Jackie Brearley was brought up in the West Riding of Yorkshire in a medical family. After attending a comprehensive school, she was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, as part of the first intake of women to the college, where she studied veterinary medicine. Upon graduating, she specialised in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Jackie has served as Chairman and examiner for the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (ECVAA) Diploma Examinations and is a past president of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists (AVA).

After a brief period as a House Surgeon at the University of Glasgow, she trained in veterinary anaesthesia under Professor Ron Jones at Liverpool University. In 1986, she gained the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia and began PhD research on ‘Aspects of the Stress Response in Cattle’ with a particular focus on anaesthesia. During this time at Liverpool, Jackie also worked as a locum in small animal and equine practices.

In 1990, Jackie was awarded her PhD and moved to East Anglia to work as a Clinical Anaesthetist at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) in Newmarket, alongside Dr Polly Taylor. In 1993, she became Assistant Head of the Centre for Small Animal Studies at AHT. She returned to the University of Cambridge in September 2006, where she was a University Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Education, Director of Studies for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, and Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.

During her time at Cambridge, Jackie also established the Pauline Brown Clinical Skills Centre, ensuring that clinical skills became an integral part of the curriculum and assessment landscape of the veterinary course. Jackie experienced a period of burnout around 2017, which she believes improved her life. In celebration of her 60th birthday in 2018, Jackie ran two marathons. Jackie left the vet school in 2023. She is now setting up a small business focused on selling preserves, including fermented foods such as sauerkraut.

Useful Links