Small Animal II Speakers

Rachel Starr, DVM graduated from Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, in 2000. She began her work as a veterinarian as a mixed animal practitioner in rural Ohio and then as a shelter veterinarian in Columbus, OH. She moved back to Michigan in 2005 and become a small animal veterinarian in the Traverse City area. After an initial interest in surgery, she began to explore alternative therapies, learning Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation in 2010, and adding frequency specific laser therapy in 2011. She also took an introductory course in Nutrition Response Testing in 2011. After starting to incorporate it into veterinary practice, she decided to pursue Advanced Clinic Training and graduated from that program in 2018. She is currently practicing in two small animal clinics in Northern Michigan where she specializes in non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical holistic therapies.

Dr. Erin Burton is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs for the University of Minnesota who aims to create inclusive and supportive experiences for her veterinary students in admissions, curriculum, and student affairs. Erin teaches primarily in the foundational sciences focusing infectious diseases and strives to connect these themes with the clinical relevance for her students using various outcome-based assessment tools. She is an expert in the Competency Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Framework. Is currently serving on the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges CATALYZE Working group to develop tools for curriculum mapping and faculty professional development. She has also collaborated in the creation of workplace-based assessment tools for the UMN veterinary teaching hospital using the CBVE. Erin is currently board certified in clinical pathology but hopes in the coming years to also obtain certification in veterinary parasitology. Erin earned her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. She earned her master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Missouri becoming the first to characterize the urinary microbiome in healthy dogs. She considers her biggest character flaw to be her unwavering devotion to Arizona State Football and hopes one day to cheer them on in a BCS Championship game. In her spare time, she loves to play competitive doubles badminton and has a killer drop shot. You can follow her on LinkedIn and her courses on Instagram at @gopher_vetdxlab.