University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science
108 Gluck Equine Research Center
Lexington, KY 40546
AAEP Member Since: 11/2/2009
Committee Assignments
- Member Engagement Committee: From 12/03/2023 to 12/04/2026
- Infectious Disease Committee_2016: From 11/22/2022 to 12/03/2023
- Nominating Committee: From 12/09/2021 to 12/03/2023
- Board of Directors: From 12/10/2020 to 12/03/2023
- Racing Committee: From 12/10/2020 to 12/03/2023
- Member Engagement Committee: From 12/10/2020 to 12/03/2023
Advanced Training in Veterinary Medicine
- University Internship
- University Residency
- PhD
Focus Areas of Advanced Training
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
Equine-Related Clinical Work
- Percentage of Equine-Related Work: 100%
- Types of Horses Worked With:
- First Choice: Racing
- Second Choice: Pleasure, non-competition horses
- Third Choice: Work or Ranch Horse
Breeds of Horses Worked With
- First Choice: Thoroughbred
- Second Choice: Quarter Horse
- Third Choice: Other
Areas of Interest
- Musculoskeletal Disease
- Infectious Diseases
- Welfare
Equestrian Activity/Sport Participation
- Internal Medicine
- Podiatry/Farriery
- Surgery
Other Veterinary Organizations
- AVMA Member
- State/Provincial VMA Member (on Board of Directors)
- Board Certified in Veterinary Specialty
Community Contribution
- Youth Equestrian Programs
- Future Farmers of America (FFA) – give presentations at FFA Convention on occasion
- Teaching/Presentations to High School Children
- Teaching/Presentations to Local Technical/Vocational School, College, or University
- Public Relations
- Counseling – not officially but seems to be where every convo goes with many colleagues
- Mentoring
Academia
- Faculty Member at College/University (now in my 7th year)
- Non-Tenure Track Faculty Member
- Principal Investigator in Research Projects:
- Veterinary Specialty College
- Grayson-Jockey Club, Morris Animal Foundation
Faculty Roles
- Classroom Lecture
- Laboratory Instructor
- Clinical Instructor
- Mentoring of Interns and Residents
Animal Health
- Participation in Animal Health-Related Fields
- Pharmaceutical Industry: Consultant capacity for research projects and educational seminars
Additional Skills
- Instructor in Continuing Education Events
- Traditional Classroom Lecture
- Dry Laboratory or Case-Based Discussions
- Wet Laboratory (Skill-Based)
- Primary Author or Editor for Publications:
- Lay-Person or Industry Publications
- Proceedings for Professional Meetings
- Textbook Chapters
- Author for Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Reviewer for Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Data or Statistical Analysis – only if forced to!
- Organization of Large Events
Other Experiences
- Worked as private practice ambulatory practitioner in a two-doctor practice: private and academic referral practices in several locations in the US as well as other countries.
- Active in current role supporting students and practitioners locally and farther afield as a liaison between the University and our profession.
- Organize CE, create and conduct collaborative stakeholder-academia research at the Gluck Equine Research
- Mentor and teach undergrad and vet students in current role. Assist with pre-vet program at University of Kentucky.
- Passionate about providing real-life solutions and support to equine practitioners to achieve their professional and life goals - even if that is one phone call at a time.
What do you see as the most pressing challenges currently facing equine veterinary medicine and how should AAEP evolve to meet that over the next several years?
We face many internal challenges: educational debt, the struggle for work-life balance, proper remuneration, fee structures, mental well-being, and retention and recruitment in our profession, in addition to external threats of social license to operate and encroachment on practice from various lay providers. The AAEP has raised awareness of these important topics and we as a profession are tackling these issues.
For many of us, implementing changes to how we have traditionally operated and the necessary dialogue this involves can be daunting. For example, how do we support and prepare early career associates for those uncomfortable conversations about protecting time off? How can we help practitioners become confident in embracing change to create a work friendly, sustainable environment? As the AAEP continues to evolve it can provide granular help for these pressure point topics. For example, creating a greater sense of community through small groups, as has been effective with Decade One, or workshops delivering helpful verbiage for those awkward conversations that accompany change. Globally, the AAEP can strongly position equine veterinarians as being “for the horse” first and foremost. We are a creative group of humans. When we put our mind to something, we can accomplish amazing things together.
How have you demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of the profession?
I could furnish a list of things I have presented, published, or organized that advances our community. That may be useful, but likely better suited to curing insomnia. I believe there are two more important factors that demonstrate my commitment to advancing our profession: (i) Recognition that the way practices were managed earlier in my career may not be the path to progress, and (ii) Communicating with colleagues. The latter is, I would like to think, a more meaningful contribution to our profession. By simply answering the phone, or reaching out, and asking with genuine sincerity ‘how can I help you?’ I may impact the lives of other veterinarians in a meaningful way. That ‘help’ might be generating salient CE content, connecting people, committee service, brainstorming on a challenging case – or client(!), but the common feature is an authentic desire to promote, empower, and avoid the anxiety and pitfalls common to our profession. I am not alone in providing this help to our colleagues—many of us do it on a daily basis. But if help provided by colleagues is as meaningful to others as it was to me, then this is the contribution that I am most proud of.
What unique perspective or skill set do you bring to the VP role that will benefit the AAEP membership?
This might amuse you. For much of my career, I couldn’t settle in one job. Catching up with friends at meetings meant a jovial ribbing about what I was now doing and friendly wagers placed on how long I might stay. That might not seem like a dream career path, but it’s a secret superpower in understanding several facets of our profession. Our AAEP membership is diverse and complex. The twists and turns of my career path give me an extraordinary set of experiences in many practice type settings. I would like to believe that the insights and appreciations drawn from these different perspectives could serve the VP role and our membership well. There is of course the caveat that we do well to remind ourselves of here: we don’t know what we don’t know. To that end, one of the benefits of moving to new environments is the requirement that we learn to avidly listen and become adaptable to new conditions.
I bring a unique perspective drawn from a wide variety of practice settings, and have developed an engrained ability to listen, keep asking questions, and seek out new ways to improve our profession and our lives.
How will you help maintain member engagement and relevance in a changing veterinary landscape?
Member engagement is easier said than done as we maintain busy work lives, look after family, take care of business and, somewhere in the mix of all that, take care of ourselves. It’s easy to get siloed and focus on what is directly in front of us.
Professional organizations, like the AAEP, provide the catalyst for us to stop, look around, listen, and be aware of the changes in our professional environment. The AAEP assists us in evaluating the landscape by taking a breath from our everyday lives. Within the AAEP, we can speak up, speak out, and call attention to areas that need attention. AAEP’s many educational programs provide spaces to learn new skills and follow new developments. Volunteer service opportunities give members a chance to give back in a meaningful way.
I help in engagement by being accessible to members, and championing change efforts in our profession. For me, that means seeking to understand the needs of different demographic groups, continuing to critically evaluate the way we do things, imagining novel approaches, resisting the path of least resistance, and maintaining brutal honesty with ourselves so that we may stay relevant to our profession and our members.
