Dr Mike McFarland is Chief Medical Officer at Zoetis, a Platinum Partner of the WSAVA
He introduces himself and Zoetis, whose purpose is to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals
Dr Mike McFarland
Could you introduce yourself to WSAVA members?
I’ve been a veterinarian in the US for over 35 years and, in my role at Zoetis, I enjoy meeting and speaking with veterinary professionals all over the world to understand our common challenges and interests.
Could you briefly summarize your career?
I earned my undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University and my DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. I am board certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. I believe I entered the veterinary profession at the perfect time, in terms of veterinary medicine modernization, and I’ve been fortunate to be in the front row for some exciting innovations.
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Following 15 years of clinical practice, including 5 years as the Medical Director for one of the country’s first after-hours emergency practices in Dallas, Texas, I was recruited by Pfizer Animal Health, later Zoetis, to join the technical service team for the US companion animal business. As a veterinarian, especially one who has worked in emergency services, I am especially passionate about pain management for animals.
I joined Pfizer Animal Health in 2000 as an Area Veterinarian in Texas, and over the next few years, I established our U.S. Veterinary Specialty Team and saw first-hand how education is critical to improve the standard of care for our patients. In 2010, I served as the Group Director for US Veterinary Medical Services. While in this role, we established the multi-million-dollar Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Award. Later in my career, I had the opportunity to flex my creative and marketing muscles as Head of US Petcare Marketing during a four-year period of key product launches and growth.
I also serve on the board of directors for American Humane and am also proud to be one of the Founders, and President of the board of trustees, for the Human Animal Bond Research Institute. In 2012, it was an honor for me to be recognized as an Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University and, in 2016, to receive the National Humanitarian Medal from American Humane.
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What does your role as Chief Medical Officer at Zoetis involve?
As our global Chief Medical Officer, I serve as a key “face and voice” to our customers – veterinary professionals, pet owners, and livestock farmers – around the world. Through these interactions, I also look for opportunities to share ideas and insights from our customers back to my colleagues or through the veterinary industry.
In leading our global medical strategy, I collaborate with veterinary professionals who are on the ground in more than 50 countries – this is especially important when we introduce new products or services. As a veterinarian and former clinician, I’m dedicated to serving the needs of our customers and their respective patients. It’s very important to me that we provide relevant insights on new product innovations for pet owners and veterinarians around world that raise the standard of care. This is how our veterinary teams live our purpose!
I also represent Zoetis in major veterinary organizations around the world, particularly on issues such as the human-animal bond, “one health,” food safety, responsible antibiotic use, and cultural status of animals. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to get more involved in WSAVA and engage with other veterinary professionals to raise the standard of care. Advancing animal welfare through the human-animal bond and improving the management of pain and disease will be key areas of focus.
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What did you enjoy most about your career in practice? Emergency Medicine seems to have been quite a focus?
Yes, I loved the diversity of skills required to be an effective emergency clinician. The intense patient volume and complexity of the cases required strong surgical, medical and diagnostic skills in addition to being an effective communicator in times of severe stress for my clients. Also, it was rewarding to lead teams of highly trained professionals dedicated to providing gold standard patient care and support.
What prompted your move into industry with Pfizer Animal Health (now Zoetis)?
After 15 years of constantly working nights, weekends and holidays to treat animal emergencies, I realized it would be difficult to balance work with life and my evolving role as a husband and parent. I received a call from a recruiter to discuss an opportunity at Pfizer Animal Health and, after meeting veterinary leaders at Pfizer, I realized I could have the opportunity to expand my impact on patient care while still providing for my family. Moving to industry was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I believe it’s allowed me to have an even greater positive impact on animals and the people who love and care for them.
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You are President of the Board of Trustees of HABRI. Why do you believe its work is so important?
The human-animal bond drives everything that we’re about as a veterinary profession. Whether it’s enhancing or restoring the bond between pets and the people who love them or fostering greater awareness of how livestock farmers and veterinarians care for the animals that help nourish us.
My interest in human-animal bond research began nearly 20 years ago as I observed how service dogs and other support animals were used to improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities or chronic medical/psychological conditions. As a former clinician, I saw many times how the bond between pets and people could be strong and mutually beneficial. However, now we have mounting clinical evidence that the benefits of this bond can be measured and enhanced. I’ve now spent years studying the human-animal bond and how valuable our pets can be in improving mental health and wellbeing. This has been especially relevant as we continue through the pandemic. The comfort and companionship we receive from our pets is more valuable than ever.
You’re also a board member for American Humane. Could you tell us a little about its work and why you were keen to be involved?
American Humane is among the oldest animal welfare organizations in the world, and they have been leaders in driving improvement in the wellbeing of food-producing animals by working WITH the industry and producers rather than in opposition.
American Humane has also been a critically important partner with us in helping US veterinarians in the aftermath of natural disasters including hurricanes, tornados and brush fires.
In collaboration with HABRI and other industry leaders, American Humane has helped drive changes in policy that have improved access to service animals for those in need, such as military veterans suffering from PTSD.
As a Platinum Partner, Zoetis is a strong supporter of the WSAVA. How do you see the relationship and how would you like it to develop?
One of my lifelong goals is to do my part to advance the standard of care in our profession. This is where WSAVA and Zoetis are very closely aligned. Zoetis has been laser-focused on innovations that lead to significant advancement in the standard of care. We are also committed to education on a global scale that can improve the consistency and effectiveness of clinical interventions. WSAVA and Zoetis are a powerful partnership as we leverage our respective scale and influence around the world to improve patient outcomes and animal welfare. This opportunity is especially important at a time when the role of One Health is more relevant that ever during a global pandemic.
What do you do outside of work to relax?
My family and I love the outdoors and surrounding ourselves with nature. So, most of our vacations and weekends involve lots of hiking, exploring and observing wildlife. We visit national parks every year, and I have an emerging interest in photography. I’d like to be an amateur wildlife photographer someday when I have more spare time.
