VCA Animal Hospitals Names New Chief Medical Officer

VCA Animal Hospitals announced the appointment of Marie Kerl as its new Chief Medical Officer effective immediately. Kerl, a nationally recognized professional is now joining VCA’s senior leadership team in Los Angeles.

“Dr. Kerl brings a wealth of education and experience to her new position, a critical role for VCA as she leads the medical teams and represents the organization within the veterinary profession and Mars Veterinary Health,” said Todd Lavender, DVM, President, VCA Animal Hospitals and Petcare Services. “She joined our VCA family in 2017 as Regional Medical Director and then later moved into a combined Regional Medical Director/Regional Operations Director role, prior to her most recent leadership promotion.”

She has more than 25 years of experience as Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, with a specialty in Small Animal Internal Medicine. In 2001, became a Diplomate of the American College of Emergency and Critical Care.

In 1999, Kerl transitioned into the academic world and held teaching roles as a professor at the University of Missouri where she completed the Master of Public Health degree in 2010. Her duties as Associate Teaching Professor include practicing emergency/critical care and internal medicine while instructing professional degree students, interns and residents. Kerl received the Norden Distinguished Teaching Award.

She received her Bachelor of Science and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Auburn University. Later, she earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Missouri. Kerl began her career as an Associate Veterinarian in Columbus, Georgia and then progressed through her internship and residency programs at The Bobst Hospital of The Animal Medical Center in New York. She is also active in veterinary disaster response as a member of the AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, the National Veterinary Response Team and the Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps.

Todd Tams, VCA Chief Medical Officer for more than 30 years, will work with Kerl during the coming weeks as he finalizes the transition from his position at VCA to serve as Chief Medical Affairs of Mars Veterinary Health for External Affairs.