VMRCVM
Search VMRCVM
Alumni Society
Alumni Engagement VMRCVM

Alumni Voices

Check out "Alumni Voices" to learn more about how your VMRCVM colleagues are helping veterinary medicine create a better world.

Dr. Claudia True (‘86) - May 2009

Dr. Claudia True Dr. Claudia True (‘86) specializes in equine preventive medicine and dentistry at Woodside Equine Clinic in Ashland, Va. She was recently voted into the leadership track of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and now serves on the executive committee as vice president. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (3.7MB, length: 19:23)

Dr. Terry Swecker ('84) - April 2009

Dr. Terry Swecker Dr. Terry Swecker ('84) is associate department head in the VMRCVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (DLACS). After graduating as a member of the college’s charter class in 1984 and working in private practice for a while, he returned to Blacksburg and earned one of the first Ph.D. degrees ever awarded by the college. From there, he accepted a tenure-track position focused on clinical nutrition and began his career in veterinary academia. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (3.6MB, length: 19:10)

Dr. Rich Suess (’89) - March 2009

Dr. Rich Suess Dr. Rich Suess (‘89) is on the leading edge of a powerful trend in veterinary medicine. Along with his partner (Roy Barnes (‘00)), he is operating Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates in Richmond, a private veterinary referral center. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (3.8MB, length: 19:58)

Dr. Chris Runde ('85) - February 2009

Dr. Chris Runde Dr. Chris Runde ('85) is president of the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. He co-owns Tidewater Veterinary Hospital in historic St. Mary's County, Md, where he, his associates, and his staff provide high-quality clinical care for dogs, cats, horses, ruminants, and everything in between. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (4.5MB, length: 23:46)

Dr. Tom Massie (’95) - January 2009

Dr. Tom Massie Dr. Tom Massie ('95) is the founder and owner of Rose Hill Veterinary Practice, a sprawling mixed practice located on several acres carved out of a Rappahannock County Christmas tree farm. Massie begins his term as president of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association in early 2009. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (4.6MB, length: 19:14)

Dr. Sharon Thompson ('87) - December 2008

Dr. Sharon Thompson Dr. Sharon Thompson ('87) directs the Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness (CAFSP) and serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The center she directs just landed two of the 11 grants awarded by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through their FY 2008 Competitive Training Grants program. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (6.8MB, length: 28:26)

Dr. Mike Erskine ('88) - November 2008

Dr. Mike Erskine Dr. Mike Erskine ('88) is a partner with Damascus Equine Associates, the veterinary practice his family used during his youth. It was riding and competing as a boy that inspired his interest in pursuing veterinary medicine as a career. Mike enjoys the distinction of being the first VMRCVM alumnus to ever serve as president of either the Virginia or Maryland Veterinary Medical Associations. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (5MB, length: 20:49)

Dr. Bill Tyrrell (’92) - October 2008

Dr. Bill Tyrrell Dr. Bill Tyrrell ('92) personifies an emerging new breed of veterinarian. He is a dedicated clinician, occasional entrepreneur, and patient consensus-builder who understands that the future of veterinary medicine will best be served by strong collaboration between veterinary academia, general practitioners and veterinary specialists working together within the realm of organized veterinary medicine. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (5.8MB, length: 24:33)

Dr. Chris King ('87) - September 2008

Dr. Chris King Dr. Chris King ('87) completed a NIH Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Lab Animal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine in 1992. Today, as the University of Georgia's assistant vice president for research and university director of animal care and use, King is responsible for the welfare of all animals used in UGA's teaching and research programs - an enterprise that includes 13 major biomedical research facilities and 30 extension sites located around the state. Read full spotlight...

Download MP3 (4MB, length: 16:52)