Rita Goncalves, DVM, MVM, DipECVN, FHEA, MRCVS 

After working as a small animal practitioner in Yorkshire and undertaking an internship at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, Rita completed her residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Glasgow. She became a European and RCVS Recognised Specialist in Neurology in 2008 and currently heads the Neurology and Neurosurgery service of the University of Liverpool where she works as a Senior Lecturer. Rita was the founding president of the British Veterinary Neurology Society (BVNS) and has been chairperson of the scientific and currently the credential committee of the European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN). She is currently undertaking a part-time PhD in identification of novel biomarkers in meningoencephalitis of unknown origin in dogs as she has a special interest in inflammatory conditions affecting the nervous system.