Originally from Melbourne, Dr Hicks undertook specialist training at Melbourne and Murdoch Universities, as well as two years of advanced surgical training in the US. She successfully passed fellowship examinations through the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and became a registered specialist in 2012.
Merrin has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, presented at conferences both in Australia and overseas, completed a Masters of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne, and taught both students and graduate veterinarians in universities in Australia and the US.
For four years, Merrin was a founding director at the Centre for Animal Referral and Emergency (CARE), now one of the largest specialist hospitals in Melbourne, before joining the Animal Referral Hospital in 2016. Merrin enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine and critical care, in particular surgical emergencies, trauma, and blood gas analysis.
She lives with her partner, young daughter, two dogs and a cat and enjoys surfing in her spare time.