Board Certification in Shelter Medicine Practice is the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners’ (ABVP) newest recognized veterinary specialty.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has an approved Shelter Medicine Residency Program with three current residents. The objective of an ABVP approved residency is to promote expertise and proficiency in a recognized veterinary specialty by providing instruction and guidance through a structured residency program. Our Shelter Medicine Residency is a three-year training program, resulting in a high level of training in shelter medicine and the ability to meet ABVP requirements for board certification in Shelter Medicine Practice.
University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program is a proud recipient of funding for our residency program from Maddie’s Fund®, helping to achieve a no-kill nation #ThanksToMaddie.
Former Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Residents
Dr. Brenda Dines
Dr. Brenda Dines grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana for her Bachelor’s in Animal Science and also for her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, graduating from veterinary school in 2015. After graduation Dr. Dines pursued a career as a shelter veterinarian in Northwest Indiana. It was here that she first got to know the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program, who helped her work through a flu outbreak. She started her residency in August 2016 and her interests include infectious disease management, community outreach, behavior in shelter settings and capacity/animal flow through shelters. When not working she spends her time with her boyfriend, family and friends, as well as her herd of adopted animals.
Dr. Alexandre Ellis
Dr. Ellis grew up in Montreal, Canada, where he completed his DVM at the University of Montreal in Saint-Hyacinthe in 2016. After graduating, he took a small animal rotating internship in private practice for one year before moving to Wisconsin and joining the team in July 2017. His professional interests include behavior in a shelter setting, community cat management and especially teaching. In his free time, he is an avid hockey and football fan. He is lucky to share his apartment with his cats who have followed him everywhere throughout the years.
Dr. Rebecca Stuntebeck
Our former Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Resident Dr. Stuntebeck attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2013. She completed an internship in Madison based at Dane County Humane Society after which she split her time between working as the first veterinarian of a small private shelter in Janesville, Wisconsin (Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin), and in a research assistant position with the new University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program led by Dr. Sandra Newbury. She began her residency with UW Shelter Medicine Program in July 2015 and completed it in July 2018. We are proud to announce that she is now officially an ABVP board certified Shelter Medicine Specialist! Dr. Stuntebeck still works closely with us as the Chief Veterinarian at our partner shelter Dane County Humane Society. Her professional interests include shelter data analysis, infectious disease management, the socioeconomic relationships between shelters and community pets and their parents, shelter population management, community cat programs, and teaching.