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Alumni Profiles

Ken Lam

RVC Graduate from Hong Kong

Ken Lam

Kenneth Lam studied veterinary medicine at the Royal Veterinary College, and has had a varied and interesting career in Asia, working with the Hong Kong Jockey Club as a Veterinary Surgeon for 10 years and as a Veterinary Officer at the Department of Veterinary Regulation and International Liaison since 2006. Here he talks about his experiences in Asia.

  • What attracted you to veterinary medicine?

I decided to become a vet all because of the offer of a veterinary scholarship. I didn’t know what veterinary science was about then, so I wrote to the University of London, and they supplied me with all the information. Then I understood, it’s a big spectrum of study – from farm animals to companion animals, and it must be challenging, even more challenging than treating humans! This was my decision. It’s good to learn something new and challenging.

You have to like animals people. I love dogs and horses of course. If you don’t like animals, or don’t like to work with animals, don’t be a vet. Also, people think you don’t need to talk when you are working with animals, but you are always connected with owners. You have to enjoy working with people.

  • What career opportunities did Royal Veterinary College open up for you?

Being a veterinarian can lead to lots of other activities. I started off as a technician, but now I’m involved in regulatory and international liaison tasks. I work with the international group of specialist racing veterinarians, and on the Hong Kong government side I am the chairman of the Registry Committee of the Veterinary Surgeons’ Board, which is involved with industry registration and disciplinary issues. I also work with the Department of Justice. That means helping protect the integrity of the profession.

On the global side, I’ve been quite lucky to be appointed as one of the international experts for the World Organization for Animal Health, which is involved in the evaluation of government veterinary services. This is quite an interesting job, dealing with all kinds of animals and related to public health.

Overall, my message is that there are lots of opportunities.

  • How did studying with RVC prepare you for working in Hong Kong/China?

After studying at the Royal Veterinary College, coming back to Hong Kong was quite easy, because Hong Kong’s veterinary registration accepts UK degrees. With a UK degree it is quite easy to come back and start working right away.

In Hong Kong, 90% of veterinary work is small animals. But you also have Ocean Park for big sea animals. You’ve got cattle farms, and for horses there is the Hong Kong Jockey club. You need more experience with horses to work for the Jockey Club, so I specializes in working with horses first. My first year, I stayed on as a large animal intern at Royal Veterinary College, doing medicine and surgery. Then I spent one year at a race horse practice. After two years of very intense experience I came back.

  • Can you describe a typical day in your life as a veterinarian?

When I was a technician, a typical day would be working with horses and on the race track. I’d observe horses for insurance exams, and do official veterinary examinations to check the horse before and after gallops. In terms of sports medicine for race horses, lameness is one of the big issues, alongside respiratory problems. So we’d do clinical examinations, for example, use a scope down the windpipe, assess the conditions and taking samples. As a vet we do carry out a lot of diagnostic tests, because animals can’t talk. Often we would use quite sophisticated techniques, such as bone scans or using  radio pharmaceuticals, like injecting a dye-type liquid into the bloodstream, which sticks to the areas on the bone that have high activity.

Now I have moved onto the management side, and do population medicine. This means looking at the whole horse population, including treating and inspecting horses for regulatory purposes. A regulatory vet is like a referee. We are independent in assessment, working in the interests of the horse’s welfare. We take into account all the diagnostic and chemical information of the horse and then make a judgment about the horse’s ability to race. Ahead of a racing day, we might check 160 horses!

Also, because of international liaison activities, I assist with the import and export of horses, for example, international races. I also do a lot of work with China, and work closely with the government, like the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conversation Department.

  • What has been your most interesting/fulfilling experience?

The most interest aspect for me, is being able to work internationally, and not just being limited to a local area. This job allows me to travel a lot, and to connect to other racing jurisdictions and other health organizations worldwide. It’s just amazing the networking you can do in the interests of animal welfare, all around the world. That is what you are trained for as a vet, and as a vet, you have to look after all sorts of animals.

  • Why is it special to be a veterinarian in Asia?

Asia has a good financial background for veterinary industries. In regards to my expertise, Hong Kong is a booming financial center, and that’s why horse racing in Hong Kong is also a booming industry. In China, it’s the same. China is opening up a lot, and on the equine on the side there are things like the Asian Games. It is the first site ever where they will have international movement of horses approved. There is lots of potential for growth in Asia.

  • What would you say to students and parents who are considering this?

Veterinary medicine and science are good career paths, because it’s very easy to work abroad, especially compared with doctors. If you have a UK veterinary degree you can work in Hong Kong straight away, and many veterinarians do well financially.

It’s also a prestigious career. It takes 5 years of training, because Veterinarians work with all kinds of animals, from horses, to dogs, cats, farm animals, and lots of other animals. Different aspects such as animal husbandry and physiology are all different. Therefore, it attracts a very hard-working, interesting group of people.

Veterinary medicine also offers a lot of personal satisfaction. It’s not just from the view of individual medicine, but also for the whole population, focusing on the public good and public health. Your job has an impact on how animals are kept, and how they are treated in a humane way to serve society. Veterinary science is essential for economic growth, in terms of farm animal production, and for the public good and public health.

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