“I mean they had already had things like Anatomy. I think there is just certain bonding that comes from being in the anatomy lab in the wee hours of the night and smelling like formaldehyde that I didn’t get to have with that class. And I was really afraid of also being an older person with already a doctoral degree.’” Our guests today are Dr. Valerie Marcano and Dr. Seth Andrews. Our focus in this episode is mentorship and the important role it can play in any career! We learn about how they ea...
Aug 27, 2020•44 min
“The veterinary degree is so flexible and so useful, and it gives such a broad exposure to all these different topics. I wish I had known what opportunities were available to me when I left school. And to be fair, people told me, I just didn’t believe them, I just thought, I had this idea in my head ‘You know what, I’m going to be a clinician and that is it.’” Our guest today is Dr. Will McCauley. Dr. McCauley is a 2012 Graduate from Texas A and M University College of Veterinary medicine. He al...
Aug 20, 2020•46 min
“I feel like the MPH is a degree that anyone needs if you are going to try to understand people and how they work.” Our guest today is Dr. Tierra Price. Dr. Price is a 2020 graduate from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Not only does she have her DVM, but she also completed her MPH while in school. As we recorded this episode, she was 1 day into her big move out to California to start her first job as a shelter veterinarian for the ASPCA. Dr. Price’s name may be familiar to ...
Aug 13, 2020•47 min
“How did I end up as president? I think it’s one of those things where, you’re in a Zoom call, you make eye contact for too long. And then there is that long pause…’ok…so…. who wants to do this next’” Our guest today is Dr. Tina Tran. Dr. Tran is an Associate Professor and Clinical Relations Lead Veterinarian for the University of Arizona. Her career has taken her from small animal practice to academia, to business ownership and back to academia. It is so fun to hear about all the opportunities ...
Aug 06, 2020•59 min
Today we are joined by two very special guests. Dr. Carlos Risco is currently a Professor and Dean at Oklahoma State University, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. Dr. Kemba Marshall is a previous guest of My Veterinary Life Podcast (see her episode from March 2019) and is a Director of Veterinary Services for Land ‘O Lakes Purina. Our focus in this episode is around participating in tough conversations relating to diversity in veterinary medicine. We are so grateful that they were able to s...
Aug 04, 2020•53 min
“We all love to talk about our jobs. That’s what My Veterinary Life is about, really, is talking about the stories of these different veterinarians.” Our guest today is Dr. Will Sander. Dr. Sander is an Assistant Professor for Preventative Medicine and Public Health as well as the Director of the DVM/MPH program at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. His career has taken him to some incredible places and offered some unique experiences. We learn so much about what you can ...
Jul 30, 2020•50 min
We are thrilled to bring you this episode with 2020 AVMA Convention Keynote Patrice Washington! We were first introduced to Patrice as a featured presenter at the 2019 Podcast Movement Conference, where we were blown away by her message and stage presence. Patrice has had an amazing career full of ups and downs and we only scratch the surface of everything she has going on. Not only does she have her own podcast, ‘Chase Purpose, Not Money’, she is also an author, TV personality and life coach. A...
Jul 28, 2020•45 min
“Be nice, and you never know who you are going to meet, and your connections, and follow your passions. Never turn down something you’re really passionate about. Go and seek out certain opportunities because I think you’ll learn that you’ll meet some pretty great people along the way!” Our guest today is Kelly Hewitt. Kelly is a rising third year at Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. Her interest in veterinary medicine may have come a little later than most but what you will learn about ...
Jul 23, 2020•46 min
Meet Dr. Annie Chavent! She recently joined the Student Initiatives team with the AVMA. We talk about her experience with interviewing and starting a job during the pandemic. Prior to joining the AVMA, she was an equine practitioner. She talks about private practice and her internship as well as the important role mentors have played in her career so far. We have a blast learning more about her and how her roles in student organizations while at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine influenced...
Jul 21, 2020•38 min
“And I think that was actually, that 3 x 5 card, was actually the only resume I’ve ever made for a paying job to date.” Our guest today is Dr. Gary Marshall. Like Dr. Marshall’s career, we cover a lot of ground on this episode. We chat about everything from practice ownership to mentorship to cats to curling to documentaries and so much more. It’s hard not to smile when you are around Dr. Marshall. His enthusiasm for the profession is infectious and we feel really lucky that he is passionate abo...
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 3 min
We are joined today by two very special guests! Francess Blake and Alexis Roach have been best friends since pre-school and just completed their first year of veterinary school together at NC State. Once we heard about their story, we had to know what it was like to attend veterinary school with your best friend. We loved hearing about their time together and how their different personalities really strengthen their relationship. It’s a great conversation that will have you laughing more than on...
Jul 14, 2020•43 min
“I am somebody who, like I think a lot of vets by the nature of the profession really struggles with being present in the here and now and not having 5 steps ahead planned. And that’s big things like internships and residencies and a career pathway. And it’s small things like the next placement I’m going to do or the next couple weeks what kind of work I have lined up for myself and how I want to take care of those things and COVID has really thrown all of that to the wind.” Our guest today is B...
Jul 09, 2020•35 min
Our guest on today’s bonus episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Alli Reid. Dr. Reid is a 2018 graduate from the University of Georgia. She was recently highlighted in an article in JAVMA where she discussed starting her own practice during a pandemic and so soon after graduation. She shares what her experiences were like and why she decided now was the time to make the leap into practice ownership. We had a great, honest discussion with her and cannot wait to share her journey with you! ...
Jul 07, 2020•32 min
“I’m the first and only veterinarian to be chief of staff of the office of the Surgeon General. But it’s again another testament to the DVM degree.” Our guest today is Dr. Michael Blackwell. Dr. Blackwell is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University. He has had a truly incredible and inspirational career which has taken him to places he never expected. Following in his father’s footsteps, he started out in a mixed animal practice in Oklahoma, after that he spent man...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Our guest on today’s bonus episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Jonathan Runstadler. Dr. Runstadler is a professor of Virology, Immunogenetics, and Disease Ecology in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. We had a great time learning more about infectious diseases and brushing up on some of our virology knowledge. It was incredible to learn how quickly his lab pivoted from working on influenza research to wor...
Jun 30, 2020•43 min
“So that’s honestly, probably one of my favorite stories from my veterinary career so far. Is solely from that picture of me holding that tub of ice cream.” Our guest today is Dr. Austin Leedy. Dr. Leedy is a captain in the US army and a 2016 graduate from Auburn University. We had a great conversation and learned how she became interested in the US Army and what life has been like since graduation. We hear about some of her travels and what her ‘typical’ day to day responsibilities include. We ...
Jun 25, 2020•43 min
Today’s show is an insightful conversation about Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine. We are so grateful to our guests, Dr. Quincy Hawley and Dr. Andrea Gentry-Apple for joining us and sharing their experiences and thoughts on this topic. We learned so much and truly appreciate the time Dr. Hawley and Dr. Gentry spent with us. This episode runs a little longer than our usual ones, but it is such a great conversation and we think it is well worth the listen! We left this conversation w...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 5 min
“When you put crabs in a bucket, none of them will escape the bucket and it’s because when one crab gets close to escaping the other crabs will pull it down. It’s kind of a good analogy for the ‘If I can’t have it then no one can’ attitude that people can get.” We have a very fun episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast today! We were joined by Kristina Williams a veterinary student at Colorado State University. We first met Kristina at the 2020 AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference where she parti...
Jun 18, 2020•41 min
Welcome to another special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast! We continue our focus on Pride Month with Alex Dhom. Alex is a third-year student at University of Georgia. He shares his personal experiences and the importance of visibility in the LBGTQ+ community. We talk about everything from mentorship, to joining national organizations to the importance of community. It’s a great conversation and we learned so much from Alex. We are so excited to share this journey with you! Remember we wan...
Jun 16, 2020•37 min
“We saw that the world can change overnight. If you get the entire world and all the people in the world to do something, you can make change in the blink of an eye.” Welcome to another episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast! This week we are joined by Dr. Dane Whitaker and Dr. Abby McElroy. They are both members of the PrideVMC team and they share their experiences as part of the LBGTQ+ community. They cover everything from pronouns and why they are important to the history of PrideVMC and what ...
Jun 11, 2020•55 min
“I just think it is really important to not get so stuck in only being a veterinarian. You’re a person. You have other skills to offer in the world, and also just really taking care of yourself is really important I think.” Our guest today is Dr. Patrick Mahaney. We had a blast chatting with him and can’t believe all the places his career has taken him! While it wasn’t always a direct route, he has definitely found his niche and followed his entrepreneurial spirit. While he holds many roles, his...
May 28, 2020•48 min
We are pleased to share another bonus episode today! We are joined by Tom Seeko and CJ Burnett. They are co-founders of Florida Veterinary Advisors and Co-hosts of the Smarter Vet Podcast. While we recognize that financial wellbeing is important year-round, it has become top of mind for most of us during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom and CJ take us through some practical items we can think about to that can help improve financial wellbeing. We truly appreciated their straightforward approach to deb...
May 26, 2020•39 min
“I think the biggest difference is that I don’t smell nearly as bad I used to being a bovine veterinarian, so that’s nice, I can go to lunch and not get dirty looks” Our guest today is Dr. Fred Gingrich. Dr. Gingrich is currently the executive vice president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP). We learn what his career looked like leading up to this role and what the day to day looks like now. We also learn what he feels some of the challenges facing the veterinary profess...
May 21, 2020•44 min
“So there’s this one episode where she called herself and left herself a voicemail and it said ‘Hey Leslie! It’s Leslie! Hang in there! I love you! Bye!’” We have another fun episode for you! This week we are joined by Dr. Mia Cary and we discuss what the veterinary profession can learn from Leslie Knope. If you aren’t familiar with Leslie, she is a fictitious character and the main protagonist from the sitcom Parks and Recreation. We felt that the positivity and passion she brings to her work a...
May 14, 2020•51 min
We have another great episode for you today! Joining us are two more students who share their experiences with adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hanna is a rising third year at the University of Illinois and a member of the SAVMA executive board. Ashley is also a rising third year at Western University in California and a member of the SAVMA exec board. We really enjoyed our conversation and appreciated how they have adapted and taken such a positive attitude to all the changes going on around ...
May 12, 2020•31 min
Welcome to a special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We are so excited to have the team back together! Dr. Anna Reddish is fresh off maternity leave and shares her story of motherhood so far and how she and her new family are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We share stories from other veterinary mothers, highlighting the challenges and unexpected joys of parenting during a pandemic. We owe a huge thank you to Dr. Nicki Wise and the Moms with a DVM Facebook Group, who helped us collec...
May 07, 2020•39 min
We are so excited to share another bonus episode today! We are Laura Venner who is just starting her fourth year of veterinary school at Ohio State and Victoria McKaba who is just starting her 4th year at the University of Illinois. They discuss how their schools and communities are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and how they are adjusting and focusing on their wellbeing. They are both leaders in the student AVMA and have been working on everything from special programs/events to regular ch...
May 06, 2020•41 min
“I tease with people that the work I do now, helping veterinarians is kind of like herd health for veterinarians. So, I get to use a little bit of my math brain but it’s on a different than what I did before.” Our guest today is Dr. Jen Quammen. Dr. Quammen is was an amazing guest and so generous with sharing her story! Her career has taken many twists and turns, many of which have even surprised her! She is the type of person that can strike up a conversation with anyone and thinks physics is ‘...
Apr 30, 2020•53 min
We are so excited to share another bonus episode today! Our guest is Dr. Nicki Wise. She is an associate professor at St. George University in Grenada. We discuss how she and her family had to make some quick decisions in response to COVID-19 as well as how the University is responding and continuing to support their students. Our conversation also covers what the day to day looks like now for the veterinary school as well as how they are planning for a virtual commencement. We had a great time ...
Apr 28, 2020•27 min
“At the end of the day, people development, leadership skills, leadership development, and just making a greater impact in the profession, is definitely meaningful for me.” Our guest today is Dr. Kimberly Ann Therrien. She is the Vice President of Veterinary Quality in the Midwest Region for Banfield Pet Hospital. She is also the current president of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI). We discuss these roles as well as her transition from veterinary school into the ...
Apr 23, 2020•41 min
