

  • Chair - AWSELFA (Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, Law and Forensics Association)
  • Trustee - International Cat Care
  • Committee Member - RSPCA Animal Welfare Committee
  • International Liason - ECAWBM (European College Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine)
  • Member - Feline Wellbeing Panel, International Cat Care
  • Committee member - Clinical Research Ethical Review Board, RVC
  • Committee member - Clinical Ethics Board, RVC

 

 

Karen's overall research interests lie in exploring facets of human-animal interaction, particularly regarding companion animal relationships, the veterinary-client-patient triad, differing ethical perspectives and societal and individual moral duties towards animals.

 

Current Students:

Beth Skillings: PhD 'Who Cares? The rise of veterinary specialist care in twenty-first century Britain.'

Angela Spatz: MRes 'Gabapentin use in cats'

Undergraduate veterinary research projects covering a variety of topics including: economic euthanasia, contextualised care, non-accidental injuries, veterinary attitudes toward animal neglect cases, canine adoption preferences in Thailand, client attitudes towards 'value for money' in first opinion practice, feline blood banking ethics.

Undergraduate biosciences research projects including: contagious yawning in cats, 'school dog' usage in UK primary schools

Hiestand KM, McComb K, Banerjee R. "It Almost Makes Her Human": How Female Animal Guardians Construct Experiences of Cat and Dog Empathy. (2022). Animals, 12(23):3434. doi: 10.3390/ani12233434. PMID: 36496955; PMCID: PMC9739904.

Hiestand KM., The Autonomy Principle in Companion Veterinary Medicine: A Critique. (2022). Front. Vet. Sci., Sec. Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume 9 https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.953925.

Hiestand K., Newbury E. (2018). Chapter 23: Training and Education in the Shelter Environment. BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Shelter Medicine Principles of Health and Welfare in a Multi-animal Environment. Dean R (Editor), Roberts M (Editor), Stavisky J (Editor)Hiestand KM.,

Making the Most of a Veterinary Educaiton. (2016). The Veterinary Record, 178(2):i-ii, https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.i12.

 

Karen teaches veterinary and animal ethics topics across the BVetMed/BVSc curriculum, and is module leader of Animals in Human Society, in year three Biosciences. 

She is also an academic tutor for veterinary undergraduates and supervises undergraduate research students.

Karen works with clinicians to research veterinary-client-patient relationships and on ethical training and understanding to improve veterinarian mental health. 

Karen continues to work closely with animal welfare organisations as a consultant, educator, committee member and trustee, and regularly acts as an invited speaker at national and international animal welfare meetings and conferences.

She has appeared in numerous media, including live national tv (This Morning, ITV news), live and recorded local and national radio (BBC regional, BBC 4, All in the Mind), podcasts (Veterinary Ramblings) and print media (The Guardian, CP Clinic), usually talking about cats. She has run training courses and lectures on feline shelter medicine, animal welfare and ethics for national and international audiences through the Dogs Trust International Training Program, Sudanese veterinary animal welfare, Estonia animal shelters conference, International Companion Animal Welfare Conferences and the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes. 

She also volunteers as a school speaker with Inspiring the Future

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