Aberystwyth veterinary academic awarded prestigious fellowship

An academic from Wales’s only School of Veterinary Science has been honoured with a prestigious fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the profession.

Dr Gwenllian Rees, a lecturer at Aberystwyth University’s School of Veterinary Science, has been named a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons – a title that has recognised excellence in the field for over 140 years.

The Fellowship exists to advance veterinary standards by serving as a resource of independent expertise for the benefit of the profession and wider society.

This year the RCVS has welcomed 51 veterinary surgeons to its Fellowship, celebrating their exceptional achievements across clinical practice, research, education, public service, and leadership.

Dr Gwenllian Rees, who joined Aberystwyth University in 2021, leads the award-winning Veterinary Prescribing Champions Network for Arwain DGC - a collaborative initiative bringing together academics, vets and the animal health industry in Wales to help tackle antimicrobial resistance.

She qualified as a vet from Liverpool University, worked for several years in rural farm and equine practice in Wales and New Zealand, and gained her PhD from Bristol University.

She is Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association’s Welsh Branch and a Trustee of the Animal Welfare Foundation.

Responding to the announcement, Dr Rees from Aberystwyth University said:

“I’m very proud to be awarded this Fellowship. It’s a privilege to be recognised alongside so many inspiring colleagues who are making a real difference across the profession. I’m passionate about advancing veterinary science and education, and I look forward to contributing to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ work in promoting excellence and supporting the future of veterinary care.”

Dr Niall Connell FRCVS, Chair of the RCVS Fellowship Board, said:

“It is great to see the Fellowship once again welcoming such a broad and diverse range of veterinary talent and excellence to its ranks.

“Amongst those being welcomed this year we have veterinary surgeons who are best known as clinicians or academics or researchers or campaigners or business leaders or public servants. However, what unites them all is a dedication to the advancement of the veterinary profession and the contribution that it can make to animal health and welfare, public health and society as a whole.”

Dr Rees and her fellow recipients will be formally welcomed at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons annual Fellowship Day, held on 27 November at One Great George Street, Westminster.