Senior Director, Shelter Medicine Training

Summary:

The Senior Director of Shelter Medicine Training (Senior Director, SMT) works within the Shelter Medicine Services (SMS) team, which provides shelter medicine expertise within the ASPCA and externally to veterinarians, shelters & rescues, and other stakeholders. The Senior Director, SMT oversees and engages in the training and supervision of shelter medicine residents, develops resources on shelter medicine topics, collaborates across programs to support the integration of shelter medicine principles, and serves in strategic roles in veterinary and animal welfare associations to promote positive welfare for animals and communities. As direct supervisor of the Director of Clinical training, who directly supervises the residents, the Senior Director, SMT engages across ASPCA and external program partners to provide a residency program with comprehensive shelter medicine practice experience encompassing direct clinical care and population level care to animals in shelters and community clinics as well as completing a clinical research project. The Senior Director, SMT also engages in training and mentorship activities with shelter and community clinic personnel, veterinary professionals, and students to advance the field of shelter medicine and the practice of community animal health.

Who We Are

The SMS team improves the health and welfare of animals in shelters and communities by strategically applying expertise both internally at the ASPCA and externally with key stakeholders. SMS is primarily comprised of veterinarians ABVP board-certified in Shelter Medicine Practice and is the home department of the Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency, which is based in New York City. Most team members are remote with significant travel to ASPCA programs, external sheltering organizations, and training events at conferences and veterinary schools.

SMS provides mentorship and training to shelter and community medicine veterinarians through the ASPCA’s Practitioner Pathway Mentorship and Practitioner Pathway Community programs. The team also supports the animal welfare field through development of educational resources, direct consultation, training, and applied research. Members of SMS each have assigned projects and areas of emphasis but collectively subscribe to a workplace culture of life-long learning, relentless collaboration, and a willingness to dive into work that needs to be done.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Director, SMT reports to the Vice President, Shelter Medicine Services and Veterinary Training Programs (VP), who also serves as the Residency Program Director. The Senior Director, SMT has one direct report.  The Senior Director, SMT collaborates with the VP, the Director of Shelter Medicine Clinical Training, ASPCA programs, and external partners to provide a robust training program for shelter medicine residents; the Senior Director, SMT will be expected to assume Resident Advisor responsibilities in alignment with ABVP Shelter Medicine Residency requirements. The Senior Director, SMT provides training through direct care in shelter medicine clinical practice at both individual and population levels, demonstrating strong clinical skills, clinical confidence, intellectual curiosity, and resilience. They engage across NYC-based ASPCA programs to support the integration of key shelter medicine principles; support sheltering organizations through consultation, training, and the development of resources on shelter medicine topics; and participate in trainees’ clinical work as well as their consultative work with shelters, clinics, and veterinarians. They play an important role in the continued growth of shelter medicine as a discipline by serving in strategic positions in veterinary medical and animal welfare associations.

To succeed in this role, the Senior Director, SMT must have both breadth and depth of shelter medicine clinical expertise and be board-certified in Shelter Medicine Practice or actively working towards board certification (within 2 years).  They must have outstanding interpersonal, communication, collaboration, and teaching skills. Success also hinges on their ability to identify and leverage a breadth and depth of past experience to provide a high-quality and collaborative, nuanced approach to implementation of individual and population health principles. Deep relationship building across teams is essential for establishing clinical working relationships and understanding of the work.

Where and When You’ll Work

This position requires regular (35-50%) commuting to and between ASPCA NYC locations, Animal Care Centers of NYC, and other sites in the city where residents regularly train. Therefore this position requires living within reasonable commuting distances to New York City locations. Travel for meetings and consultative work (~1