In some parts of upstate New York, finding a general veterinary practitioner can be tough. Longtime dog lover Judith Felsten, a resident of the Capital Region, experienced this firsthand with her primary care practice, Parkside Veterinary Hospital. When veterinarians on staff left the practice, there were no new candidates to replace them. “The hospital had to stop taking new patients,” Felsten said. 

Felsten had been a devoted client of Parkside for years, taking her beloved English cocker spaniels to see Richard DeVries, D.V.M.’79, who established the hospital with his wife, Dr. Nina Caires. “Dr. DeVries is the one who introduced me to English cockers,” Felsten says, who continued to bring her pets to Parkside even when she moved 30 minutes away from the practice. Her loyalty remained steadfast even through major shifts such as DeVries’ retirement and the COVID-19 pandemic. “The staff has maintained a high standard of care through many transitions,” says Felsten.

“Judy has been a client here forever,” says Alyce Meyer ’92, D.V.M. ’96, chief of staff at Parkside. “She’s a wonderful pet owner, very proactive with her pets. And she has seen how hard it is for us to recruit a doctor to our Albany practice,” which had dwindled from half a dozen clinicians to two.

Then, Felsten received an unexpectedly large inheritance. As a retired librarian, she suddenly had the means to make a significant difference to the causes she cared about. “I was unaccustomed to having these kinds of resources,” says Felsten. “Parkside’s situation struck me as one that needed support.”

Meyer and Caires suggested that Felsten create a D.V.M. scholarship at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “Judy called me and we agreed that there is a growing shortage of general practitioners,” says Meyer. Together, they talked about how encouraging more new veterinarians to enter primary care, ideally in New York State, could be an important step in addressing the problem.

Thus, Felsten has established the Parkside Veterinary Hospital Scholarship to both honor her longtime primary care provider and to make the road to becoming a general practitioner more doable for more graduates. “Your general practice is where you go first, where you have your relationships, where you and your animal are known. They’re the ones with the background and intuition to know what to consider for your animal, and that’s really crucial,” Felsten says. Eligible recipients will be fourth-year D.V.M. students who have demonstrated an interest in pursuing primary care, with the hope that they pursue that route after graduation. “I want this scholarship to reduce a new veterinarian’s debt load, so it’s easier for them to choose primary practice,” Felsten says.

Meyer hopes the scholarship will inspire new veterinarians to follow her path. “I always thought general practice was the frontline,” she says. “You get to be an all-around advocate for animals. It’s exciting, and it’s very fulfilling.”

Written by Lauren Cahoon Roberts