Dr. Julie Adamchick: The Making of a Production Animal Veterinarian

Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

Posted May 23, 2014

Though she grew up on a 120-cow dairy,1 Julie Adamchick initially had no intention of becoming a dairy farmer or a veterinarian. When she entered college in 2005,2 her real interest was in international development and public health. Her aspirations evolved during her undergraduate years, however, and after receiving her DVM degree from Cornell this weekend, Dr. Adamchick will begin working as a production animal veterinarian on a dairy in Minnesota.

Dr. Julie Adamchick with her husband, Matthew, a mechanical engineer

(Photo provided by Dr. Adamchick, 2014)

As an undergraduate, Julie decided to pursue veterinary medicine to gain a tangible skill set and knowledge base. Her aspirations were to learn about livestock health so she could apply it to small scale agriculture in less developed settings. “Veterinary medicine,” she rationalized, “would be my ticket to travel and to apply my resources and opportunities to improve the lives of people without access to those same opportunities.”3

With exposure to Cornell’s educational and infrastructure resources and extensive production animal health networks, Julie’s focus during veterinary college gravitated towards food production and consumption, and the systems and people involved in animal agriculture. Food safety piqued her interest during a first-year lecture by Dr. Martin Wiedmann,4 a veterinarian and food safety researcher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, when he talked about the risks associated with consumption of raw milk and the need to communicate those risks to the public.

It hit close to home, as I am both the veterinarian advocating for pasteurization and safe practices, as well as the farm kid who grew up drinking milk directly from the bulk tank; and at the same time living in all-natural Ithaca with friends who literally buy raw milk at night from the so-called milk black market. In the US we have the luxury of making these choices, even when the decisions are poorly informed, but in many countries around the globe, such choices are not as convenient, nor even possible. Regardless whether wealthy or poor, food is the center of health or illness as well as culture, economics, and politics.

It is this universal, permeating relevance of food production, coupled with the intricate relationship that we have with the animals we both love and love to eat that keeps me fascinated with the fields of food animal medicine and food production.

Dr. Adamchick recognizes that, while it has become trendy, and even profitable, to talk ad nauseam of the challenges of feeding the world in 2050, it is true that the decades ahead of us will be unprecedented in how we will stretch our resources for that driving force of food. She acknowledges that food systems are not just a source of nutrition, but are intimately linked with issues of climate change, population growth, urbanization, globalization, civil wars, religion, biodiversity, as well as simply getting along with our neighbors.

As a veterinarian, I am trained to maintain and improve the health of the animals, the safety of the food, and the dynamics of the relationships between animals and people. As an epidemiologist (my future goal), I will be equipped to ask and to answer questions about how that food is produced, what impact it has on the people who produce and consume it, and to have some grasp of the costs and externalities involved. Regardless of the scale, that is exciting.

Adamchick’s evolution to this line of reasoning developed gradually. During the summer after her first year in veterinary college, she worked at a veterinary clinic in central New York that serviced dairy farms ranging from very small (15 cows) to very large (over 1,500). Though she learned a great deal about medicine and animal health, her personal epiphany was realizing how much she truly enjoyed working with dairy farmers.

Cows, yes. Business and management and herd health decisions, yes. But the singular sense of community with the dairymen (and women) built on respect for their work, their values, and the intricacies of the decisions they make daily.

Julie Adamchick, DVM, in Columbia following her second year of veterinary college

(Photo provided by Dr. Adamchick, 2014)

The following summer, she received funding through a Cornell program called Expanding Horizons, and lived on several dairy farms in Colombia.5 She again realized how at home she was working within the dairy community regardless of the setting, and even when in another country, speaking another language. She was becoming aware that home to her was not a geographic location, but the dairy community itself, and that there were many opportunities to work within that framework without abandoning her initial goals or idealism.

In her third year of veterinary college, as her experiential and academic perspectives continued to evolve, Dr. Adamchick found herself becoming increasingly committed to preventative medicine and population-level analysis, what she considered staples of production animal medicine. While she certainly enjoyed relationships with individual clients and patients, her work was ultimately most satisfying when it involved uncovering and addressing the root of a problem.

Through exposure to applied research projects, Julie recognized the power of gathering information about a population to enable better decision-making that ultimately impacts the life of the individual. Through distribution (elective) classes and faculty mentoring, she perceived the potential usefulness of epidemiology and got a taste for the power of statistical analysis and study design when applied appropriately. These are skills that she became determined to learn and use in the future.

By the beginning of Julie’s fourth year, she realized that she wanted to work with livestock and the people who work with livestock, but that she did not want to be a dairy practitioner throughout her career. She aspired to begin as a food animal veterinarian, preferably dairy, then in a few years, seek advanced education in either a MPVM program (Master of Preventive Medicine), or a PhD. Ultimately, she thought she would be using her skills in an applied research setting such as a university, private practice, government, or an NGO context.

After looking at opportunities in several private practice jobs from the northeast to Texas, and even New Zealand, and also considering an academic internship, Dr. Adamchick accepted a job in late March as a farm veterinarian for a large dairy operation in Minnesota. Though it means missing out on the relationships and the road time of traditional ambulatory practice, an attractive aspect of working for a single dairy is that she is hired to be the farm’s expert on animal health, and that her suggestions will be taken as serious management recommendations. The focus is on preventative health management, rather than reacting to disease after it has occurred.

She will be working directly under the herd veterinarian and will primarily be responsible for herd checks, sick and fresh cow work, and training Spanish-speaking employees.

The owners are businessmen before dairymen, and this means that they rely on and trust their veterinarians to make the animal health decisions. I have no doubt that I will learn not only clinical skills and veterinary medicine under their head veterinarian, but also insight into the decision-making process that makes these dairies run.

Like all new graduates, Adamchick considers what constitutes the ideal new employee.

We are always told that attitude and work ethic trump entry level clinical skills. I think that a strong background in dairy (comfort around the facilities, the animals, and the people) and the ability to speak Spanish have been attributes in my favor more than my ability or lack thereof to diagnose early pregnancies or perform a caesarian operation right out of college.

There continues to be concern in many quarters about the future of the veterinary workforce in many areas, including the food animal sector. Even so, Dr. Adamchick remains optimistic about what the future holds.

I have no crystal ball and my excitement, frankly, stems from the fact that we don’t know what innovative systems of technology, infrastructure, and ways of thinking are going to be used in animal agriculture three decades from now. But consider that as recently as 30 years ago, hardly anyone owned a PC! Certainly it is possible that veterinary practice as we know it today may be scrambling for relevance if individuals or the industry as a whole does not adapt well. However the industry unfolds, I am confident that veterinarians will be involved somewhere along the way, keeping animals and people healthy. I want to be a part of that, and I think I will find a way to do so!

By Donald F. Smith, based upon written and verbal communication with Dr. Adamchick.

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

---

1 Dr. Adamchick grew up in Montgomery County, New York, about 50 miles northwest of Albany.
2 Dr. Adamchick received her BS in 2009 from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
3 Adamchick, Julie (DVM, Cornell University 2014), emails to Donald F. Smith (Cornell University), May 14, 2014. The numerous quotes and the story throughout are from this correspondence and subsequent meeting on May 21.
4 Weidmann, Martin, Dr Med Vet, PhD, Professor of Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University.
5 Expanding Horizons. provides veterinary students at Cornell opportunities to familiarize themselves with issues surrounding veterinary medicine in developing countries.

Gender and Jobs for Veterinarians

Posted March 5, 2012
By Dr. Donald F. Smith, Cornell University


Four decades ago, only 10% of graduating veterinarians were women. With the passing of Title IX and the removal of gender bias in veterinary college admissions during the 1970s, approximately four out of five veterinary students are now female. The number of female veterinarians now exceeds the number of male veterinarians (AVMA members). However, contrary to conventional wisdom and numerous articles, the number of male veterinarians in the U.S. has remained stable for the past five years. This presumably relates to the fact that their retirement balances the number of men receiving their veterinary degrees and entering the profession for the first time.

Number of Female and Male Veterinarians (AVMA members)
in the U.S. between 2006 and 2011 (see footnote)

The following chart show the distribution of men and women in private clinical practice in the United States. The total number of companion animal veterinarians (dogs, cats, pet birds, rodents and amphibians) vastly outnumbers those engaged in large animal, mixed animal or other species. Six years ago, there were many more men than women in companion animal practice but women now exceed men by almost 25%. Most of the equine-oriented students in veterinary colleges today are women and this is reflected in the near parity of equine practitioners in private clinical practice. Despite the preponderance of men in food animal practice, an increasing number of women veterinary students are now interested in livestock practice.

Number of Female and Male Veterinarians (AVMA members)
in Clinical Practice in the U.S. in 2011, by Species (see footnote)

The following chart shows the number veterinarians, by gender, in public and corporate employment. Women now outnumber men in universities and colleges; however, men remain the majority in federal and state/local governments, and in industry. There are now equal numbers in the uniformed services. The "other" category includes non profit organizations and animal shelters, where women are employed in larger numbers. 

Number of Female and Male Veterinarians (AVMA members)
in Public and Corporate Employment in the U.S. in 2011 (see footnote)

Footnote (reference): Market Research Statistics of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

Stephen Laudermilch, DVM 2011 Joins a Rural Practice Steeped in History

Posted May 28, 2011

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

CAREERS FOR VETERINARIANS Series

Stephen Laudermilch entered veterinary college in 2007 with the singular goal of returning to his home town to join his father and brother in one of the oldest and most distinguished rural veterinary practices in Pennsylvania. Dating back to 1917, what is now called Rome Veterinary Center is located about 60 miles south of Ithaca, New York, just 15 miles over the Pennsylvania border.



Dr. Stephen Laudermilch (center), with Drs. Ben (L) and Donn Laudermilch (R)



Being from a closely-knit family, the proximity of Ithaca to Rome was one of the reasons why Stephen selected Cornell over the three other northeastern colleges that offered him a seat after only three years undergraduate study.

During his time at Cornell, Stephen would make over 300 trips between Ithaca and Rome to visit family and work in the practice where he will now be a full time associate. “Being able to go back home to practice is a huge asset for me, because the establishment is family-oriented and I know right from the beginning that the level of trust and involvement will be high”.

Stephen’s father, Donn Laudermilch (U Penn ’79) agrees. “Stephen has been doing veterinary calls with me since he was two-years-old. He would sometimes join me before school, and often ride with me on calls that extended way into the night, helping treat cows with calving problems or most metabolic conditions that occur just before or after parturition.”

Stephen was one of about twelve of the 87 students in his class with an interest in food animal programs. However, because he realized that there are no guarantees that the dairy industry in upstate Pennsylvania will remain stable in the future, he took full advantage of Cornell’s excellent small animal teaching program so that he could diversify his practice as appropriate to meet future needs in the community.

The practice is currently 85% dairy cattle, with the remainder being equine and small animal medicine. For the top-producing dairies in the practice area, Stephen his brother, Ben (Virginia-Maryland ’07) and their father, all agree that new techniques they are adopting, like in vitro fertilization, could add tremendous value to the dairy industry.

The veterinary profession faces shortages of well-educated food animal veterinarians seeking to work in rural areas. The Laudermilch family provides an excellent example of how committed veterinarians continue to advance animal health in farming communities and also support the public health needs of society by assuring a safe and abundant source of animal-based protein.

Stephen Laudermilch’s interest in serving people goes beyond rural veterinary practice.  He desires to use his veterinary skills to establish relationships in foreign countries with the human medical profession--two of Stephen's siblings are medical doctors and a third is in training--to help people with both their physical health and their productivity in agriculture. With veterinary medicine as a step-stool, Stephen's goals are to reach people for Christ through veterinary medical missions.

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

Dr. Koji Yasuda: Connecting Veterinary Medicine in Japan and America

Donald F. Smith (Cornell University)

Posted May 30, 2011

CAREERS FOR VETERINARIANS Series

When Koji Yasuda received his DVM from Cornell last weekend, he joined his father and older brother, Junya, as a family committed to advancing veterinary medicine in both Asia and America. 

Koji (L) and Junya Yasuda relax after Koji received his DVM
 from Cornell University May 29th, 2011. Photo by author.


Koji’s father, Hidemi Yasuda, owns one of the most progressive small animal practices in Tokyo, and also manages a dermatology (IgE) diagnostic service (Spectrum Lab Japan) that employs four staff and receives over 10,000 samples per year from 4,500 veterinarians throughout the country. 

Junya (L) and his parents, Dr. Hidemi and Mrs. Sanae Yasuda.
Yasuda Veterinary Clinic, Tokyo, Japan (2010). Photo by author.



Junya, who already has a college degree in history, is in the process of finishing his veterinary education in Tokyo. Though he has been to the United States multiple times, he has decided to remain in Japan and ultimately take over the family business.

Koji, on the other hand and with his family’s full support, decided to make his career in the United States. He left home at age 15, attended a boarding school in New Hampshire. After receiving his BS and MS from Cornell, he became one of the relatively few international students to receive a DVM from Cornell.

Koji recently received his green card (signifying permanent resident) from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and now embarks on a comparative pathology residency at the New England Primate Research Center at Harvard Medical School in June. With his commitment to the concept of the “One Health” advancing both human and animal medicine, he plans to establish a career in comparative pathology at either a veterinary or medical school setting.

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu.

Joanna Asmus Sutorius, DVM (1929), Cornell's Fourth Woman Veterinary Graduate

Guest Blog by Michelle Pesce, Cornell Class of 2012

Posted May 25, 2011

This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).



Careers for Veterinarians Series

Like many young girls, Johanna Asmus took delight in the company of animals. She was a member of the Science Club at Ithaca High School and the idea of becoming a veterinarian had great appeal to her. Her proximity to Cornell, where her father was a professor, likely influenced her decision to pursue an education there. Being granted admission to Cornell is no simple task for prospective veterinary students today, but Johanna faced an even greater challenge. The year was 1925, and Johanna was to become only the fourth female graduate of the New York State Veterinary College (now the College of Veterinary Medicine).

Joanna Asmus Sutorius, DVM, graduation photograph 1929 (Cornell University photo)

Johanna’s father, Henry Asmus, was no ordinary professor. In 1913, he took a position as a farriery instructor at the veterinary college. A building had been newly constructed for his students, and was “the very finest place of its kind to be found in the country;” a country where horses were still the dominant form of transportation. A preeminent farrier until his death in 1939, Henry Asmus’ horseshoes still hang on display in Cornell’s current farrier shop.

Cornell's DVM Class of 1929 with photo (bottom center) of Joanna Asmus, the college's fourth woman graduate. Cornell University photo.

Johanna began veterinary college immediately after completing high school, as was the norm for students in 1925. Johanna’s daughter, Barbara Sutorius, explains her focus on small animal medicine. “The farmers who provided the large animals for the student vets to practice on wouldn’t let her treat their animals, so she only worked with small animals.” When her daughters inquired as to whether she faced discrimination, Dr. Sutorius denied it was ever a significant issue. “She was determined to ‘show the fellows’ that she could do it,” said her niece, Marianne Leavitt. In a 1960 interview by The Post-Standard, a Syracuse newspaper, Dr. Sutorius admitted she encountered disbelievers early on, but “after they found out I meant to stay and get my degree, the boys made things pleasant for me.” Johanna spent the summer of 1928 at the Westminster Dog Hospital on West 54th Street in New York City. Drs. Frank Miller and Trelford Miller welcomed her help that summer, with the latter making reference to the fact he was a student of Henry Asmus.

Dr. Sutorius considered continuing her studies in Vienna following completion of the DVM program in 1929, but it was not to be. She moved to Sayville, NY that summer with her husband, where he remained employed in spite of the stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression. “It was her aspiration to start her own small animal practice there,” her daughter Nancy Holland explains. “However, she was a product of her times. Because my Dad could provide very well for us, it would have been considered a mark against him to have his wife go off to work.” Dr. Sutorius instead worked as a relief veterinarian in various small animal practices for two years, and resumed this role in full when her three children reached school age.

Thirty years after her graduation, Dr. Sutorius reflected on her experience as one of the first to break ground for women in the veterinary profession. “I enjoy this work, so it doesn’t seem like any effort at all,” she told the Post-Standard interviewer. She had remained active in organized veterinary medicine, taking the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the Long Island Veterinary Medical Association in 1947.

Since Dr. Sutorius began her schooling, much had changed for women in the profession. “There are about 200 women veterinarians in the country,” she stated in the 1960 article. “Some are in general practice, others teach and work in research. One woman works in a zoo. Most people are pleased that a woman is going to treat their pet; however, I have had people turn around and walk right out of the office!”

By the conclusion of Dr. Sutorius’ career, veterinary medicine had seen a sharp increase in the proportion of female students. At the time of her death in 1989, roughly half of all graduating veterinarians in the United States and Canada were women.

In recent years, Dr. Sutorius’ family took a renewed interest in her experiences in the veterinary profession. A visit to Cornell revealed Henry Asmus’ influence on the college, as evidenced by display cases featuring his work. While no physical monument exists to commemorate Dr. Sutorius and other early female veterinarians, the conspicuous abundance of women in the college is a compelling testament to their efforts as pioneers.

Author Michelle Pesce, Cornell's DVM Class of 2012, is from Massapequa on the southern shore of Long Island. Dr. Asmus Sutorius also lived and practiced on Long Island.

Michelle expresses appreciation to Dr. Sutorius' family -- her daughters, Mrs. Nancy Holland and Sister Barbara Sutorius, and her niece, Mrs. Marianne Leavitt -- for their contributions to this article.

The Only Woman in Her Class

By Dr. Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

Date of posting February 5, 2011


This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).


CAREERS FOR VETERINARIANS Series

Though Cornell was a leader for women seeking a veterinary degree during the 1930s and 1940s, enrollment was more restricted during the subsequent two decades. Women, it was argued, were less likely than farm boys to pursue large animal practice, and that was the greatest priority for most veterinary colleges at that time.

Dr. Linda Dixon Reeve [Peddie]
Photo provided by Dr. Reeve, 2010

During spring 1961, Linda Dixon Reeve sat with seven other women awaiting her interview for the two slots (of 60) that were allocated that year to ‘girls'. She remembers very well the long and grueling meeting with the Admissions Committee:

It was on the order of the Grand Inquisition. All I was lacking was the bucket over my head and the gong, but there was a bright light. The interview table was set up in a “T” configuration with me at the bottom of the “T” and Associate Dean Gordon Danks at the head. There were men seated all the way around, all of whom had pens and tablets and hardly looked at me. It felt like it was just Danks and me.

He asked me if I cooked, if I sewed, if I danced, if I enjoyed dancing. Did I date? Then he wanted to know, “If you were to marry someone who had a vocation out in the desert where there really weren’t any animals, just what would you do with this degree?” That one really threw me because I thought, “Oh, my goodness, this man knows I’m dating a fellow from Dartmouth who happens to be studying oceanography”.

To her surprise, Linda was selected and became the only woman in her class (the college took three women the following year to make up the deficit).

After graduating in 1965, she married a classmate, James Peddie, and they moved to California. They partnered in the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic in Thousand Oaks, a large and progressive group of veterinarians who handled all species and managed both a hospital and ambulatory service. The size of the practice allowed Dr. Reeve a flexible work schedule while her daughters were young.

In addition of domestic animal practice, Dr. Reeve and her husband also were veterinarians to animal stars. They worked with all kinds of animals, including primates, large cats, and elephants. For over 15 years, they cared for the animals in television series, such as “Frazier” and “Full House”, and in such feature films as “Dancing with Wolves”.

At the height of their career, they had penetrated the inner circle of Hollywood and were working for all of the major studios. Dr. Reeve became particularly adept at dealing with regulatory and quarantine issues associated with moving animals between the United States and foreign countries. She was a member of the National Tuberculosis Working Group for Zoo and Wildlife Species, formatting protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in elephants.

She was also instrumental in establishing the American Veterinary Medical Association's policy that advocated the use of the guide and tethers in managing elephants. This policy has helped halt legislation proposed by animal activists to outlaw use of the guide and tethers, tools she considers absolutely essential to assure the safety of both veterinarians and the elephants entrusted to their care.

Dr. Reeve retired from veterinary practice in 2002. Her biography and 2010 interview can be heard at  http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/15132/2/Peddie,%20Linda%20Dixon%20Reeve,%20'65.pdf

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

A New Dean for the Nation's Oldest Veterinary College

Blog written by Dr. Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
Posted January 6, 2011.

CAREERS FOR VETERINARIANS Series

When Professor Lisa Nolan goes to work at Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine on January 15^th, she will be assuming the position of dean of the oldest veterinary college in the United States.[i]



Dean Lisa Nolan
Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Photo provided by Iowa State University 



I met Dr. Nolan during an AVMA accreditation review site visit to the Ames campus five years ago. In her position as executive department chair at the time, she clearly and concisely represented the college’s academic programs, and provided a compelling vision for the future direction of teaching and research in the college.

Stephen Ettinger, DVM Honored with Prestigious Salmon Award

When Dr. Stephen Ettinger was presented with the very prestigious Daniel Elmer Salmon award by Cornell alumni on October 2, 2010, he gave an unusual acceptance speech. Rather than talk about the extraordinary achievements as a veterinary cardiologist, scholar and author that have made him the most recognized name in contemporary veterinary medicine, he chose instead to honor the man for whom the award is named.



Dr. Ettinger (right) with his former professor
and mentor, Dr. Robert Kirk (2008).

Dr. Ettinger began his presentation by holding up an egg, symbolic of the recent illnesses that have brought fresh attention to the challenges that we continue to face in preventing food-borne organisms from Salmonella and other contaminants. He then talked about Cornell's first DVM graduate, Daniel Salmon, one of the most renowned veterinarians of the 19th century. Ettinger talked about Salmon's inaugural leadership of the federal Bureau of Animal Industry that was created in 1884, and how he developed a system for food inspection that continued well into the 20th century. He also talked about Salmon's scientific relationship with another Cornell graduate, Theobald Smith, with whom he made many discoveries, including isolating the organism that bears his name: Salmonella.

During the Salmon era, human and veterinary medicine worked side-by-side to achieve great accomplishments in advancing animal and human health. Sadly, the professions drifted apart in the early years of the 20th century.