Dr. Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, takes the mic to bust a myth that haunts way too many vets: that a board complaint is career-ending doom. (Spoiler: it’s not.) In this honest, eye-opening conversation, Dana, Chief Veterinary Officer at NAVC and exotic animal surgeon extraordinaire shares her personal experience with a board complaint, how it impacted her emotionally, and what she learned from it. Andy and Dana tackle the anxiety, stigma, and fear that swirl around board complaints. They talk about the emotional toll, the waiting game, and that wild moment when you wonder, am I the bad guy? Most importantly, Dana shares what helped her cope, grow, and come out stronger and still loving veterinary medicine. Gang, let’s get into this episode!

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Dana Varble received her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois in 2003 andearned her Certified Association Executive designation from ASAE in 2021. She has practiced clinical medicine in exotic pet, small animal general practice, and emergency medicine and serves as an associate veterinarian for Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital.

She has spoken locally, nationally, and internationally on herpetological and exotic animal medicine and the state of the veterinary profession. She served as the president of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians in 2013 and presently works as the managing editor of the Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery for ARAV. In 2015, she joined NAVC and in January 2020, she was named Chief Veterinary Officer.

As an NAVC spokesperson and a veterinary industry expert, she promotes animal health and the veterinary profession through media interviews and appearances including CNN, NBC News, local media outlets, and others including regular appearances on WGN radio on the Lisa Dent Show. She is the author of Today’s Veterinary Practice column, “The Secret Life of Vets.”

She shares her home with a Leonberger named Kodi, a Mastiff mix named Denali, a tank of cichlids, four ball pythons, a New Caledonian Giant Gecko, and her human family.