Education:  Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine 2011
Occupation:  Director of Bio-Defense, Food Protection, High Consequence Disease Preparedness
Years in Occupation:  5 years

When did you know that you wanted to study Veterinary Medicine?
As a little kid I thought about all kinds of animal related careers including being a zoo keeper and a dog walker.  It wasn’t until high school when I worked in a mixed animal clinic that I realized Veterinary Medicine was for me.

What made you decide to go the career path that you chose in Veterinary Medicine?
One can do so many things with a DVM degree, and when I entered veterinary school, I had no idea I would end up in public health and regulatory medicine.  Despite a great love for large and small animal internal medicine, I ultimately realized my passion for serving a wider audience of constituents, protecting the animal and agriculture industries in the state of Indiana and nationwide and influencing policy as it relates to preventing disease outbreaks and food security threats.

Was there any teacher, mentor, professor that influenced you along the way?
Absolutely, so many!  High school teachers that introduced me to the profession, a private practicing veterinarian that showed me I loved it, and professors in veterinary school that shared with me so many different facets of veterinary medicine including academia, research, and veterinary homeland security.  Without each of these mentors, it’s hard to say what career path I would have taken. What was your favorite science class and why?
General and Organic Chemistry class were my favorite – the rules of chemistry are finite and I loved taking what I learned and solving a puzzle.

What would you recommend to young girls interested in Veterinary Medicine?
Study hard, keep an open mind, and explore all options in this great profession!

Dr. Marybeth Feutz – Online Communications Manager Princeton Veterinary Hospital

Education:  Master’s and PHD Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Residency  at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary School at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute undergraduate.
Occupation:  Online Communications Manager at Princeton Veterinary Hospital, Owner and Content Creator at AlarmClockWars.com and AgriCultured.org
Years in Occupation:  6 years

When did you know that you wanted to study Veterinary Medicine?
Like many girls, I was horse crazy growing up.  As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a veterinarian.  I went through school sure that I would be an equine surgeon, but it turns out I didn’t have much of a talent for surgery.  Luckily, I did have a talent for medicine!  I went on to become a Board-Certified Large Animal Internal Medicine Specialist.

What made you decide to go the career path that you chose in Veterinary Medicine?
I certainly didn’t end up where I thought I would!  I met John Feutz at Purdue in 2004.  He convinced me to stay in Indiana – and to marry him.  John and his dad own a mixed animal practice in Princeton, Indiana.  Because of geographical limitations, I don’t have much of a chance to use my Specialty Certificate.  Instead, I use my medical knowledge and communications training to manage the website, write weekly articles for our blog, and handle the social media and email communications for our family’s practice.

I felt like I needed to do something else, in addition to managing the online presence for Princeton Veterinary Hospital.  In 2010, I started blogging.  I now run two blogs, AlarmClockWars.com and AgriCultured.org.  I share recipes, stories about our farm, how we (and other farmers) take care of our animals, how food is raised, and kitchen tips.

Was there any teacher, mentor, professor that influenced you along the way?
I was highly influenced by Dr. Andy Hoffman at Tufts and Dr. Laurent Couteil at Purdue.  As I began my blogging career, I have been honored to have Cris Goode (of RecipesThatCrock.com) as my mentor and been able to attend many workshops sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers.

What was your favorite science class and why?
Biology and Anatomy.  I loved learning how things worked, and how they all fit together.

What would you recommend to young girls interested in Veterinary Medicine?
Spend time with veterinarians who are in areas of practice you might not have considered before.  Find a small animal veterinarian and a large animal veterinarian to talk with.  Talk to veterinarians who work in research and public health.  Don’t limit yourself on your practice area.  There are so many more options available as a career in Veterinary Medicine than the traditional private practice.