The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360

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Michael Petty, DVM, is a 1980 graduate of the veterinary school at Michigan State University. As the owner of Arbor Pointe Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Pain Center in Canton, Michigan; he has devoted his professional life to the care and well-being of animals, especially in the area of pain management.

Petty is the past president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management .A frequent speaker and consultant; he has published articles in veterinary journals and serves in an advisory capacity to several pharmaceutical companies on topics of pain management. He was also an ELITE speaker for Pfizer Animal Health during the life of that program. He has been the Investigator/Veterinarian in over 12 FDA pilot and pivotal studies for pain management products. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on pain management topics.

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Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, is a husband, father, pet parent, veterinarian and leader. 
 
He has been involved with virtually all aspects of veterinary practice from a 15 year old kennel kid to a hospital owner.  Organized veterinary medicine has been a passion as well with various roles and leadership and presidencies of Southern California VMA, California VMA, and Vet Partners.  
 
He is a published author, most notably of the EMyth Veterinarian-Why Most Veterinary Practices Don’t Work and What to Do About It. Currently, among other things, he is teaching business and finance at the Veterinary College of Western University of Health Sciences.  
 
He likes to think of himself as a free thinking change agent and disruptor who, because he has a daughter who recently graduated from veterinary school, is working for an even better veterinary profession in the future. 

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Céline Leheurteux has been a veterinarian in small animal practice in Canada since 1999. Putting beloved pets in plastic bags after euthanasia was causing her stress and inner turmoil. She created EUTHABAG to help families and veterinary teams feel better around euthanasia. Having suffered from a lack of education around end-of-life, she is also dedicated in training veterinary practices this delicate topic. She has been speaking in Europe and North America conference to help veterinary teams feel better around end-of-life. 

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For most her entire veterinary career, Jessica Molina has not only been a veterinary professional but a military spouse navigating her career through naval relocation, which offered her the opportunity to work in several practices around the country. Like many managers, she's held just about every position in a clinic along the way. She is a Georgia native and a University of Missouri graduate, where her degree was specifically focused in the areas of Business, Education, and Human Development. In 2008, while working in Virginia Beach, she first entered management. A few years later, she moved to Whidbey Island, WA, where she shifted into remote veterinary recruiting and management consulting while serving in an HR role for a manufacturing, distribution, and retail company. In 2016, she earned certification through HRCI as a Professional in Human Resources. That same year, she landed a full-time veterinary management position with a multi-doctor Fear Free companion and exotic clinic on the island. Another military move in 2018 landed her in the Pensacola area and a new adventure as Hospital Administrator for a large multi-doctor mixed animal practice just over the state line in Alabama. This same year, she earned her CVPM and was also certified as a Compassion Fatigue Professional. A year later, she was named Practice Manager of the Year by DVM360 and the VHMA! Since then, she pushed herself a bit further, digging into her passion for innovation and leadership, obtaining several other certifications which include Human-Animal Bond, Fear Free Elite, and Neurocolor Trainer Certification! Over the last few years, she has expanded into multi-site clinic Operations in the Northeast. Molina has been a member of the VHMA since 2016 and a board member for since 2022. She currently resides outside of Jacksonville since her husband’s Naval retirement in 2021.

Nominate your Veterinary Hero here today: dvm360.com/vetheroes

Nominate your veterinary hero today.

Fueled by her passion for making a positive impact in pets’ lives, Dr. Whitney Miller (she/her/hers) serves as Petco’s Chief Veterinarian. In that role, she is the lead veterinary subject matter expert advising Petco as a health & wellness company and overseeing the company’s standards of excellence in animal care and welfare; provides strategic direction and medical management for Petco’s growth in veterinary services; and provides cross-functional support across the company to marketing, communications, legal, merchandising, pet services and more. Dr. Miller leads the Petco medical team, which supports over 200 full-service hospitals and mobile vaccination clinics operating in over 1,000 Petco Pet Care Centers nationwide. In addition, Dr. Miller is a member of the Petco Pet Wellness Council (PPWC), an independent coalition of leading experts in veterinary science and animal care that serve as an external source of unbiased advice and counsel to Petco on a range of topics across the pet care industry. The PPWC also guides the development and aggregation of credible pet care science to educate professionals and all who care about pets.

Over the course of her veterinary career, Dr. Miller has spent time in emergency and general companion animal veterinary practice, worked in pharmacovigilance reporting for Zoetis and spent time in federal government relations for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), advocating on animal welfare issues. Dr. Miller received her DVM and MBA degrees from Colorado State University and has been board certified in preventive medicine since 2018. Dr. Miller continues to practice companion animal medicine every chance she gets.

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Ryane E. Englar, DVM, DABVP (Canine and Feline Practice) graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. She practiced as an associate veterinarian in companion animal practice before transitioning into academia to advocate for companion animal primary care. She debuted as an Instructor of the Community Practice Service at Cornell University. She then transitioned into several roles as founding faculty – most notably developing the communication and clinical skills curricula at Midwestern University and Kansas State University respectively. In February 2020, Dr. Englar reprised her role of founding faculty when she joined the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. She currently serves as a dual appointment Associate Professor of Practice and the Executive Director of Clinical and Professional Skills. Dr. Englar is passionate about advancing education for generalists by thinking outside of the box to develop course materials for the hands-on learner. She is a prolific textbook writer. When Dr. Englar is not teaching or advancing companion animal primary care, she trains in the art of ballroom dancing and competes nationally with her instructor, Lowell Fox. 

Ron Nelson serves as Executive Vice President of Covetrus Care Plans, a leading wellness plan and program management solution at the forefront of the veterinary industry, driving compliance, pet owner loyalty and practice revenue. With a career spanning over 10 years in the veterinary industry, Nelson brings a wealth of experience focused on wellness plan technology and program implementation. His responsibilities have ranged from brand and business strategy, sales and marketing, technology feature and capability development, as well as strategic partnerships and customer support. Under Nelson’s guidance, Covetrus Care Plans provides comprehensive solutions for independent practices while delivering enterprise-level functionality answering the specific needs of multi-location partners.

Nelson Has more than 30 years’ experience in business and brand strategy, creative development, marketing planning, and business operations. He has a BA in Advertising from California State University, Fullerton.

Dr. Jason Balara is the CEO and Co-founder of Lark Capital Group, and host of the Know Your Why Podcast. Jason is a veterinary surgeon with extensive experience and training in his field. He additionally has many years of experience in real estate investing on the residential side with single family fix and flips and small multifamily rentals.

As a real estate syndicator and fund manager, Jason is focused on Class B and C multifamily and small businesses, in order to achieve excellent returns for his investors. Lark Capital Group is also raising awareness surrounding the disproportionately suicide rates within the veterinary community. The Lark Veterinary Impact Fund has been created specifically with that in mind. The goal is to create financial wellness amongst veterinarians, promote awareness of the challenges facing the veterinary profession, and have a positive impact through a partnership with Not One More Vet.

Michael Natale has been involved in Veterinary Medicine for over 10 years. After graduating from Barry Tech, Michael Natale attended SUNY Delhi and obtained his AAS in Veterinary Science Technology. After completion, he continued his education and obtained his BS in Science, Technology, and Sociology with a double minor in Business Management and Economics. His experience in Veterinary Medicine ranges from Primary Care, Specialty Medicine, and Business Leadership. Michael Natale also holds certifications in BLS/ALS CPR, Laser Therapy, and NYS Certified Teacher. He currently is the Veterinary Medicine teacher at Barry Tech, practices as a per diem LVT and is a Hiring Manager at Veterinary Emergency Group. In his free time, you'll find Mike Natale out surfing, skiing, biking, at CrossFit, or hanging with friends and family.

Best known as the “Queen of Scripts,” Wendy S. Myers, CVJ, has taught communication and client service skills for more than two decades. As founder of Communication Solutions for Veterinarians, she teaches practical skills through online courses, onsite consulting, and conferences. Wendy was a partner in a specialty and emergency practice for 5 years. She's authored 6 books and a column for Veterinary Practice News magazine for 10 years. Wendy is a certified veterinary journalist and RACE CE provider. Visit YouTube.com/csvets and Csvets.com for more.