Author | Amanda Dykstra, DVM, MPH, DABVP

Amanda Dykstra completed her veterinary degree at Iowa State University in 2003. During college, she served as a flight medic in the Army National Guard and volunteered at local animal shelters. After graduation, Amanda practiced in Missouri for many years as a shelter veterinarian and a city veterinarian before completing a Shelter Medicine Fellowship with UC Davis in 2013. While previously a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, she completed her MPH with a concentration in Veterinary Public Health and now works primarily as a shelter consultant and is the medical director for a nonprofit group working to improve access to care in Appalachia. She is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, specializing in shelter medicine practice. Amanda's husband is a middle school teacher, and they have 3 amazing daughters and 2 ornery dogs that keep them very busy.