Leading UK animal hospital Wear Referrals has appointed a new Head of Medical Services to keep the Linnaeus-owned veterinary centre at the forefront of pet care and treatment.
The County Durham clinic has promoted oncology specialist Aaron Harper to the key leadership role overseeing all medical disciplines at the hospital.
The expert team at the state-of-the-art hospital has an excellent reputation for providing top quality care and Aaron is keen to further extend Wear’s services to its pet patients, their owners and referring vets.
Aaron said: “My role as head of medical services is to oversee the provision of all medical disciplines in the hospital, including internal medicine, cardiology, oncology and critical care.
“I see the position as an opportunity to continue to develop my leadership skills with the support of the fantastic leadership team at Wear.
“My ambition is to build on the success we have had as a hospital and to continue to grow all of the medical disciplines, with my total focus on helping the teams to deliver clinical excellence along with compassionate care.
“I will be working closely with all the heads of service and alongside all of our teams to provide the best possible care and treatment for our patients.”
Aaron is a Cambridge graduate, an advanced veterinary practitioner (small animal medicine), has a postgraduate certificate (PGCert) in medical education and is a European and RCVS specialist in veterinary oncology.
In amongst all of his qualifications, Aaron said treating an ailing dog called Beauty proved a real education and was an enlightening lesson in patient care he will never forget.
Aaron, who set up Wear’s successful oncology service, explained: “During my residency training, I treated a border collie called Beauty for lymphoma.
“She was a lovely dog who lived well beyond the expected survival time. I developed a real bond with the dog and the owners, which is one of the special parts of practicing oncology.
“It also taught me that animals do not read the textbooks!”
Aaron is now ready to use all of his expertise and experience to help keep Wear at the forefront of veterinary care in the north east.
He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2008 and spent five years in general practice in the north west of England before taking up a residency at the University of Liverpool from 2013 to 2016.
He then progressed from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Oncology at Liverpool before moving into private practice in 2018 at Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Essex before returning to the north of the country to join Wear Referrals in 2021.
Wear specialises in providing expert multidisciplinary care, including anaesthesia, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, intensive care, internal medicine, neurology, OOH emergency and critical care, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue.
