JOB DESCRIPTION:
Reporting to the Department Head of Clinical Sciences, the successful candidate will join a collaborative and supportive team committed to delivering a forward-thinking small animal teaching program within the preclinical veterinary curriculum. The position has a primary focus in shelter medicine, community animal health, access to veterinary care, small animal surgery, clinical and surgical skills education, with additional responsibilities in other areas of the veterinary curriculum.
The successful candidate will contribute to the development and delivery of educational experiences that prepare veterinary students to provide high-quality care across a variety of clinical and community settings. Particular emphasis will be placed on shelter medicine, community veterinary medicine, access to care, spectrum of care, animal welfare, population health and management, preventive medicine, One Health, surgical skills and spay-neuter principles.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
Shelter Medicine, Community Animal Health, Access to Care & One Health
The faculty member will provide leadership and subject-matter expertise for educational and service programs involving shelter medicine, community animal health, and access to veterinary care. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with local animal welfare organizations, community partners, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and other health and community stakeholders to support sustainable experiential learning and outreach opportunities.
Responsibilities include contributing to the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based veterinary programs addressing barriers to care; supporting preventive medicine, population management, sterilization, infectious disease prevention and control, animal welfare, and responsible pet ownership initiatives; and participating in curricular and extracurricular outreach and access-to-care programs involving students and faculty.
The faculty member will promote a One Health approach to community engagement, recognizing the relationships among companion animal health and welfare, human health, zoonotic disease prevention, public health, environmental health, and community well-being.
Shelter Medicine Rotation
A central responsibility of the position is the coordination and delivery of the Shelter Medicine pre-clinical rotation, an experiential learning program conducted in partnership with a local animal shelter. The rotation integrates shelter medicine education with an access-to-care companion animal wellness clinic serving members of the local community. The program provides students with practical experience in shelter and population medicine, preventive care, spectrum-of-care decision-making, client communication, barriers to veterinary care, animal welfare, and the application of One Health principles within a community setting.
Teaching
- Deliver didactic instruction in shelter medicine, community animal health, access to care, spectrum of care, animal welfare, population health and management, One Health, preventive medicine, small animal clinical reasoning, and other related areas aligned with the candidate's expertise and curricular needs.
- Apply principles of spectrum of care and contextualized care to clinical teaching, emphasizing evidence-based decision-making that considers patient needs, client circumstances, available resources, and realistic treatment options.
- Mentor students during small animal surgery laboratories, community outreach activities including shelter medicine experiences.
- Provide clinical consultation and mentorship to faculty in the Ross University Veterinary Clinic.
- Participate in curriculum development and continuous improvement initiatives.
Research and Scholarly Activity:
- Areas of scholarship may include shelter medicine, community animal health, access to veterinary care, spectrum of care, animal welfare, population health, One Health, zoonotic and infectious disease, community-engaged veterinary medicine, clinical education, small animal surgery, or related disciplines.
Service:
- Serve on university and departmental committees
- Participate in the supervision and mentoring of Master’s and PhD students
- Fulfill additional responsibilities as assigned by departmental leadership
Education
- A DVM or equivalent degree AND an advanced degree (MSc or equivalent).
- Preferred- Diplomate status with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) in Shelter Medicine Practice, or an MSc or other advanced graduate degree specifically in Shelter Medicine in addition to the DVM degree, is strongly preferred.
Work Experience
- Professional experience in shelter medicine, community animal health, and/or access-to-care veterinary practice.
- Demonstrated experience providing leadership or programmatic oversight within an animal shelter, community medicine program, or access-to-care clinical setting.
- Experience with shelter population health and management, preventive medicine, infectious disease prevention and control, animal welfare, population management, and spay/neuter programs.
- Experience with One Health, interdisciplinary community initiatives, including collaboration with governmental agencies, NGOs, human-health professionals, animal-welfare organizations, or other community partners.
- Experience teaching shelter medicine, community animal health, small animal surgery, and/or spay-neuter laboratories within a veterinary curriculum.
- Prior teaching experience at an AVMA-accredited veterinary institution or equivalent.
- Evidence of scholarship or research in shelter medicine, community animal health, access to care, animal welfare, One Health, population health, clinical education, or a related field.
Equal Opportunity – Minority / Female / Disability / V / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation