AVMA podcast revisits Kevin Fitzgerald’s message on kindness

AVMA’s My Veterinary Life podcast has brought back Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald for a January 8 episode focused less on a clinical update than on professional values: kindness, community involvement, conservation, and reflection on a 43-year veterinary career. Fitzgerald, a Denver small animal veterinarian known to many through Emergency Vets, used the conversation to share an update on his memoir, It Started With a Turtle, and to revisit themes that have defined his public career, including service beyond the exam room and advocacy for wildlife and biodiversity. Fitzgerald’s long-running conservation work has included service on the Denver Zoo board and wildlife projects in Mongolia, reinforcing the broader message that veterinarians can have impact well outside companion animal practice. (podcasts.apple.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the episode is a reminder that leadership in this field isn’t limited to medicine alone. Fitzgerald’s message connects clinical practice with community trust, public engagement, and conservation, at a time when the profession is also grappling with wellbeing, identity, and retention. His emphasis on kindness and lifelong learning fits with a wider conversation in veterinary medicine about sustaining careers while also expanding the profession’s voice in animal welfare, public education, and environmental stewardship. (podcasts.apple.com)

What to watch: Expect this episode to resonate most as part of AVMA’s ongoing effort to spotlight career meaning, wellbeing, and the many ways veterinarians can serve pets, pet parents, communities, and wildlife. (podcasts.apple.com)