"Pet Owner Experience" Doc receives Frederick Lynn Webster Scholarship

Anna MacNeil-Allcock

InfoStream Staff Writer 

For her commitments to understanding and sharing the "pet owner experience", Dr. Christy Leslie, DVM, MBa, was recognized by her peers as an emerging leader and presented with a 2014 Frederick Lynn Webster Emerging Leader Scholarship. 

Christy is the Director of Program Management at Associate Veterinary Clinics. She specializes in the business end of Veterinary Medicine and spends a lot of time doing emergency work. Christy travels the country giving workshops to Veterinarians and their staff about the lessons learned from research on the ‘pet owner experience’.  Knowing and understanding Veterinary Medicine from the perspective of the pet owner provides great insight for how best to manage a practice and keep clients satisfied.

Anna MacNeil-Allcock (AMA): How did you come to be involved in the pet industry?

Dr. Christy Leslie (CL): I grew up on a hobby farm in Ontario, situated about one hour from Toronto. Our family always had pets. We had cats and dogs, and of course on the farm we kept horses, cows, sheep and chickens. I have family members in the Veterinary Profession so it had always been a consideration for me.

In early adulthood, I had a doberman named Carmen. The bond I had with her really impacted my life in a significant way and kicked off my interest in the human-animal bond, which lead to my current work about the pet owner experience in the Veterinary process.

  

AMA: What do you like most about your current work?

CL: Now that I am in a managerial position I have the ability to travel all over and make a greater impact. I also do a lot of Emergency work and have a very satisfying career.

AMA: What did receiving the scholarship mean to you?

CL: It was positive affirmation and recognition that my work was indeed having an impact. getting to know more about the urban animal

AMA: What was your experience at the Summit and how might it help you in your mission?

CL: It was very eye opening, especially to see that some of the businesses had a real interest in the animal industry, not solely from a business perspective. It stretched my mind.

In some ways, when I realized the size of the issues that were being tackled, I found it overwhelming to consider what a big endeavour it is to keep such projects moving forward.

The Summit gave me a broader understanding of the industry and an appreciation for the open mindedness that was being practiced by all.  I enjoyed getting to know more about the Urban Animal Program and what it is all about. Overall, it was rejuvenating.

AMA: What was the highlight of the Summit for you? 

CL: I had an ‘a ha’ moment as I was sitting at my table between representatives from two different pet insurance companies. I was surprised that they were even sitting at the same table and having a pleasant conversation. It really impressed upon me that this Summit is about the goals of the industry as a whole. Those at the Summit were willing to strip away personal and business goals and join in the solution. I wish all my colleagues in the Veterinary sector could experience the Summit. It would be a game changer because we are so often isolated in our own silo’s. 

I liked the big picture planning and thinking that was happening at the Summit but I also liked that research was included and could be tied to current issues. I thought the research posters were great and I was happy that each poster presenter was given some time at the mike to describe their research because it was not always possible to get to speak with them individually.

AMA: Will you attend a Summit in the future? 

CL: Yes, I would definitely consider attending another Summit, if it is in the same place and the timing works for me. The clinic is grounding and I can get bogged down a bit with business. I found the Summit to be rejuvenating and brought me back to the core values. A reality check and a reminder that we are all in it together.