Candidate Support

Your primary point of contact during your Board-Certification Journey will be your ACVIM Staff Liaison, the Certification and Accreditation Specialist for your specialty.

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Who to contact on the Certification & Accreditation Team

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Nicole Finn Senior Director of Certification and Accredidation
Nicole Finn
Senior Director of Certification and Accreditation
Email Nicole regarding: Candidacy, Exam, Credentials & RTP Issues or Concerns
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Annie Swan Senior Manager, Certification and Accredidation Program
Annie Swan
Senior Manager, Certification and Accreditation Program
Email Annie regarding: Candidacy, Exam, Credentials & RTP Issues or Concerns
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Finn Ruehrdanz Senior Certification and Accredidation Specialist
Finn Ruehrdanz
Senior Certification and Accreditation Specialist
Email Finn regarding: Residency Training Programs, General Exam, Maintenance of Credentials
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Adam Lanier Certification and Accredidation Specialist
Adam Lanier
Certification and Accreditation Specialist
Email Adam regarding: Cardiology Specialty Exam & Credentials, LAIM Specialty Exam & Credentials, SAIM Specialty Exam & Credentials
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Sarah Zimmer Certification and Accreditation Specialist
Sarah Zimmer
Certification and Accreditation Specialist
Email Sarah regarding: Neurology Specialty Exam & Credentials, Nutrition Specialty Exam & Credentials, Oncology Specialty Exam & Credentials, Neurosurgery Certificate of Training
ACVIM Ombuds

The purpose of the ACVIM Ombudsperson is to serve as a neutral, independent and impartial resource for residents in training, or post residency Candidates actively pursuing Board-certification, to provide guidance in resolving concerns, conflicts, or complaints in a confidential and informal manner. These concerns may be regarding a Residency Training Program (RTP) and/or training officer (i.e., Program Director, Resident Advisor or Supervising Diplomate) or with the ACVIM Board-certification process (i.e., change in status, communications with the Central Office).

While we sincerely hope these services will rarely be needed, we feel assured that we have made a positive step in ensuring that our residents and Candidates are receiving the support they deserve from the ACVIM during their training and candidacy period. This is an important step in guaranteeing a bright future for our specialty.

Ombudsperson for Cardiology
Dr. Sandra Tou
Ombudspersons for LAIM
Drs. Corinne Sweeney and Keith Poulsen
Ombudsperson for Neurology
Dr. Gregg Kortz
Ombudsperson for Nutrition
Dr. Claudia Kirk
Ombudsperson for Oncology
Dr. Ruthanne Chun
Ombudspersons for SAIM
Drs. Andrew Bugbee and Katie McGonigle

Please Note:

Ombuds are not trained mental health professionals. If you are in need of mental health support, the following resources are available:

  • MYgroup: The ACVIM partners with MYgroup to provide free assessment & counseling services available to ACVIM Candidates and Diplomates. Information on accessing this service is available here.
  • 988 Lifeline: If you or someone you know is experiencing a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to talk with a caring, trained counselor.

Certification Council

The Certification Council oversees all things related to the Certification Programs of ACVIM and is responsible for the decisions relevant to the core aspects of Certification Programs. The Certification Council works independently of the Board of Regents to ensure autonomy in certification-related decisions.

For issues of concern regarding your affiliation with ACVIM

Cardiology: Dr. Darcy Adin, Certification Council Cardiology Representative

adind@ufl.edu 

LAIM: Dr. Kate Echeverria, Certification Council LAIM Representative

KEequinevet@gmail.com

Neurology: Dr. Karen Munana, Certification Council Neurology Representative 

krmunana@ncsu.edu

Nutrition: Dr. Chih-Fan Chiang, Certification Council Nutrition Representative

chiang.jcf@gmail.com

Oncology: Dr. Christopher Fulkerson, Certification Council Oncology Representative

cfulkers@purdue.edu

SAIM: Dr. Linda Matthewman, Certification Council SAIM Representative

lmatthewman@rvc.ac.uk

Dr. Raelene Wouda, ACVIM Certification Liaison

CertificationLiaison@ACVIM.org