District 7 – David Brown, DVM
Dr. David Brown, of Viroqua, graduated from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1981 and spent the first six years of his career practicing at a newly established mixed animal practice in Viroqua. He then moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where he spent two years at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine as a member of the large animal ambulatory service. Although he enjoyed teaching, he wanted to get back to practicing veterinary medicine in Wisconsin. Dr. Brown and his family moved back to Viroqua and he started a solo large animal practice which he maintained for almost 20 years.
Dr. Brown was then given the opportunity to join Accelerated Genetics as their staff veterinarian, a position he held for seven and a half years before joining Genex in a similar role. When Select Sires acquired Accelerated Genetics, he was asked to help with that transition. Dr. Brown retired in May 2019.
A WVMA member since 1981, Dr. Brown believes organized veterinary medicine is important and a unified voice is needed as decisions are made in government that affect us all.
“As a busy solo practitioner, I did not have time to serve, but at this stage of life, I would like to contribute to the WVMA’s continued success,” he says.
Dr. Brown believes the single greatest issue facing veterinarians today is economic.
“The cost of education and the return on investment in today’s economy makes the profession hard to sustain, especially in smaller towns,” he says.
A varied background in practice, academia and industry gives Dr. Brown a unique perspective that he believes would benefit the WVMA. He believes leadership is critical to any organization and he thinks he would be able to contribute in a meaningful and significant way.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Brown is active in his local church and enjoys bicycling the roads and trails of southwest Wisconsin and maintaining his home and property. He and his wife also sing in a community choir, “The Ridgetones.” He enjoys travel and hopes to try his hand at writing some of his stories for his grandchildren.
District 8 – Meg Mueller, DVM
Dr. Meg Mueller, of Brackett, is a 2010 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation, she has been practicing at Osseo-Augusta Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice.
A WVMA member since 2010, Dr. Mueller looks forward to the opportunity to serve on the WVMA Executive Board, as it will give her an opportunity to network with other veterinarians from around the state and bring new ideas back to her area. She is also involved with the Northwest Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association and is a past president and director of that organization.
“I have served on many different organization executive boards and committees,” Dr. Mueller says. “I am very passionate about how the veterinary community fits into its own specific social/spatial community.”
Dr. Mueller believes the greatest issue facing veterinarians today is the increase of the veterinary suicide rate due to issues related to compassion fatigue, social media reviews and recommendations, along with heightened client expectations.
“Burnout and compassion fatigue are very real problems in this industry and we cannot continue to brush these issues under the rug,” she says. “Admitting you are struggling on any level doesn’t mean you are weak. It means you are human.”
Her advice to current veterinary medical students is to learn now how to make self-care a priority. She said as a veterinarian, you give of yourself endlessly, day after day, all while going through the entire gamut of emotions and it’s often difficult to remember that the most important entity to care for is yourself.
“Learn to allot time for yourself, whether that be spending time with your roommates watching a movie, going to the gym or reading a book for fun,” Dr. Mueller says. “If you start to allow yourself to take time out of the chaos and pressure to reset yourself during school, it will be much easier to continue into your career.”
Dr. Mueller says she has always made it a mission to give back to the agricultural community that was such an integral part of her upbringing. She volunteers countywide with the junior fair and has an active role in helping with the youth animal projects throughout the year. During the summer, she also works for the Wisconsin Horse Pullers Association. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Mueller’s hobbies include participating in a dart league and attending concerts.