Blunt Dissection: The Best Minds In Veterinary Medicine, Academia & Business Profiled So You Can Learn From Their Experience.

On today’s show I’m joined by the woman with potentially the new Blunt Dissection record (Sorry Sheilah) for the number of letters after a name, Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, DAAPM, DACVSMR, CVPP, CCRP, CVA, MS in Clinical Bioethics. Robin, who will be familiar to many of you, graduated from Loyola University of Chicago, (where she obtained a degree in English) in 1981 and later from the University of Illinois: College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. Growing up, Dr. Robin had a natural rapport with animals, thanks to her Grandad; and was later pushed towards pursuing her career in veterinary medicine by her partner and now wife. Utilising her degree in English, Robin wrote a weekly column in The Denver Post, as well as multiple magazine articles, short stories, and two books. Meanwhile, using her veterinary degree to transform Windsor Veterinary Clinic into a Practice of Excellence and create The Downing Center for Animal Pain Management. Alongside, this Robin serves as a Trustee for the Morris Animal Foundati

On today’s show, I’m joining by Dr. Marty Becker. Also known to the public as “America’s Veterinarian,” Marty is a genuine titan of vet medicine with an incredibly successful career spanning not just the decades, but also the categories. He was born and raised in potato country on a small family farm in Southern Idaho. Where his family had dairy and beef cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, and, of course, dogs and cats. Back then the cats were mostly feral and lived in the shadows of the haystacks and farm buildings, and the dogs were outdoor-only. Becker went to veterinary school to become a dairy practitioner, but after listening to Dean Leo Bustad’s introductory talk about the human-animal bond, he switched his attention to companion animals on the spot. Today, our pets occupy more of our beds than we do, which is part of the reason he founded the juggernaut “Fear Free” practice movement which aims to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people wh

On today’s show I’m joined by Dr Sharon Grossman. Dr. Grossman is a Psychologist, Life Coach, and Speaker, who is an expert in Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and managing burnout in high achieving professionals. She graduated more than two decades ago with a Bachelors in Psychology and since has completed a double Masters and a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology from Fordham University. For the past two decades, Dr Grossman has worked with lawyers, doctors and other high-achieving professionals to help improve mental health and well-being, as all are prone to sacrificing their self-care as a result of work demands. Individuals she describes as having “too much on their mind, no direction, and end up focussing on unimportant items while forgetting about more important ones”. Thus entering a paradoxical downward spiral of perceived-underachievement, and eventually exhaustion. If you’re thinking this sounds eerily familiar, then you perhaps get why I was so keen to have Dr Grossman on the show! In addition

On today’s show, I’m joined by Megan Brashear. Megan initially went to college as a History major, with the objective of teaching high school students. But quickly realising that, for her, such a career was potentially an act of gross masochism she quickly pivoted. Instead, she found biology, and shortly after, veterinary technology. Fast forward several years and Megan gained a BS in animal science from Brigham Young University, her CVT at Oregon in 2000, and became a VTS in ECC in 2004. During her career she has amassed more than 20 years of ER/ICU nursing, along the way working as a senior leader in both private and corporate practice. Following a period of ‘never-say-no’ induced burnout, Megan took a sideways adventure into online training which was part of her seemingly inevitable 360 back into education, but this time with the right group of students - her beloved vet techs. And so it is that Megan now works as a member of faculty at Purdue University, a place where she has found her ‘home’ comb

On today’s show I’m joined by Dr Fabian Rivers. Fabian is an exotics vet, TV personality, social activist, and philosopher. Hailing from Birmingham in the United Kingdom, Fabian, also known as Dready Vet, took a path less travelled to becoming a vet by undertaking his training in the Czech Republic. So why did he go overseas to study? The answer perhaps sheds some light on why there is such a glaring mismatch between the ethnic diversity of our general population and the ethnic diversity of our profession. As an applicant from the black community Fabian found, time and again, doors in the UK closed to him that in all probability would have been wide open to others. Thankfully for us all, he was not to be denied, and his perseverance and courage saw him graduate in 2018. Since then he has made an impressive impact. Fabian works in exotics medicine and is a tireless campaigner on his favoured topics of mental health, racism, plus new graduate and student welfare. 2020, a year of hell for many, saw hi

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr Pete Dommett. Pete graduated from the Onderstepoort school of veterinary medicine in South Africa. A born adventurer with a lust for life, he now lives in Scotland managing an organic farm, literally ploughing a new furrow for ethical food production, and a move away from unsustainable monoculture farm practice. Something he firmly believes is detrimental to animal welfare, the planet and even the survival of the human race. Peter’s convictions derive in no small way from a life lived to the full. Highlights include an entirely harrowing and tragic yachting trip in the wild southern ocean, the rehabilitation and transformation of Waterford Farm a beautiful, non-mechanised cattle farm. Located high in the Drakensberg mountains, his efforts were initially written off as impossible, yet he grafted, innovated and ultimately proved his values-led model of farming worked. One where animals, people and the ecosystems work in harmony. Each remarkable step of these chapters of hi

On today’s show, I’m joined by the socially savvy Dr Lisa Lippman. Lisa is one of the most followed and socially influential veterinarians in the United States. She is a regular fixture on media outlets such as Dr Oz, Inside Edition, and People Magazine as a go-to source for expertise in pet health and safety. Whilst growing up in New Jersey Lisa developed a passion for animal care. After initially majoring in Public Relations, she was accepted into vet school and graduated from Western University. After graduation, she completed an internship in New York, the city where she currently resides. Keen to offer a ‘gentler’ veterinary service to her clients, Lisa soon embarked on creating her own house call business ‘vets in the city’. When not treating some of the most influential pets in the world she sits on the board of Animal Lighthouse Rescue, whose mission is to help the homeless dogs of Puerto Rico, and is the co-host of a hugely popular podcast 'We Don't Deserve Dogs' with her partner, comedian Rich

On today’s show, I’m joined by one of the most senior vets in the United States, Dr. Molly McAllister. Molly graduated from Oregon State Vet School in 2004, holds a BA in biology, and a Masters in Public health. After a brief stint in equine practice, she worked as a GP vet in Portland before life got tough and circumstances took her in an entirely different, but retrospectively serendipitous, direction. It was 2009 when she began work within the Mars Petcare family, joining as Scientific Services Vet until her move to Banfield in 2014. Molly was initially appointed as director of research, a role where among other things she was responsible for producing the Banfield State of Pet Health Report, a fascinating insight into the disease incidence derived from analysis of more than 3 million health visits to Banfield practices each year. Various other roles followed where Molly’s triple love of people, data, and medicine became evident, allowing her to contribute to, or drive many important initiatives within

Today’s show is the 2020 end of year review. Normally it is my job to interview and tease apart the life of interesting people from around the world of veterinary medicine. But in our traditional end of year review episode, I take the time to reflect on some of my favourite clips from my 2020 interviews and consolidate the wisdom. In this year, it was very poignant to reflect on how easy it was to meet our friends and families, and to a certain extent how for-granted we all took many elements of life before COVID. So our theme for this episode is finding strength in the work and words of others, because although our sense of connection has been reduced it’s the fortitude and wisdom that can be found in the words and deeds of others that might inspire the strength within to endure and come through this toughest of years. I loved listening again and want to thank my guests who were exceptional in both their talents and generosity in allowing us to peek through the window to their life. The clips I chose are

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr Caroline Murray aka the Wilderness Vet. Caroline graduated from Liverpool University Vet School in 1997 and, in addition to her veterinary degree, holds a bachelor's degree in Zoology and a Master's in Conservation & Wildlife Medicine. After spending the first few years of her career working in the UK, she took the opportunity to spread her wings and taste the combination of remoteness, veterinary medicine, and conservation (that became the hallmarks of her career) with a trip to West Africa to care for orphaned primates. Wild adventures ensued, a pattern was set, and the Wilderness Vet was born. This spirit of adventure has since led her all over the globe caring for horses in the Mongol Derby - a 1000km horse race across the Mongolian Desert. Near-death experiences with injured Sled dogs in light aircraft above the frozen Alaskan tundra, as part of the Iditarod vet team. And more recently to New Zealand where she currently resides. Now, just before we jump into the

On today’s show, I’m joined by double European record holder, gold medalist, and Olympic athlete, Laura Muir. Laura made her debut in senior athletics representing Great Britain at the 2013 World Championships and is the current British record holder over 1500m. In 2017 she had an incredible year becoming the fastest woman in the world over this distance, taking her first diamond league world title and winning two gold medals at the European Indoor Athletics Championships, breaking a 32-year old championship record along the way. So what does any of this have to do with veterinary medicine? Well not content with taking the athletics world by storm, Laura achieved many of these feats while completing her veterinary degree at the equally world-beating Glasgow University Veterinary School! In fact, Muir missed the chance of gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, opting instead to focus on passing her veterinary medicine finals. But in August that year, she was back and achieved her greatest honour to date wi

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr BJ Miller. BJ is a practising hospice and palliative medicine physician in San Fransico, an author and speaker, best known for his TED Talk, "What Really Matters at the End of Life”. He has been on the teaching faculty at UCSF School of Medicine since 2007 and sees patients and caregivers through his online palliative care service, Mettle Health. He is the subject of Netflix's Academy Award-nominated short documentary, End Game and his book for approaching the end of life, A Beginner’s Guide to the End, was co-authored with Shoshana Berger and published in 2019. He’s also a triple amputee who suffered a horrific injury resulting in the loss of both legs and his left arm when he was an undergrad at Princeton. To many, this would have been calamitous. To BJ, it became a transformative moment of deep pain he harnessed to find purpose. Now, before we get into the show, a quick word from today’s sponsor... When it comes to end of life care, most pets are still euthanised i

On today’s show I’m joined by not one, but two awesome guests as we take on the towering elephant in the room of veterinary medicine - MONEY! More specifically, DEBT! To dissect this huge issue we have a two for one deal where I’m joined by vets and financial experts Dr. Meredith Jones and Dr. Phil Zeltzman. Meredith is an ER doctor from Virginia, host of the Debt Free Vets Facebook group, and was able to pay off her entire student debt in less than five years post-graduation. She now uses the knowledge she acquired in the process, plus the huge amount of financial training she has undertaken since to help other vets follow the same path. Phil is a multi-time business owner, investor and board certified traveling surgeon, supporting clinics in his home state offer advanced surgical care without the need for referral. He is also a published author with two books available on Amazon and happens to be one of the best storytellers in the business. Now, rather wonderfully both of these amazing people have team

On today’s show, we go on a dive into the dark side of humanity as I am joined by veterinary forensics expert, Dr Melinda Merck. Dr Merck is the owner of Veterinary Forensics Consulting in Austin, which supports law enforcement by tackling crime scene investigation as well as the examination of live and deceased victims. She helps with large scale operations including exhumations of burial sites and examination of skeletal animal remains. She frequently testifies as a veterinary forensic expert for animal cruelty cases around the country including the high profile and successful conviction of NFL player Michael Vick. The fearless Dr. Merck, a Michigan State University veterinary graduate, also trains veterinarians, attorneys, and police officers around the world on the use of veterinary forensics in the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty cases, and the important link between this and domestic violence. She serves on the WSAVA Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee, is the Past President

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr Lisa Radosta. Dr Radosta graduated in 2000 from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Coral Springs Animal Hospital, she worked as a primary care veterinarian for 2 1/2 years. She then completed a 3-year residency in Behavioral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During her residency, she was awarded the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Resident research award two years in a row. Dr Radosta is contributing author for chapters of many well-known textbooks including The Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat; Blackwell’s Five Minute Veterinary Consult and Small Animal Pediatrics. She has published research articles in Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science, The Veterinary Journal and the Journal of Veterinary Behavior and written review articles for Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Compendium, Clinician’s Brief and AAHA Newstat. Plus sh

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr Sara Pizano. Sara is a Cornell Graduate and leading light in shelter medicine who has brought about enormous positive change to shelters across America. After university, she completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York in 1995 and was subsequently hired by North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, New York where her shelter medicine adventure began. In 1998 Sarah was recruited as director of the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale and in 2005 she was appointed the Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services in Miami, Florida. During her tenure, she attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding, nearly tripled the adoption rate and pretty much rewrote the Animal Services County Code! In 2013 she joined 'Target Zero' as program director and was instrumental in creating and developing a new model to transform high euthanasia public shelters. In the course of her work, she visited and mentored multiple shelters around the country

On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr Saye Clement. Saye graduated from Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph in 1993. During her career she has worked in emergency medicine and since 2003 has been a co-owner of Carling Animal Hospital in Ottawa, where, on top of her clinical caseload, she leads the team and manages the hospital standards of care in her hospital. Away from her practice, Saye is extremely active within the veterinary community serving on multiple advisory boards including the Lecture Advisory Board of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference, and the Owners Advisory Council for Vet Alliance. She has more recently begun lecturing on the subjects of team empowerment, culture and the art of communication. While all of these things are fine accomplishments on their own, they are not why I was so interested to have Saye as my guest. What I haven't told you is that she is a keen musician and board member of a small chamber orchestra in Ottowa called ‘The 13 Strings’. And it was as I watched her giving a t

My guest today is a genuine global superstar in the world of animal health, Dr Temple Grandin. The word ‘legend’ is often overused, but when you’re talking about one of the most respected animal behaviourists in the world – and the most famous person with autism – the word feels pretty accurate. Labelled unfairly as mentally 'retarded' because she didn’t talk until she was three and a half years old, Dr Grandin rose to become a prominent author, speaker and consultant on autism, animal behaviour and livestock handling equipment. She is also a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. But her journey to the top was not easy as she was teased and bullied in high school and workplace for being the “weird, nerd girl”. It was thanks to her science teacher Mr Carlock, who recognised her potential, that she became a scientist and went on to design the revolutionary livestock facilities that are now used by half the cattle production units in the United States. Dr Grandin’s unique talent is her

On today’s show, I’m joined by one of the most respected thought leaders on the planet when it comes to veterinary economics, Dr Karen Felsted. Karen graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in marketing and spent 12 years in accounting and business management, six of those with Ernst & Young. She then made a radical career change to studying Veterinary Medicine at Texas A & M University graduating in 1996. Returning to Dallas, she practiced both small animal and emergency medicine on a full-time basis while maintaining a veterinary accounting and consulting practice. In 1999 she joined Owen E. McCafferty, CPA, Inc., a national public accounting firm specializing in tax, accounting, and practice management services for veterinarians. During this time she also received her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager designation. In June of 2001, Karen opened her own accounting firm and also joined the prestigious Brakke Consulting group. In 2008 she joined the National Commission on Veterinary Econ

On today’s show, which was performed and recorded in front of a live audience at Fetch Kansas City 2019, I am joined by an incredible woman, who is genuinely making a difference in veterinary medicine, Dr Betsy Charles. Betsy is the executive director of the Veterinary Leadership Institute (VLI), which allows her to combine her passion for veterinary medicine, leadership development, teaching, and communication. After graduating from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003 and completing an internship with an equine referral hospital, Betsy joined a performance horse practice as an associate vet. She went on to become the Imaging Centre Director and also developed the practice’s extern program. In 2009 she completed a master’s degree in Organisational Leadership, where her thesis dealt with the implementation of change efforts within organisations, specifically veterinary practice. She is also an adjunct professor at Washington State University and a member of the American A