Dr. Abby Reichard is beyond excited to have accepted a three-year residency position with the ASPCA Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program!
As part of this program, Reichard will participate in intensive education that focuses on clinical training–covering all aspects of shelter medicine, including but not limited to: surgery, shelter operations, population medicine and management, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN), community engagement, providing greater access to care and learning about cruelty investigations and forensics as appropriate. Reichard says she’s excited to advance her training and build on her clinical skills by completing this residency, which will lead her across the five boroughs of New York.
When asked how her internship with Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program has helped to set Reichard up for success, she stated the Program has been instrumental in helping her build her confidence up, post veterinary school–where she has also had the support of both Program faculty mentors, Dr. Lena DeTar, Interim Director and Assistant Clinical Professor of Shelter Medicine, along with Dr. Erin Henry, Assistant Clinical Professor of Shelter Medicine.
During her internship, Reichard has been able to hone in on perfecting her surgical skills and even performed an amputation on a ferret! Reichard also credits the invaluable experience of being on clinical rotations with the section of Emergency and Critical Care, which forced her out of her comfort zone and provided her with new and challenging experiences.
Upon completion of her residency, Reichard hopes to be a “pinnacle of the profession” and has her sights set on landing a dream job where she can run and lead a large shelter, perhaps even traveling to assist other shelters in need. Reichard says she could see herself going back to Scotland but also has ambitions of living in Colorado, New Zealand and Alaska.
FUN FACTS:
- Dr. Elizabeth Berliner, former Janet L. Swanson Director of Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program and now Senior Director of Shelter Medicine with the ASPCA will serve as one of Dr. Reichard’s mentors during her residency.
- Julie Morris, the person for whom this residency program is named after at the ASPCA, started her career at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) in Ann Arbor, MI, where Dr. Reichard also worked for many, many years!
