Dr. Ali Lindsay, a native of New Jersey, joins Maddies® Shelter Medicine Program (MSMP) as a Clinical Instructor. A 2018 Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine graduate, Lindsay said it was during her time at vet school, where she fell in love with shelter medicine. Lindsay was an active member of the shelter medicine club and a work-study student at the SPCA of Tompkins County.
After graduating, she applied through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) and matched with San Diego Humane Society for an internship in shelter medicine from 2018-2019. Lindsay said, “I had a really great time there training under all the different doctors that were there, and going to the various campuses of the Humane Society in San Diego that serve very different populations, and some even have farm areas for large animals that need to be housed.”
Upon completion of her internship, Lindsay accepted a full-time position with Emancipet in Austin, TX. Fast forward to 2022, Lindsay continued working with Emancipet, but this time her work took her to Philadelphia, PA. In this clinic leadership role, Lindsay is proud of the programs, teams and connections she was able to build-up in the Philly community for both people and pets. Through Emancipet, Lindsay was able to help offer low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services, but also helped animals needing additional procedures, such as soft-tissue surgeries, heart worm treatments and dental care.
Looking for a change, Lindsay accepted a position with the MSMP team and we’re lucky to have her! Lindsay is looking forward to teaching the next generation of shelter vets and assisting them through their education and curriculum, so that they feel confident and real-world ready as professional shelter veterinarians. Lindsay said,
In this role, I’ve really been enjoying doing the outreach. Connecting with the other regional shelters, I never thought that I would be one that would like to be networking but I actually do enjoy making those connections and seeing how we can all work together. I think that’s something that historically, unfortunately, hasn’t always been championed in the animal welfare space–is working together with other places and I love that.
We take the approach of consulting, helping and going around to do other things along the lines of traveling to, you know the reservations and doing further outreach to meet people from all over the world and seeing how people live differently with animals in different cultures and expanding my perspective on those things. And then also bringing my medical perspective to it, to try to help people who might not be in ideal situations do what they can, or do the best that they can for the animals that they’re helping.
The need is so great out there, that I want the vet students and interns and everyone who’s training here to feel empowered to go out there and help those communities.
FUN FACT:
Up until 18 years old, Dr. Lindsay was trained as a ballet dancer.
Written by: Suzette Moschetti
Program Coordinator, MSMP
