Cardiff Met honours female sport pioneer and founder of The Well HQ Dr Emma Ross

Cardiff Metropolitan University has awarded an honorary doctorate to Dr Emma Ross, co-founder and chief scientific officer at The Well HQ.

Emma has been an advocate for advancing women’s health in sport over the past two decades, leading to the founding of her own organisation, The Well HQ, in 2021.

The organisation aims to empower female athletes and change the stigma surrounding women in sports, advocating for a more comprehensive understanding of how physiology, menstrual health, breast health and other female-specific factors impact a woman’s training and sports performance.

During the early stages of her career, Emma spent 10 years teaching physiology at Brunel and Brighton universities to physiotherapy, sports science and medical students.

In 2013, she became the head of physiology at the English Institute of Sport, helping to lead sports scientists in supporting Olympians and Paralympians, and assisting with their training and preparation.

Since graduating from university and leaving her rugby career behind, she has gone on to run marathons, Ironmans and triathlons across the world.

During this time, she realised she needed to change the stigma surrounding women’s health and performance in sports. Emma wanted to ensure that women are fully educated on the impacts of pregnancy, menstrual cycles, mental health and other processes women undergo, inspired by her own personal experiences.

As a Cardiff Met alumna herself, Emma holds many qualifications related to the sports science field, including a first class degree in sports science, a master’s in sport and exercise physiology and a PhD in exercise neurophysiology.

Throughout her career, she has published over 30 scientific publications in sport and exercise science and was awarded The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Changemaker Award in 2021.

Dr Emma Ross via YouTube

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Upon receiving the honorary doctorate from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Emma described the honorary doctorate as a “real privilege”, saying Cardiff Met “holds a special place in my heart” for nurturing her early interest in sports science.

According to Wales 247, she reminisced about her time playing for Cardiff Metropolitan’s rugby team, including a memorable victory at Twickenham, during the then-named BUSA championship, describing her memories during that period as “very special, and indelible”.

The Cardiff Met grad praised the university’s work in supporting women in sport and rekindling her connection with the sports science team.

“It has been brilliant to reconnect with the sports science and coaching staff here in more recent years, as Cardiff became an early adopter of driving real change in optimising support of female athletes,” she said.

Alongside the team at The Well HQ, Emma has worked in partnership with Cardiff Met, supporting the university’s ArcHER programme since 2023.

The programme aims to improve women’s experience in sport, with elite student athletes receiving the opportunity to participate in workshops and sessions delivered by Emma and her team.

The director of sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Ben O’Connell, praised Emma’s commitment and devotion to Cardiff Mets ArcHER programme and its journey, saying she “has played a pivotal role in guiding and shaping our practice”, commending Emma on her commitment to her work and advocating for lasting change for female student athletes.

Emma’s work has empowered the community at Cardiff Met, with Ben adding: “It remains a real highlight for us to have her as such a passionate advocate for ArcHER.”

He continued: “It is a great honour to present Emma with an Honorary Doctorate, and we look forward to continuing our work together in the future.”

Wales Millennium Centre Via Google Maps

During the graduation ceremony at the Wales Millennium Centre, Emma offered some advice for the students of the School of Sport and Health Sciences: “Be brave, whether it is in conversations you have, or the decisions you make.

“But remember, you can’t be comfortable and courageous at the same time – so choose to be bold, to challenge the status quo and pursue a life that brings you joy – that’s not always easy, but it’s so worth it.”

According to The Well HQ, Emma and her Team are committed to righting the wrongs experienced by women in sport, with their main goal being to spread awareness and empower women to pursue high performance in every aspect of life.

Body literacy is essential to understanding the functions of the female body; however, Emma realised that most successful UK athletes do not have sufficient knowledge and understanding of this topic, and that advocating and implementing change now can ensure that professionals can support women more effectively.

Featured image via YouTube and Google Maps

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