Willows is proud to boast one of the country’s strongest Veterinary Ophthalmology teams treating serious eye conditions in pets.
Our team now has three Ophthalmic Specialists focused on delivering the highest standard of eye care for patients.
This follows the recent success of Alberto Palella Gomez in gaining recognition as an EBVS Diplomate after successfully passing his Specialist exams this summer.
Alberto now joins our Head of Ophthalmology Rodrigo Pinheiro de Lacerda and Samuela Mazzucchelli, both RCVS and EBVS Specialists in Veterinary Ophthalmology, as a Specialist.
Alberto said: “My Diplomate status means patients will benefit from the expertise I’ve gained through years of hard and rigorous training.
“It also means I can now train the future generations and help expand the ophthalmology department at Willows.
“It’s a terrific team here at Willows. We have three Specialists now, supported by our resident Marisa Perez Orrico, and a dedicated nursing team, which means we can provide excellent care to our patients, and accommodate the needs of clients and referring vets.
“I enjoy all aspects of Veterinary Ophthalmology and have a particular interest in corneal surgery, uveitis and neuro-ophthalmology; and I’m actively involved in several research projects.”
Alberto graduated from the University of Madrid in 2013, where he developed a passion for Veterinary Ophthalmology and has studied hard to progress his career ever since.
He joined Willows in 2016, first completing a 12-month rotating small animal internship, then an ophthalmology internship, after which he began a three-year residency, completed in December 2021.
Eighteen months later, he became a Specialist and said the joy of achieving his ambition made the years of study and hard work all worth it.
Alberto added: “Achieving Specialist status is a hard and long process which requires completion of rigorous postgraduate training, education and examinations.
“The process from vet student to Specialist can take on average 10 to 12 years, so knowing that I had passed my board exams after years of sacrifice was an amazing feeling.
“I celebrated by inviting family and friends to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Birmingham and also went on holiday with my partner Chelsie for a well-deserved break together.”
In his spare time, Alberto enjoys photography, especially landscape and wildlife, mountain biking, travelling around the world and discovering new places in the UK.
