Emma Adam has been named the equine outreach veterinarian for the University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science. She will begin July 1.

“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Emma Adam to our program in this very important role. The purpose of this position is to enhance the overall outreach efforts of this department in terms of our teaching, service and research activities,” said David Horohov, department chair and Gluck Equine Research Center director. “Dr. Adam is uniquely qualified for this position given her exceptional expertise in equine surgery and medicine as well as her research background.”

The position was created to provide a better link between the research and diagnostic laboratories and those we serve, said Nancy Cox, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

“We expect a lot from this new position, and we have the perfect person in place to accomplish a new era of service to the veterinary and horseman community. We could not be more fortunate to have such a person as Dr. Emma Adam taking on this transformative position,” Cox said.

A native of Newmarket, England, Adam grew up on a commercial breeding farm and later worked for 10-time champion trainer Sir Michael Stoute. Adam has experience with many equine disciplines. She has worked on breeding, racing and athletic stock around the globe in Newmarket, England; Normandy, France; Melbourne, Australia and several locations in the United States.

“I’m very excited about the scope and possibilities of this position. This position is about forging links between the equine industry and the university, so everyone can leverage our combined resources and share knowledge,” Adam said. “As a clinician with firsthand experience of the demands of our profession and industry, I plan to be accessible and engaged in serving the industry and veterinary professionals.”

Adam earned her doctoral degree in UK’s Department of Veterinary Science. Her research in James MacLeod’s musculoskeletal science laboratory at the Gluck Center examined articular cartilage and asked fundamental questions about what gene expression patterns make articular cartilage so unique. She also compared the pattern with cells currently used in regenerative medicine. She earned her bachelor of veterinary medicine degree from Royal Veterinary College and her bachelor of science from King’s College.

She also did an internship at Colorado State University followed by an internal medicine residency at Texas A&M University and a surgery residency at University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center. At the New Bolton Center she looked after 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and was involved with many of his surgeries following the Preakness Stakes where he shattered his leg.

Adam is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, American College of Veterinary Surgeons, American Association of Equine Practitioners and American Veterinary Medical Association.

The mission of the Department of Veterinary Science, a UK Ag Equine program in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is to assure the health and viability of animal agriculture through teaching, discovery, research and service. For more information on the department, visit http://vetsci.ca.uky.edu.