They have impressive careers, practise their profession with passion, and celebrate the human-animal bond, each in their own way. Every month, discover the story of a particularly inspiring woman. Meet Dr. Julia Montgomery, Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
Julia, where does your love for animals come from?
I’m originally from Europe, more specifically Hamburg. I grew up in Germany’s second-largest city, with a historian father and a mother who taught history and English. The only pet we had at home was a cat. Yet, from a very young age, I knew I wanted to work with animals. Given the environment I grew up in, that desire seemed to come out of nowhere.
Were your parents surprised by your love for animals?
Not really, since I talked about it all the time! (laughs) In fact, every Christmas, I would ask for the same gift: a real pony! Of course, having an animal that size in the city was impossible. But seeing how interested I was, my parents enrolled me in horseback riding lessons when I was 9 years old. Two years later, I decided I was going to become an equine veterinarian, and I never wavered from that goal. I studied veterinary medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany.
And how did you end up on this side of the ocean?
After graduating from veterinary school, I spent a year working in ambulatory equine practice in Germany. I quickly realized that whenever a case became really interesting, it had to be referred to a specialized clinic. I was curious about what happened next. I wanted to know how those health problems were resolved. That’s why I decided to pursue an internship.
Where did you go?
I applied to several universities. In the end, I chose to go to the United States, to Virginia Tech’s College of Veterinary Medicine. My original plan was to spend one year in the United States and then return to Germany to practise. But during my internship, I fell in love with internal medicine. So I decided to pursue a residency.
Still in Virginia?
No, I completed my residency in large animal internal medicine at the Atlantic Veterinary College, part of the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. That’s where I obtained my Canadian permanent residency and earned my PhD. I then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon.
Do you have a particularly memorable story from your career?
Of course. In Saskatoon, I was working on a rehabilitation program for horses with leg injuries. My team and I were looking for a system to support horses that couldn’t put weight on one of their legs. The idea came to me following a sad story. The famous racehorse Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby in 2006. In his next race, he broke his leg. He spent several weeks at the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary hospital, but he developed a severe inflammation of the hoof called laminitis and, unfortunately, had to be euthanized.
A sad story indeed!
Yes, but it’s what gave me the idea to contact an engineering firm that had developed a weight-support system for humans, to see whether something similar could be created for horses. A little side story: the engineer I was speaking with eventually became my husband! Ten years later, a lift designed to help horses with leg injuries was installed at the University of Pennsylvania.
To wrap things up, Julia, you’re now the dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in Ontario. So you’ve ended up in teaching, just like your parents!
Exactly. I used to joke that I was the black sheep of the family because I’d chosen veterinary medicine instead of teaching, but my family’s DNA eventually caught up with me! (laughs) It was during my internship that I first started working with students, and I loved the experience. I continued teaching during my residency and PhD. Since 2013, I have held various positions at three different universities. My passion for animals led me to become a veterinarian, but my passion for the people who care for animals led me to teaching!
