Only about 6% of veterinarians in the United States are engaged in academic practice, and veterinary colleges throughout the world are struggling to fill the academic positions needed to teach students and move veterinary research forward.
To address this challenge and expand the pipeline of veterinarians who train the next generation of professionals, the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine launched a Veterinary Academic Leaders Program last year to help residents working at our veterinary hospital prepare for careers in academia. The three-year-long program focuses on research, professional skills, teaching and mentoring, career wellness and camaraderie to help set up the new veterinarians for success.
Last fall’s inaugural cohort consisted of 10 fellows representing nine different specialties. This year, the program is welcoming 12 new fellows into the program. The newest fellows represent 11 specialties.
The newest Veterinary Academic Leaders Program fellows are:
- Maddie Butterfield, anesthesiology
- Michael Carter, ruminant health
- Kaitlin Daly, small animal internal medicine
- Ali Hatamkhani, medical oncology
- Augusto Jimenez-Romero, comparative pathology
- Katie Jones, ophthalmology
- Abby Cox Laws, cardiology
- Melissa North, clinical behavior
- Emi Retter, ophthalmology
- Megan Roeder, zoological medicine
- Alejandra Mondino Vero, neurology
- Yen-Tse Wu, emergency and critical care
