Dr. Monica Chapman was raised in Bethesda, Maryland. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian, and she received guidance about medical education from her father, a US Army surgeon.

She studied biology as an undergraduate, and earned her veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. After graduation, she worked in small animal practice for ten years, then transitioned to shelter medicine for fifteen years.

At the end of her time in shelter medicine, she took a course in Western Herbal Medicine from the Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine, followed by an Internship in Western Herbal Medicine. She enrolled at CIVT afterwards and earned her Graduate Diploma in Western Herbal Medicine in 2017.

Monica has been a member of the CIVT faculty since then, teaching in the Western Herbal Medicine section. She also joined the Small Animal Practice at Piedmont Equine in The Plains, Virginia, where she practices Integrative Medicine.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Monica Chapman as we discuss her education, work history, earning her certification in veterinary acupuncture after over 30 years in practice, and her licensed hemp growing operation that provides raw material for her side business, Mojo Medicinals.

Dr. Lorena Lloret Nadal was raised in Spain. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Murcia in Spain in 2002.

While still a student, she was fortunate to see acupuncture used successfully in small animal practice. After graduation, she was certified in acupuncture by the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists in 2003. Afterwards, she started a TCVM practice for horses and small animals in the UK.

While visiting Thailand in 2005, she met Dr. Xie from Chi University. She was certified in acupuncture by Chi University in 2006 and was an Intern at the University of Florida in Integrative Medicine in 2006 as well. She completed additional certifications in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Food Therapy, and Tui Na from Chi University at that time.

After her time in Florida, she returned to Spain to start a TCVM practice, culminating in becoming the Chief of Service in Integrative Medicine at the Veterinary College in Madrid. In 2022, she relocated to Ireland to continue TCVM work for both small animals and horses.

In addition to her clinical practice, she has been very active in teaching, writing, and lecturing on various TCVM topics all over the world.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Lorena Lloret Nadal as we discuss her education, clinical practice, and involvement with the establishment of Chi University in Europe.

Dr. Susan Howell was previous guest on Episode 51 from December of 2021. At the time of the interview, she operated Thrive Holistic Veterinary Care as a brick and mortar practice in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area.

Since that time, she opted to close her brick and mortar practice and her work has evolved into doing Telehealth consultations in combination with seeing clinical patients two days a week in other doctor's offices.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Susan Howell as we trace her evolution from a traditional brick and mortar practice to a hybrid model

Cassidy Kelly was raised in the Chicago, Illinois area. Her interest in veterinary medicine was sparked during a biology class in high school.

She earned earned her undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Ohio State, and is now a first year veterinary student at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Cassidy has spent significant time interning at the Royal Treatment Veterinary Center and is the CIVT University Liaison for Research and Student Outreach.

Please enjoy this conversation with Cassidy Kelly as we discuss her undergraduate education, introduction to Integrative Veterinary Medicine, and her experiences as a first year veterinary student.

Dr. Susan Recker was raised in Ames, Iowa. She earned her veterinary degree from Iowa State University in 1997, then practiced small animal medicine in a few offices in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Looking for more ways to help with her clinical cases, she earned her certification in Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy from the Healing Oasis Wellness Center. She also developed an interest in clinical nutrition.

In 2014, she designed an accredited Veterinary Technician training program for Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin. She was involved in everything from the design and implementation of the educational program as well as having input on the planning of the physical facility.

After relocating to Arizona, she met Steve Brown and intensified her study of nutrition. She is currently on the staff of the Animal Diet Formulator and loves to help people get the most out of the ADF software.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Susan Recker as we discuss her childhood, education, practice experience, and current position with ADF.

Isabella Pulido was raised in Southern California and grew up with a menagerie of pets. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian. To that end, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science with a minor in Spanish from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She was accepted into the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she completed her first semester in the Fall of 2023.

Please enjoy this first installment of interviews with Student Members of CIVT as Izzy and I discuss her childhood, undergraduate education, veterinary school application process, introduction to CIVT and Integrative Medicine, and future career goals.

Be sure and stay current with Izzy's journey by following her blog, Dogtor-in-training.com.

Dr. Kate Millhouse was raised in various areas of Australia. She had a variety of pets growing up and began riding horses at a young age as well, stirring her interest in veterinary medicine.

She earned her veterinary degree from Murdoch University in 1998. Afterwards, she spent time in mixed animal practice in Australia and following that, did locum work in the United Kingdom for two years.

While in the UK, she began her integrative medicine journey by taking a short course in acupuncture and starting a three year course in Veterinary Homeopathy through the Homeopathic Professional Teaching Group.

Upon her return to Australia, she took the IVAS acupuncture course, received training in Chinese Herbal Medicine at the Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and completed the Food Therapy course from Chi University.

In 2005, she founded her practice, Holistic Paws, where she offers acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medicine, Homeopathy, and Nutrition to her small animal patients.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Kate Millhouse as we discuss her education, practice experience, holistic training, and the practicalities of a solo doctor holistic practice.

Dr. Jamie Lines was raised on a farm in Victoria, Australia. He earned his Veterinary Science degree from the University of Melbourne in 1994.

His first job was in an dairy oriented practice for two years, followed by some locum work in Australia and the UK. He returned to Australia where he and his wife purchased a dairy farm while he continued to work for local veterinary practices.

He then made a career shift and trained as a mortgage broker, earning a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment. He founded a financial planning business on the Gold Coast, which dissolved during the financial crisis a few years later.

He found his way back to veterinary medicine, doing locum work and also traveling in Southeast Asia with his family.

He and his wife founded a veterinary clinic in Alice Springs, Australia while completing the CIVT course in TCVM and the Introductory Western Herbal course. His latest professional activity has been offering integrative therapies from two small animal clinics on Australia's East Coast.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Jamie Lines as we discuss his childhood, education, career path, and the building blocks that each phase of one's career can provide over time.