Our series on “Champions for Change” features people of any gender in any role who are making a difference and creating positive change for women in the veterinary sector – enabling aspirations, inspiring and supporting others to grow and follow their passions, and empowering our community.
Julie Rosser DVM, PhD Dip. DECVS, DACVSMR is CEO at the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation and advocates for the highest level of veterinary care across Europe. She works to support vets and veterinary specialists and to talk to stakeholders to understand their needs, look for solutions and
improve the quality and access to care for animals. Julie’s motivation comes from a desire to end
animal suffering and she is passionate about being a voice for animals and also for championing human
empowerment. Read on to find out more about how Julie’s belief in authenticity, building connections and making a positive impact informs her work.
Please provide a brief bio/summary of your career story:
After growing up totally in love with my chestnut showjumper ‘Norman’ in Arizona, I was fascinated by sports medicine and, thanks to working for my local vet, equine surgery. By some miracle (and a lot of hard work) I was able to get into a prestigious internship after vet school and finally a residency in large animal surgery. When the US horse industry later took an economic dip, I found myself on a big adventure working in Vienna, Austria, as a Senior Equine Surgeon at their veterinary university, where I ended up specialising (again) with ACVSMR and eventually finishing a PhD in osteoarthritis that led me into translational medical technology. This transition introduced me to a passion for leadership and translational impact at scale, so when a chance came up to join the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation in a leadership role, I was thrilled to be involved!
Please summarise how you are working towards change in the veterinary professions and why do you feel this is important?
Veterinary medicine is a profession of love, of wanting to make a difference for our patients and their owners. We work insanely hard at this, and it is no wonder that we haven’t been great at making time to take care of ourselves, or to learn non-medical skills which can have such an impact. I feel incredibly honoured in my role because I get to see the best in veterinarians and veterinary specialists every day; and I learned in my translational industry position how difficult it is to see and address our own gaps – even as a profession.
Now, I spend my time across Europe advocating for better communication both to the public and inside our veterinary community, looking for economic solutions to workforce inadequacies, talking with stakeholders to understand their needs, how to support them in wellbeing, work culture, administrative burdens, etc. I get to interact with politicians and other agencies to strengthen our veterinary voice and community.
By supporting veterinary specialists and veterinarians, the impact for patients, for public health, and for our own colleagues are so fulfilling. Improving the quality and access to care for animals throughout Europe is not only pivotal for me, as a core value common to all veterinarians, but also for the health of hundreds of millions of people, our planet, and our economic stability.
What motivated you to want to change things?
I remember one specific day, I was discharging a postoperative colic to its owner at the Vetmeduni Vienna. The owner and her daughter were so thankful to me, and happy that their horse was doing well and going home – every surgeon’s dream, right? Except that at the moment that I shook their hands and turned to walk away, my mind was completely filled with the thought, “There must be more I can do, more than one horse at a time, more that I could contribute.” And while my path was not always voluntary, I am so thankful for the incredible journey I’m on. Since my childhood, I’ve always resonated with ending animal suffering. But after some pretty hefty challenges in my own life, I became passionate about not only being a voice for animals, but a voice for human empowerment too.
How have you encouraged other people to get on board with your ideas?
I think it’s so important to cultivate relationships organically. I’m not really a natural “networker” because that can sometimes have a transactional feel to it, but when we can genuinely relate to other people, then it’s easy to share our ideas and find ways to collaborate. This is my go to.
I’m also lucky to be invited to speak often at veterinary and health events where I try hard to focus on bringing others on board by speaking in a way that is clear, humble, and interesting. In other words, I try my best to be authentic and accessible, to whomever my audience is. And of course, when you are truly convinced of your mission and impact, others see that right away and it’s just magnetic to the people who resonate with your idea or your impact goals.
For me, it really is all about the connections we are building, and the impact we can have.
What are the biggest challenges you have encountered in this journey and how have you overcome them?
Oh wow. I love this question – I don’t think we talk about these often enough. I was in an international women’s leadership group for about 18 months. Some of these 39 women were crazy successful at the highest levels: advocacy, executives, etc., but we all had the same dark thoughts. Things like imposter syndrome, for example. That’s when I learned that if we don’t talk about our challenges, then they will continue to diminish us and the next generations until we are brave enough to face them out loud.
Like so many of us, my life has been touched by suicide, mental illness, addiction…these have been huge family challenges during my journey but I have to say, I learned resilience. I learned that, much like how we go to great lengths for the health of our patients, we can do that for ourselves too. Not just for our careers or professionally, but for our emotional intelligence, psychological safety, even for our wildest dreams really. I’ve done pretty much everything in this pursuit: therapy, coaching, even acupuncture! It’s not comfortable, but it is so rewarding. Also because of how it’s allowed me to show up for others.
What has most helped and motivated you along the way?
Honestly, one of my earliest coaches taught me that in any moment, we truly can choose who we want to BE. It’s not easy! In fact, it’s sometimes extraordinary. But it is possible. And it’s kind of the secret to the belief that everything can be figured out. That doesn’t mean we won’t fail – I just had a big failure! But it does mean we can keep learning, and that we can choose ultimately how we respond to the events in our lives, even if those events are not under our control.
What is the best advice you’ve been given, or that you would give to someone else, about driving positive change?
Talk to your audience at their level (especially if it’s one person at a time). When we use our words to create an impact, that’s effective communication. If we are speaking from our ego instead, we won’t notice what is landing – it’s similar to active listening versus planning your response while the other person is talking. But if we are using words to create understanding or awareness for the person right in front of us – in words they relate to – that’s bringing others on board. That’s using your voice to drive positive change.
What are your next steps to continue creating change for the better?
Truth be told, I don’t completely know – and that’s exciting! What I can say is, I will not hide from leveraging my seat at the table and I hope that my example inspires others to do the same. We don’t have to say the perfect thing or be the perfect representative to use our voices. We don’t have to prove our worth continually. We can own our value as we are, and speak up for what we believe in. I will keep showing up for the uncomfortable conversations, for courage, for diverse styles of leadership, and for our animals, this noble profession and for empowerment.
In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, 2025, we assembled a collection of ‘Champions for Change’ profiles into a free eBook. Explore exclusive stories highlighting inspirational figures driving positive change for women in veterinary.
Our thanks to Julie for sharing her inspiring story of how she is championing change. If you would like to nominate a Champion for Change or share your story, please let us know.
For exclusive access to more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly newsletter
You may also like:
Veterinary Woman ‘Champions for Change’
Veterinary Woman Champions for Change: Alice Moore
Veterinary Woman Champions for Change: Katie Ford and Claire Grigson