My Veterinary Life

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 an...

“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...

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 real...

“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...

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 o...

“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 hi...

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 knowled...

“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 graduatio...

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 i...

“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...

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...

“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....

“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 ha...

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 t...

“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...

“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 fr...

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 appr...

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...

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 leader...

“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...

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...

“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 I...

We have another special episode of the podcast today. We are joined by Dr. Patricia Wohlferth-Bethke. Dr. Pat manages the AVMA’s Veterinary Career Center and shares with us why career maintenance is so important, even during times of uncertainty. She has great perspectives and ideas on how to think about next steps for your career. It’s a great reminder to track our accomplishments and celebrate o...

“Really carving out time to spend in the things you enjoy. And also a big part of it is learning to be comfortable being by yourself. ” We are changing thing up again today! We are joined by Dr. Kristin Wuellner to talk about what we wish we’d known when we had graduated. Put another way, what advice would you give yourself as you enter into the veterinary profession. We have a great time swapping...

“Even if you think AHHH a fish, a fish, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do it has fins, its slimy. You know the basics, right? You know whether it is a bird or a fish or a cow or a horse, we know the basics.” Our guest today is Dr. Jessica Fox. She is a 2015 graduate from University of Minnesota and since graduation she has packed a lot into her career! This includes attending and be...