Dr Alex Hawkins
BSc, BVSc, MVetMed, DipECVS, MRCVS
Lecturer in Equine Surgery
Department: Clinical Science and Services
Campus: Hawkshead
Research Groups: Musculoskeletal Biology
Clinical Groups: Equine Surgery
Alex is a Lecturer in Equine Surgery. He is an ECVS Diplomate in Equine Surgery and holds the Masters in Veterinary Medicine (MVetMed). He is an RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Equine Surgery.
Alex graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015 with a Bachelors (BVSc) in Veterinary Science as well as having intercalated and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelors (BSc with First Class Honours) in Pathology & Microbiology. He then worked briefly for 6 months for the PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) charity. Following this, he relocated to Florida, United States, to successfully complete an 18 month rotating internship in a busy, private equine hospital (Equine Medical Center of Ocala) in the "horse capital of the world", Ocala. He then returned back to the UK and undertook an ambulatory role in a first opinion equine practice based in Surrey for a further 2 years. After this, he then completed a 3 year specialist Senior Clinical Training Scholarship in Equine Surgery and simultaneously obtained a Masters in Veterinary Medicine (MVetMed) at the Royal Veterinary College finishing in June 2022. He then moved to a private equine hospital for 6 months in Leicestershire before returning back to the Royal Veterinary College as a Staff Clinician in Equine Surgery in January 2023. He then became a Lecturer in Equine Surgery in February 2024 after having successfully passed the European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) specialist board examinations, thereby becoming an RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Equine Surgery. He is interested in all aspects of Equine Surgery (particularly minimally invasive surgery), as well as lameness and poor performance investigations.
Spiesshofer, P., Hawkins, A., Berner, D., Previdelli, RL., Fiske-Jackson, AR. 2024. Surgical treatment of headshaking by removal of a paracondylar process fragment via modified hyovertebrotomy approach: A detailed anatomical and surgical description in an adult horse. Veterinary Surgery.
Perez, B., Hawkins, A., Fiske-Jackson, A., Jiminez, C., 2023. Opioid-free anaesthesia protocol for standing spinal surgery in a horse. Veterinary Record Case Reports.
Looijen, M., Hawkins, A., Berner, D., Irving, J., Williams, J., Farr, R., Smith, RK., Fiske-Jackson, A, 2022. Successful treatment of an aneurysmal bone cyst in the third metacarpal bone of a foal. Equine Veterinary Education.
Hawkins, A., Chapman, L., Meter, M., Smith, RK, 2021. Ultrasound-guided tenoscopic decompression of digital sheath synoviocoeles in 10 horses. Veterinary Surgery.
Hawkins, A., O’Leary, L., Bolt, D., Fiske-Jackson, A., Berner, D. and Smith, R., 2021. Retrospective analysis of oblique and straight distal sesamoidean ligament desmitis in 52 horses. Equine Veterinary Journal.
Ho, N., Morgan, R., Bolt, D., Hawkins, A., Veres-Nyéki, K., 2020. Caudal inferior alveolar nerve block in a Bennett’s wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus). Veterinary Record Case Reports.
In his 70% clinics role in the Equine Referral Hospital he is heavily involved in rotation teaching as students rotate through the Equine Hospital on the Equine Surgery rotation. He also teaches on the locomotor strand for the BVetMed course.
Alex is one of the Equine Surgeons in the Equine Referral Hospital. He is interested in all aspects of soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, in particular minimally invasive surgery, digital flexor tendon sheath pathology, lameness and poor performance investigations.