Lunch 'N Learn

2020 Lunch 'N Learn Schedule

Looking for previous Lunch 'n Learn Sessions?
You can watch some of them on our Youtube channel found here.  

register here for 2020 LNL sessions!

Tuesday, April 14-Let's Get Wet! An Introduction to Aquatic Veterinary Medicine

Jessica Fox, DVM, Ralco
With more and more millennials choosing fish as pets and the rise of domestic aquaculture, the demand for aquatic veterinary medicine is on the rise and can be incorporated successfully into both companion and livestock production practices. Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of agriculture and veterinarians may be called upon for VFDs or health exams for aquaculture production clients. 

According to the AVMA 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, over 7.5 million households in the United States own fish with a total population of approximately over 57 million pet fish! The more recent American Pet Products Association's 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey, reports over 15 million households owning fish and total population of over 157 million pet fish. Pet fish medicine is companion animal medicine. There are so many veterinarians turning potential clients away due to unfamiliarity in this area and unfortunately this can lead to owners thinking vets do not treat fish and they go to pet stores and the internet for medical advice!

This talk will describe examples of calls veterinarians may receive and reasons it is so important we provide some type of care or referral to these clients. We will discuss various ways veterinarians can incorporate aquatic medicine into their own practice and briefly describe resources for training.This presentation will also provide practitioners with resources for consulting or referring clients with experienced aquatic veterinarians. This way we can guide clients to other veterinarians and not to pet stores. With our unique skillset and perspective of clinical medicine, disease prevention and treatment, biosecurity and welfare, veterinarians should the main resource to pet fish and aquaculture clients.

Jessica Fox is the Director of Veterinary Services and Biosecurity at Ralco in Marshall, MN. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from University of Minnesota. She loves working with all animals from poultry and other livestock to companion animals. She has worked in research and development for over a decade, particularly in the area of improving gut health through natural solutions. She has a special interest in how gut health can improve performance and disease resistance across species. She has a passion for One Health, preventative medicine and biosecurity. Jessica has extensive aquatic medicine training, including the complete AQUAVET® program (I, II, III), University of Wisconsin's Basic Fish Medicine Course, and University of Arizona's Shrimp Pathology Short Course. She is experienced in developing health and biosecurity programs for aquaculture production facilities. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in public health through the University of Minnesota. She has been an active member of the MVMA governmental affairs committee since 2015 and is a graduate of the 2016 MVMA Power of 10 Leadership Program. She serves on the AVMA Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee as the food animal production representative and on the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors.

Tuesday, May 12-Managing Your Money Buckets

Garret Colao, CFP, CSLP, North Star Resource Group
Discuss tax-advantage strategies for creating and managing wealth during accumulation as well as during retirement distributions. This would pertain to your personal investments and finances as well as strategies that are available to practice owners.

Garret was drawn to a career as a financial advisor due to both a desire to work in finance and to help others view their finances as a source of comfort rather than worry. As an advisor, he values mutual trust and transparency in his client relationships as he works towards being able to provide his clients with that sense of comfort. Garret’s clients have strong family values and want to provide the best lives possible for their family members. To help them achieve this, his strategy involves educating his clients on being efficient and effective with their finances while developing a comprehensive strategy based on their current financial situation and future goals. Working primarily with individuals in Minnesota and Florida, Garret works with young professionals across a variety of industries, including physicians, veterinarians, and lawyers.

Tuesday, June 9-A Guide to Incorporating Virtual Care into Your Practice

Allison Boerum, Founder and CEO, Virtuwoof
Guests (TBA)
The terms "telehealth", "telemedicine, and "virtual care" have become standard practice in human medicine, and they are now making their way into veterinary practices around the world.  These virtual visits offer a key way to differentiate your practice, augment the care that is already provided, and cater to the changing expectations of a tech-savvy pet owner.  In this session, we will discuss what situations virtual care is (and is NOT!) optimal for, and offer tips and simple ways to incorporate virtual care into your practice without the need for new processes and workflows.

Tuesday, July 14-The Basics of Volunteering in an Emergency or Disaster

Kathy Jorgensen, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, Coordinator, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps. 
Kathy Berlin, Deputy Director and Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator, University of Minnesota's Health Emergency Response Office.
Join us to learn about volunteer opportunities for veterinarians; how it works at local, state and federal levels and awareness of potential roadblocks (liability insurance, malpractice).

Kathy Jorgensen graduated from North Dakota State University in 1991 with a B.S. in microbiology and from the University Of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.  In 2011, she completed a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Jorgensen achieved Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2011.  She is the coordinator of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps.  She has been active in agricultural disaster preparedness and response and also the state’s Radiologic Emergency Preparedness Program.  She is a certified FEMA trainer for four radiologic/nuclear hazards courses and is ProBoard certified at the Hazardous Materials, Operations Level.  She serves as a Planning Section Chief in the Minnesota Board of Animal Health incident management team.  She and her husband run a dairy and beef farm in central Minnesota, and she enjoys spending time with their Border Collie, Alice, four cats and numerous chickens.

Ms. Kathy Berlin received her BA in nursing at the University of St. Catherine. Prior to joining the Health Emergency Response Office, her professional career included several years working as a Registered Nurse at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital followed by a number of years as a school nurse and then as a Public Health Nurse in the emergency preparedness department of a local public health department. She is privileged to work with members of the University of Minnesota Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC is a group of individuals who share a commitment to offer their time and expertise to the University and broader communities during public health emergencies. She particularly enjoys the energy and enthusiasm students have to offer the Medical Reserve Corps program.

Tuesday, August 11-SMDA: Fundamentals to Expand Clinical Utility

Sally Ryan
SDMA stands for symmetric dimethylarginine and is a key biomarker for glomerular filtration rate in cats, dogs and humans. In this presentation we will answer the following questions: 1) How is SDBA used to complement standard kidney function diagnosis?; 2) What the indications for use of SDMA?; 3) How is SDMA used in IRIS guidelines for diagnosing and staging chronic kidney disease? 4) How do you manage patients with elevated SDMA levels?

Dr. Sally Ryan is a Professional Services Veterinarians at IDEXX for the Minnesota and Wisconsin regions. She has twenty years experience as an emergency clinician and medial director, and she is a leadership consultant and instructor. Dr. Ryan leads monthly webinars on topics related to leadership and professional development for VETGirl.

Tuesday, September 8-The Anorexic Rabbit

Andrew Bean, DVM, MPH, Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota
Anorexia is one of the most common reasons for presenting a pet rabbit to a veterinarian. In this talk we will discuss the clinical approach to the anorexic rabbit, including anamnesis, physical exam, diagnostic investigation, and therapy. Emphasis will be placed on how to triage a rabbit, assess pain, provide appropriate stabilization, and perform/interpret common diagnostic testing (eg radiology, hematology, clinical chemistry).

Tuesday, October 13-Maximize Your Profitability Through Real Estate

Jon Helle, CARR Healthcare
Learn about opportunities and challenges that exist with veterinarians and their practice real estate. 

Tuesday, November 10-Equine Endocrinopathies: Diagnosis and Management in the Field

Alexandra Bianco, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
During this session you will identify similarities and differences between equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Learn how to diagnose and manage these conditions in the field. Discuss when to recommend a referral.

Dr. Bianco is a native of Minneapolis and graduated from the UMN College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing a 1-year rotating equine internship at Kansas State University she completed a 3-year residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine at Purdue University. She remained at Purdue for an additional year working as an equine ambulatory veterinarian; before returning to the University of Minnesota as a clinical faculty member in 2016. 

Tuesday, December 8-

TBD