Noel Fitzpatrick is an Irishveterinary surgeon, based in Eashing, Surrey, who came to prominence through the television programme The Supervet.
Originally from Ballyfin, in Laois, Ireland, he moved to Guildford, Surrey, in 1993,[2] where he is director and managing clinician at Fitzpatrick Referrals.[3] His veterinary practice includes two hospitals specialising in orthopaedics and neurosurgery in Eashing,[4] Surrey, and another specialising in oncology and soft tissue surgery in Guildford.[5] He is director of a number of biotechnology companies spun off from his practice.[6]
In November 2014, he was awarded the UCD Alumni Award for veterinary medicine.[7] He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Surrey for the concept of One Medicine: the advancement of human and animal treatments in tandem.[8] He is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine[9] and Professor and founding member of Orthopaedics in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey.[10]
In 2017, he was presented with the Blaine Award by British Small Animal Veterinary Association for outstanding contributions to the advancement of small animal veterinary medicine and surgery.[11] The award acknowledges him as the creator of more than 30 new techniques in the field.[12]
Veterinary surgery
In 2009, he became the first veterinary surgeon in the world to successfully apply an amputation prosthesis (PerFiTS[13]) to a cat named Oscar who had lost both hind feet in an accident. In 2014, Fitzpatrick was recognised by Guinness World Records for being the first veterinary surgeon to conduct that operation.[14]
The 2010 BBC documentary television series The Bionic Vet followed the work of vet Fitzpatrick and his team at Fitzpatrick Referrals. The series saw Fitzpatrick develop new methods and techniques to help pets with unique problems.
In 2014, Fitzpatrick and his practice became the subject of the Channel 4 television series The Supervet. It continues to run, and Series 12 was being broadcast in September 2018.
Performing arts
Outside of his veterinary career, Fitzpatrick has a keen interest in acting. He has been cast in two episodes of ITV's Heartbeat as vet Andrew Lawrence, first broadcast in November 2002, and as sheep rustler Gabriel broadcast in January 2000. He appeared in an episode of the BBC medical drama Casualty (2005), around the same time he appeared in the documentary TV series Wildlife SOS, resulting in the BBC receiving complaints that the latter show included an actor who was pretending to be a vet.[21] He has appeared in the ITV series London's Burning (2001), and two episodes of ITV's The Bill.
Fitzpatrick's first film appearance was in the horror filmThe Devil's Tattoo (2003). He took the lead role in the film Live for the Moment (2004) in which he starred as David Fowler, and starred as Inspector Beckett in the film Framed (2008).
^School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, UK. "Prof Noel Fitzpatrick". Retrieved 18 December 2014.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
