of the Year.
When a deadly tornado nearly wiped out the Kansas town of Greensburg in May 2007, homeless and injured animals there had a friend looking out for them: veterinarian Christen Skaer ’93.
Skaer headed a team of volunteers that rounded up strays, provided the animals with food, water and medical care and, when possible, reunited them with their families as part of a Kansas Statewide Animal Response Team effort.
Since then, the Wichita-based veterinarian has provided animal-rescue training classes statewide.
In recognition of her work, she has been named Veterinarian of the Year by the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association.
She is an unusual choice for the 720-member organization. She is the first woman to receive the designation in more than 12 years, and, at 39, is the youngest person to be bestowed the award in KVMA’s history. “It’s quite an honor,” she says. At Wichita State, Skaer was a general studies student. She says she enjoyed being exposed to a wide range of topics and academic experiences: “It was wonderful for me at the time. I got to know a bit about almost everything.”
Today, Skaer is simply pleased to be a veterinarian, which she views as an “honor” unto itself. “All our efforts,” she says “are to make the animals we see better.”
