Navigating Access to Care: Veterinarian Roles and Goals Inside and Outside the Shelter

Date & Time: Wednesday, February 18, 2026. 4-5 PM PST

Access to care looks different depending on where—and how—you practice. In this episode, we center the veterinarian’s role across settings inside the shelter and out, unpacking how veterinarians balance medical priorities and operational realities, while partnering with pet owners, community organizations, and other practitioners. We’ll explore the real-world impact of community clinics and high-volume surgery on shelter medicine—and how these services should shape access-to-care strategy moving forward.

Join your host Dr. Jenn Bennett with guests Dr. Charlotte Burns (Mendocino Animal Hospital) and Dr. Jean Goh (Animal Fix Clinic) for this episode of Shelter Med LIVE if you want to: 

• Get clear on our many roles and goals as vets when it comes to participating in shelter- and community-based care 
• Dig into how we’re redefining "gold standard" care through the access to care movement 
• Navigate multiple care goals with partners, and explain how working within your capacity for care allows you to have the most impact 
• Talk through what access to care means to veterinarians practicing on both sides of shelter doors, their role in pathway planning, and how the veterinarian’s ability to support animal care depends on the context. 

Send your biggest questions to sheltermedicine@ucdavis.edu in advance. 

This isn’t a lecture—it's a conversation for everyone who wants to talk shop on shelter medicine. Kick back and recharge with your colleagues in the middle of a long week! Can't make it live? Register to receive the recording and resources after the event, accessible through the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie! This event has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit by CAWA and NACA. 

Register Now!