Professor Karla Lee
MA VetMB MBA PhD CertSAS DipECVS PGCAP FHEA MRCVS
Professor of Soft Tissue Surgery
Department: Clinical Science and Services
Campus: Hawkshead
Research Groups: Cardiovascular and Renal Biology, CPCS (Research Programme)
Clinical Groups: Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery
Karla is Professor of Soft Tissue Surgery and Clinical Lead for Small Animal Laparoscopy and Thoracoscopy at the Royal Veterinary College.
Karla studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge. She completed internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and residency in small animal surgery at The Royal Veterinary College. She won the European College of Veterinary Surgeons Award for Best Small Animal Resident Abstract and is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons.
In her early career, Karla won a Wellcome Trust veterinary prize studentship to conduct a PhD in bone biomechanics, at the Royal Veterinary College. Her research won young investigator awards from the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research and the Society for Advances in Mineral Metabolism. As a post-doctoral research fellow, she won a Medical Research Council award, in collaboration with hepatologists and intensivists at University College London, to investigate novel therapies for liver failure.
Karla was appointed as a lecturer in small animal surgery at the University of Cambridge for two years and at The Royal Veterinary College for thirteen years, where she was promoted to associate professor. During this time, Karla developed expertise in all aspects of small animal soft tissue surgery, with special interests in emergency surgery, laparoscopy and thoracoscopy.
Karla left academia for three and half years to lead the development of the soft tissue surgery services in two newly established private referral veterinary hospitals. During this time, she completed a Master’s in Business Administration with the Open University, in which she studied the tension between operational efficiency and care quality in veterinary practice.
Karla returned to The Royal Veterinary College in 2025 as Professor of Soft Tissue Surgery.
Karla has conducted research in the fields of basic science, translational medicine and clinical veterinary medicine.
Karla won a Wellcome Trust Veterinary Prize Studentship to conduct a PhD in bone biomechanics. She investigated the role of oestrogen receptor alpha in bone’s response to mechanical loading, with clinical implications for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis in women.
Karla’s post-doctoral research was funded by the Medical Research Council, with industry support from Gambro Dialysatoren GmbH, BioProducts Ltd and Haemonetics Ltd. Karla worked in collaboration with the Liver Failure Group at the Royal Free Hospital, University College London, to publish a pivotal pre-clinical study, documenting the beneficial effects of a novel liver-assist device in acute liver failure. This device is now in human clinical trials.
Karla collaborates with other veterinary clinical specialists, including radiologists, pathologists, intensivists and anaesthetists, to generate a diverse clinical research output. She has published work on surgical attenuation of congenital portosystemic shunts, ureteral ectopia, pyothorax, migrating foreign bodies, stick injuries and hepatobiliary surgery.
Karla's publications are listed at Karla C L Lee on Google Scholar.
Karla is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from King’s College London in 2011.
At the RVC Karla has made a significant contribution to the BVetMed undergraduate course and postgraduate CPD courses. Karla has been Director of the Small Animal Surgery Rotation, Leader for the Principles of Science course and Director of EMS. Karla is course leader for CPD courses in small animal laparoscopy and small animal abdominal surgery.
Karla has been a European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) resident supervisor for over 10 years and was the 2019 Chair of the ECVS Small Animal Examination Committee.
Karla is Professor of Soft Tissue Surgery and Clinical Lead for Small Animal Minimally Invasive Surgery (laparoscopy and thoracoscopy).
Karla has completed extensive training in minimally invasive surgery at the Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and offers a wide range of laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgeries. She is a proponent of virtual reality simulation training in minimally invasive techniques, as means of providing excellent standards of care to the greatest number of veterinary patients.
Karla has many years of experience in emergency surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary system, chest, urinary system and skin.
Karla has lectured extensively at small animal conferences including the Emergency and Critical Care UK Congress, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress, The London Vet Show and the Norwegian Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual Meeting.
Karla was a member of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) Examination Committee between 2015 and 2019 and was the Chair of this committee in 2019.
Karla was a member of the Publications Committee for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) between 2007 and 2010 and is co-editor of the first and second editions of the BSAVA Guide to Procedures in Small Animal Practice, which has been translated into Spanish and Polish.