Kevin Fitzgerald’s AVMA update centers kindness and conservation

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: Veterinarian, author, and longtime public-facing advocate Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald returned to AVMA’s My Veterinary Life podcast on January 8, 2025, for a career update centered less on clinical change than on professional values: kindness, community involvement, conservation, and lifelong learning. In the episode, Fitzgerald — known for small animal practice, Animal Planet’s Emergency Vets, and his new memoir It Started With a Turtle — reflects on a 43-year veterinary career and argues that veterinarians should stay rooted in their communities and engaged beyond the exam room. That message aligns with broader themes AVMA’s podcast has been surfacing recently, including “be kind and be brave” approaches to spectrum of care, student conversations about compassion and burnout, and service-oriented veterinary work in crisis settings. It also aligns with Fitzgerald’s long-running public work in conservation, including rattlesnake field research in Colorado and advocacy for biodiversity. (podcasts.apple.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the update is a reminder that influence in practice isn't limited to medicine alone. Fitzgerald’s career has blended companion animal care, public communication, teaching, and conservation, offering a model for how veterinarians can build trust with pet parents while also contributing to local civic life and wildlife health. In a profession still grappling with burnout, workforce strain, access-to-care questions, and public trust, his emphasis on kindness and community engagement lands as a practical professional ethic, not just a personal philosophy. That framing also fits recent AVMA podcast conversations that connect compassion, courage, and flexible care models with the profession’s long-term sustainability. (dvm360.com)

What to watch: Expect continued interest in veterinarians who can connect clinical practice with broader One Health, access-to-care, and conservation conversations, especially as AVMA and academic voices keep highlighting those links. Recent My Veterinary Life episodes have also pointed toward a wider appetite for stories about veterinary leadership in education, student wellbeing, and humanitarian response. (vet.cornell.edu)