Title: Small Animal Criticalist
Company: Auburn University
Location: Auburn, Alabama, United States
Katherine Gerken, Small Animal Criticalist at Auburn University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Health Care Providers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in veterinary science.
Since her youth, Dr. Gerken has desired to become a veterinarian, as she knew she always wanted to take on the medical field. In high school, she pondered the idea of working with marine mammals until she was granted the opportunity to work in small animal clinics, finding her true passion. Dr. Gerken earned a Bachelor of Science in zoology with a pre-veterinary concentration from Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics in 2010 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. Later, she achieved a Master of Arts in veterinary comparative sciences from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.
Backed by nearly 15 years of professional experience, Dr. Gerken has excelled as an assistant clinical professor at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine since 2018, as well as a small animal emergency and critical care service chief and program director at the Auburn University Bailey Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital since 2019. Finding her career niche in emergency medicine and the strategy of working in critical care, she completed a small animal student residency at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, a small animal rotating internship at Mississippi State University in 2015, and an emergency/critical care residency at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.
In the earlier years of her career, Dr. Gerken was a veterinary assistant at the East University Veterinary Hospital from 2009 to 2012, as well as an office assistant and tour guide for Academic Affairs of Auburn University from 2010 to 2013. She also worked in a nursery/preschool at Church of the Highlands-Auburn from 2009 to 2013 and was a veterinary preceptor at the Rehm Animal Clinic in 2014. Board-certified since 2019, Dr. Gerken is a cat-friendly veterinarian and also studied at the University of California, Davis Hemodialysis Academy from 2016 to 2018.
To remain abreast of her industry, Dr. Gerken maintains affiliation with the American Veteran Medical Association, American Feline Practitioners Association, American Emergency and Critical Care Society, and the Association of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine. In recognition of her commitment to her work, Dr. Gerken has been presented with a Hospital Service Award, the SCAVMA Outstanding Teacher Award for Residents, a Resident of the Year Award, and was a finalist for Clinician Of The Year. Dr. Gerken attributes the success of her career to a good support system with friends and family, along with having a good work ethic. Looking ahead, she aims to continue providing veterinary education and helping animals of all kinds.
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