Dr. Kimberly Schmidt was raised in the Chicago, Illinois area. She is the daughter of two veterinarians, and grew up in their Feline Only Practice.

She did her undergraduate and veterinary studies at the University of Illinois, earning her DVM in 2008. Afterwards, she did a small animal internship in private practice.

Following the internship, she moved to California and worked in general small animal practice for 7 years. It was during this time that she started her holistic education, looking for additional ways to help her patients.

She earned her acupuncture certification from IVAS, Chinese Herbal and Food Therapy certifications from Chi University, and a Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine from CIVT.

She started her own mobile holistic practice in Napa Valley California in 2016. Since then she has added two additional veterinarians to the staff. Dr. Schmidt is the President Elect of the VBMA and her practice also offers a Pet Loss Support Group (https://www.napaholisticvet.com/services#/pet-loss-support-group).

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Kimberly Schmidt as we discuss growing up in the family veterinary practice, her training, holistic interests, and her small family farm.

Dr. Viv Harris was born outside Wellington, New Zealand on a property with animals of all shapes and sizes. She knew early on that she wanted to be a Veterinarian.

She earned a Bachelor degree in Zoology and also one in Veterinary Science from Massey University in 1986. After graduation, she went into mixed practice in New Zealand briefly, then went overseas for five years; doing locum work in the UK as well as working with camels in Kenya.

Upon her return home, she purchased a small animal practice in Wellington and remained there for ten years. During that time, she started her holistic training, earning a certification in acupuncture by IVAS, certifying in NAET, and taking courses in Homeopathy, Trigger Point Therapy, Flower Essences, Herbal Medicine, and Neutraceuticals. 

While she was a practice owner, she also appeared regularly on radio and television, discussing veterinary medicine and natural living.

She sold the practice and now sees patients in a room on her property as well as attending to her four acre garden.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Viv Harris as we discuss her education, clinical practice, holistic education, and her approach to natural health and gardening.

Dr. Ian Bidstrup was raised on a farm in Victoria, Australia. He earned his veterinary degree with honors from the University of Melbourne in 1980. Afterwards, he spent time in small and mixed animal practices in Victoria and the UK, before returning to do an Equine Ambulatory Residency at the University of Melbourne in 1986. Following, he was a partner in an Equine mixed practice before transitioning to limiting his practice to Equine and Canine spinal care.

He was first introduced to Chiropractic while a veterinary student. He did some training in Chiropractic early in his career, then was exposed to Acupuncture and Chiropractic by Drs. Sheldon Altman and Allen Schoen at an Australian Veterinary Conference. In 1993, he and his family visited numerous holistic veterinarians in the United States.

In 1994, he was instrumental in bringing Dr. Sharon Willoughby to Australia to teach Chiropractic, and was certified by the AVCA and IVAS in 1995.

Between 2002 and 2009 he was one of the principle lecturers in the RMIT University Graduate Diploma program in Animal Chiropractic. He is also heavily involved in the study and teaching of proper saddle fit.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Ian Bidstrup as we discuss his education, holistic training, practice evolution, and upcoming CIVT webinar on Prolotherapy.

Dr. Lisa Pinn McFaddin was raised in the Baltimore, Maryland area. She identified at an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian.

She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Kenyon College in 2003 and her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. Afterwards, she did a Small Animal Rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery in a private specialty hospital in the Chicagoland area.

After her Internship, she worked in both Emergency and General practice as well as doing Relief work in the Chicagoland area. Looking for a new challenge, she earned her CVA from Chi University in 2013, followed by her Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine from CIVT in 2015. She also is certified in Food Therapy from Chi University, and in Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy as well as Veterinary Massage and Rehabilitation Therapy from the Healing Oasis.

She moved back to Virginia in 2014 and worked in a few practices there before settling into her current position at Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Bristow, Virginia.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Lisa Pinn McFaddin as we discuss her education, work history, holistic training, her service on the AHVMA Board, and her book "Integrative Medicine in Veterinary Practice."

Dr. Lorrie Hale was raised in the Chicago area as well as Kentucky. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois in 1995. Afterwards, she worked in two practices in the Chicago area.

She then worked for twelve years in general practice in Louisiana before returning to teach clinical veterinary skills at the University of Illinois. She started her holistic education by completing her acupuncture training at Chi University in 2012.

In 2016 she joined the faculty at Louisiana State University, starting a clinical skills program and expanding the Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation Service in the Teaching Hospital. She completed her Master's in TCVM from Chi University in 2020, and also has certifications in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Food Therapy, Tui-Na, and Palliative and End of Life Care from Chi.

In 2019, she became Service Chief at LSU. Dr. Hale is also a Charter Fellow of the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine and serves on the Board of Directors.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Lorrie Hale as we discuss her education, holistic training, and work as an Academic Integrative Educator and Practitioner.

Dr. Laura Weis was raised in numerous cities around the United States, and her family even spent some time during her childhood in Switzerland. She realized when she was young that she was interested in Veterinary Medicine.

After earning her undergraduate degree in Biology from Cornell University, she spent some time gaining animal experience before earning her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Afterwards, she worked in small animal practice in Pennsylvania, and after two years purchased a practice with her Veterinarian husband, Dr. Randy Weis.

Looking to provide improved care for her patients, she started her holistic journey first through nutrition, then Homeopathy, completing the Pitcairn Institute of Veterinary Homeopathy Professional Course in 2016.

Dr. Weis has been a member of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy Board of Directors since 2018 and has continued her education by studying human homeopathy at the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy as well as the Prometheus Homeopathic Institute.

Recognizing the need to train more Veterinary Homeopaths, she and Dr. Lisa Melling founded the Veterinary Homeopathy Institute, offering in-person, hybrid, and online education opportunities.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Laura Weis as we discuss her childhood, education, clinical practice, and evolution in nutritional therapy and Homeopathy.

Dr. Jacqui Snell was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. Veterinary Medicine was a career aspiration from childhood. She earned her veterinary degree from Massey University in 1988. Afterwards, she worked in a small animal practice in Wellington before spending a year doing locum work in London England.

After returning to New Zealand, she worked at Taradale Veterinary Hospital in Hawkes Bay for 21 years, spending 16 years as an owner of the practice. She started her holistic practice, Veterinary Holistic Healthcare, in 2018, after earning a Western Herbal Certification. She completed a Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine through CIVT in 2019.

She worked part time in a holistic practice as well as a companion animal practice. She also worked part time for the Raw Essentials company, providing nutritional advice to pet parents who were transitioning their pets with health issues onto a raw food diet.

Currently, she focuses completely on her holistic practice, seeing patients in person and via telemedicine.

In addition to her clinical practice, she has lectured at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conferences and is the current newsletter editor for the Complementary Branch of the NZVA.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Jacqui Snell as we discuss her education, various clinical roles, and her current holistic practice.

Dr. Lisa Melling was raised in Chicago and Northern Illinois. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian, gaining experience working at a horse stable and having a number of childhood pets.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Iowa State University in 1999, and her DVM from Tuskegee University in 2004. After graduation, she entered small animal practice in Michigan. In response to a large commercial pet food recall in 2007, she began prescribing fresh food nutrition and started her journey into Homeopathy. She was certified by the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy in 2011 and was certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy by the Healing Oasis in 2019.

She left traditional small animal practice in 2007 and started a house call practice in the Ann Arbor Michigan area emphasizing fresh food nutrition and natural healing. She has since relocated the practice to a brick and mortar location in Northern Michigan.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Melling has been heavily involved in education of new Veterinary Homeopaths. She was a faculty member for the Pitcairn Institute of Veterinary Homeopathy from 2011-2022, and since then is a Co-Founder and Instructor for the Veterinary Homeopathy Institute. She has also lectured and written extensively about Veterinary Homeopathy.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Lisa Melling as we discuss her education, clinical practice, transition to natural medicine, and her teaching career.

Sophie Tieu is a third year veterinary student at the Ontario Veterinary College. She has been interested in veterinary medicine since she was young

She did her undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph, majoring in Animal Biology. Before entering veterinary college, she participated in research projects involving canine nutrition, Vitamin D metabolism, and swine physiology. This work has yielded four publications.

Since becoming a veterinary student, Sophie has worked as a Research Animal Technician on the Veterinary campus.

Please enjoy this conversation with Sophie Tieu as we discuss her education, preparation for her veterinary education, her life as a student during the pandemic, and her activities volunteering in veterinary clinics in the Galapagos and a wildlife sanctuary in Peru during the summer of 2024.

Dr. Elizabeth Cutright was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian.

She did both her undergraduate studies in Animal Science and her DVM at the University of Illinois. She earned her DVM in 2001.

After graduation, she worked in small animal practices, becoming introduced to integrative medicine and developing an interest in Nutrition Response Testing as well as advanced dentistry.

In 2016, she started her own practice, Healthier Pets Naturally, which focuses on Nutrition Response Testing and Nutrition Consulting.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Cutright as we discuss her education, introduction to holistic medicine, practice history, and her involvement in organized veterinary medicine.