Stories of Successful Women Veterinarians globally
BY-Dr. PRIYANKA JAIN(BVSc & AH)
Dr. Patricia O’Connor (Shared by Austin Barsophy, VP of Finance & Analytics)
Dr. Patricia O’Connor was the first full-time woman zoo veterinarian in the US and made history when she became staff veterinarian of the Staten Island Zoo in 1942. This was at a time when less than 1% of all veterinarian graduates were women! She also helped found several organizations, including the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV). Dr. O’Connor became the AAZV’s first president from 1946 to 1957, and took up the presidency again in 1965. Her brainchild grew into an internationally recognized organization. Among her many accomplishments was the authorship of the 465-page volume, A Bibliography of References to Diseases of Wild Mammals and Birds, which was published in 1955. Dr. O’Connor died on 8 July (2003) at the age of 88.
Dr. Jane Hinton (Shared by Tom MacClean, Director of Finance)
Dr. Jane Hinton was the first black woman to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the US (along with Dr. Alfreda Webb). She was also a highly-talented scientific researcher known for developing the Mueller-Hinton agar, which is still used today to test if bacteria is resistant to antibiotics.
Hinton graduated from Simmons College in 1939 and became a research assistant at Harvard University. It was at Harvard where she made the breakthrough discovery of the Mueller-Hinton agar. When the U.S. entered World War II, Hinton joined the efforts — moving to Arizona where she worked as a medical technician for the U.S. government researching the impact of certain diseases on US servicemen. After the war ended, she decided to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1949 as one of the first two black women to earn a DVM. With her degree in hand, she returned to her hometown and became a small animal vet until 1955. Finally, she became an inspector for the Department of Agriculture in Framingham, MA helping respond to disease outbreaks in livestock. Hinton retired at 41 with a significant contributions to multiple fields and spent her time caring for her many personal pets.
Dr. Elinor McGrath, was the pioneer of female veterinarians. She is widely regarded as America’s first female veterinarian and a great icon. Dr. McGrath’s passion of animals encouraged her to enter the male-dominated field of veterinary medicine. In 1907, she became the first woman admitted to Chicago Veterinary College, breaking down the first of many hurdles on her way to achieving her ambition. Driven by her awareness of the close relationship that exists between people and their pets, Dr. McGrath succeeded and graduated in 1910, ten years before women in the United States were allowed the right to vote. Back then, it was rather uncommon to build a veterinarian practice on pets, and she was one of the finest in the field. For 37 years, she operated a companion animal clinic in Chicago and gained notoriety for her animal-friendly customs, such as decking a Christmas tree with gifts for pets. Motivated by her knowledge of the close relationship that exists between people and their dogs, she also founded the first pet cemetery in the city.
Dr. Kathy Wright, received her doctor of veterinary medicine from Michigan State University and is a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. She is one of the few veterinarians board-certified in both internal medicine and cardiology in the US and Canada. She reviews for the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology, and the Australian Veterinary Journal in addition to contributing to a number of veterinary textbooks. Her innovation, which is based on a human treatment, is the radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) treatment, which has a 95% success rate in curing dogs with a rare but potentially fatal arrhythmia brought on by atrioventricular accessory pathways, one of the most frequent causes of rapid heartbeats in young dogs, especially Labradors.
Dr. Jill Clark, after earning her degree from Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, Dr. Jill Clark worked as a veterinarian at a hospital with six doctors until joining National Pet Care Centers, a network of eight facilities that eventually expanded to eighty. Ultimately, she received a promotion to vice president of operations. She then worked for VCA for 12 years, first as a hospital operations manager supervising 22 general and specialty practices, and then as a vice president in charge of the team that recruits doctors, maintained connections with campuses, and placed interns and residents. She assumed leadership of the establishment of VCA’s corporate academy, WOOF University, in 2010. To date, the institution has taught over 24,000 veterinary students and serves as the organization’s main training source. She founded Ignite Veterinary Solutions in 2016 with the intention of training veterinary teams to improve their own well-being as well as the well-being of their patients and clients. Her love of learning played a significant role in this decision.
Dr. Linda Fineman, after learning that her cherished cat had cancer while still in college, she went to the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she completed her internship and residency training. Her career as an oncology expert, which led to practice ownership with a group of partners, was fulfilling. Her background as a manager and leader prepared her for her current role as medical director of a multispecialty hospital. After that, she joined the hospital network of Ethos Veterinary Health, where she currently serves as vice president of learning and development. As the CEO of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, she currently investigates an alternative facet of the industry.
Dr. Heather N. Fowler graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010 and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Public health in applied biostatistics and epidemiology from Yale University and a doctorate in Environmental and occupational hygiene from the University of Washington. She is a board-certified preventive medicine veterinarian with specialization in zoonotic disease, public health, worker safety and health, and One Health. She joined the National Pork Board in 2017, where she handles public health, workplace safety, and health concerns connected to swine agriculture. She is a lifelong learner who received Project Management Institute certification in 2020.
Dr. Sakkubhai Ramachandran was the first female veterinarian in India. Sakkubai was one of two ladies who enrolled at Madras Veterinary College in 1948. She graduated in 1952 and went on to hold a number of important positions, including virologist and scientist at IVRI, until retiring in 1991.
Dr. Ranaparkhe formed the All-India Association of Lady Veterinarians (AILV) with local branches in all states. There had previously been no national association of female vets, but she spearheaded the movement. Women veterinarians now have virtually endless potential. Previously, there were little chances for women veterinarians in India. Because of their responsibilities to their families, the majority of female veterinarians worked in rural regions, servicing cattle. As a result, no efforts were made to train women as veterinarians. Women might play an important role, interacting with one another and sharing their experiences. However, women were mostly responsible for household and dairy work in rural India.
Dr. Amrita Patel, a former Chairman of National Dairy Development Board and Bombay Veterinary College graduate, is the first female veterinarian in Gujarat, a progressive state. She received her higher education in Mumbai and earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry degree. In 1965, she joined Amul, a dairy cooperative, and received training from Verghese Kurien. She received several accolades for her contributions to the growth and administration of the dairy business. From 1998 until 2014, she chaired the National Dairy Development Board, which oversaw the world’s largest dairy development initiative, Operation Flood. She chaired numerous additional institutes and served on bank boards. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001. She has served on the boards of the Reserve Bank of India and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
