Zach Loppnow, DVM, DACVS-LA

AAEP Service:

AAEP Journal Club Moderator  (2025-Present)
Mane Connection Presenter – AAEP Annual Convention  (2025)
Early Career Committee Member  (2024-Present)
How-to Presentation – AAEP Annual Convention  (2024)
Governance Task Force Member  (2024)
Retention Task Force: Internship Subcommittee Member  (2022-2024)
AAEP LEAD Participant  (2023)
Member Engagement Committee Member (2020-2023)
Veterinary Leadership Conference: AAEP Rising Leader Attendee (2020)

Professional life/Community and professional volunteer service:

Salinas Rodeo – Salinas, CA – Rodeo Veterinarian 2022-2025
Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association – MN Opportunities for Veterinary Engagement 2018-2021
Minnesota Veterinary Medical Foundation – Foundation Board Member 2019-2021
University of Minnesota – CVM - Admissions Interviewer 2018-2021
EquiManagement Magazine – Contributing Author 2019
Columnist – Student & New Graduate Column 2016-2018
Minnesota Harvest Horse Show – Organizing Committee, St. Paul, MN 2017-2019
National Veterinary Business Management Association – Vice President  2015-2016

 

Q: Why do you want to serve on the board?

I was extremely privileged in my veterinary school career to have part of my tuition paid for by a scholarship offered through the school. Upon graduation, I realized what that scholarship gave me was the ability to start a little further ahead of where students before me had started with the potential to go a little farther with my career because of it. After my first internship, I stayed on at the practice and was able to write down some of my internship experiences and craft a new intern manual. The goal of this document was to give the next intern a small advantage in their internship, of not having to repeat my mistakes but to learn from them and start a little better off than where I started.

Several years later, as I left my residency in search of a job, I had the option to come back to Minnesota where I started in practice. In that search, while other offers were similar in many aspects, what stood out about the Minnesota offer was the opportunity to give back to a community that had helped start my career. I realized that if I can look back in 20-25 years after working in the equine community in Minnesota and say that it would be left in a better position than when I started, I would consider that an immensely satisfying and fulfilling career.

All of this is a long way of saying that my personal and professional identity and passion is to give back to my community and profession—to leave it better than when I entered and, most importantly, to give the next generation of veterinarians a headstart from where I began so that they can carry this profession farther than I could from my starting point. My desire is to give each successive generation a small leg up, in the hope that they will take full advantage of that opportunity and continue to grow our profession. I view the opportunity to serve on the AAEP Board of Directors as the next place to utilize this passion. It’s an opportunity to leverage my interests, experience, and desires for improvement of our profession in a way that serves the AAEP and its members; an opportunity to continue to build a career of giving and services, so that when I look back at the end, I can say with conviction that this profession is better than where it started; and to grow further together than we could ever imagine alone.

Q: What attributes would you bring to the board?

As a surgeon, collaboration with the team around me is paramount to the success of a procedure on the table. The ability to clearly communicate with colleagues, anticipate next steps, and seek creative solutions when problems arise are all skills that I have focused on developing—not just in residency but through the entirety of my veterinary career. Leveraging these skills on top of an inherent attention to detail and pursuit of improvement, I believe that these attributes will suit me well in working with the AAEP Board of Directors in continuing to push our excellent organization into the near future.

I have seen these skills bring value and progress firsthand through my work on AAEP task forces and committees working on projects divided between working groups. I have been fortunate to work with some excellent teams on these committees. Utilizing the same skills as in a surgical theater or any other aspect of veterinary medicine, I have worked with teammates in these groups to generate high-quality products that have helped advance the AAEP in its mission of sustainability and growth. These products included the “Best Practices for Internships,” the “Internship Night Scorecard,” a survey for early career veterinarians on their perceptions of progress in the AAEP, and a comprehensive review and update of the AAEP Bylaws. In all these situations, I sought to lead by example, taking on difficult tasks and working hard to the finish. In each group, I prioritized the encouragement of my colleagues, open communication, and solicited opinions from all the members of the group, knowing that the diversity of our backgrounds and experiences made each of our contributions much more valuable.

My own background and experience in private practice, academia, residency, and general practice give me a unique experience set to draw upon as part of the AAEP Board of Directors. I see these experiences as an asset for a board that represents members across all aspects of the profession and may give me a perspective on issues that can add value to the organization. Personally, I have a passion for business education and personal finance in veterinary medicine shown through a career-long involvement with the Veterinary Business Management Association—both as a student, and then as a speaker at schools across the country. I see that aspect of veterinary medicine as one that has long been neglected, where increased education can only result in a better and more sustainable profession.