Equine Reproduction Specialist Dr. Soledad Martin-Pelaez Receives 2025 James M. Wilson Award

Dr. Soledad Martin-Pelaez was named as the recipient of the 2025 James M. Wilson Award for her work in the field of equine reproduction. Presented to graduate students or UC Davis veterinary hospital residents, this award recognizes individuals who significantly advance equine health through publication of the year's most outstanding research report.

This award, established in 1994, is a memorial to Dr. James M. Wilson, a 1945 graduate of The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, and respected California racetrack veterinarian. Over a nearly 50-year career, Dr. Wilson maintained a strong interest in equine research and continuing education at UC Davis.

Dr. Martin-Pelaez earned this year’s award for her first-author publication, “IVF with frozen-thawed sperm after prolonged capacitation yields comparable results to ICSI in horses: A morphokinetics study,” published in Theriogenology (2025;232:39–45). Her research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Pouya Dini at the UC Davis Veterinary Assisted Reproductive Laboratory, addresses a current challenge in equine reproductive technology.

In recent years, in vitro embryo production has become an essential tool in modern equine breeding, offering new possibilities for producing foals from horses that are otherwise unable to reproduce due to fertility problems, performance schedules, or geographic separation. However, traditional in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques have had limited success in horses. Until now, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, was the only reliable method. While effective, ICSI is resource-intensive and costly.

Dr. Martin-Pelaez’s research demonstrated for the first time that IVF with frozen-thawed sperm can produce high-quality embryos in horses. The embryos not only developed at rates comparable to ICSI but also showed faster progression and larger size, which are indicators of embryo health. This breakthrough has the potential to expand reproductive options for the equine industry.

"This publication was quite groundbreaking,” said Dini. “It was the first to successfully demonstrate IVF using frozen semen in horses and achieved significant attention in our field."

Dr. Martin-Pelaez earned her veterinary degree from University Alfonso X El Sabio in Madrid, completed an internship in equine reproduction at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and came to UC Davis for a residency and PhD. She is a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists and is pursuing certification with the European College of Animal Reproduction. Her doctoral research focuses on early embryonic development in horses, with an emphasis on cellular errors during early divisions and their role in pregnancy loss.

Looking ahead, Dr. Martin-Pelaez hopes to continue her career in academia where she can combine clinical practice, research, and teaching. Her long-term goal is to help improve reproductive outcomes in horses while mentoring the next generation of veterinarians and reproductive scientists.

Congratulations to Dr. Soledad Martin-Pelaez on this well-earned recognition and her exciting contributions to equine veterinary medicine!