GUELPH, ON – January 22, 2018
LifeLearn, Inc. announced today that Dr. Debbie Stoewen DVM, MSW, RSW, PhD, has joined the company as Director of Veterinary Affairs.
Randy Valpy, president and CEO at LifeLearn, has been both a colleague and long-time admirer of Dr. Stoewen, a highly-respected speaker, educator and practitioner, and is very excited to welcome her to the LifeLearn team.
“Dr. Stoewen’s outstanding credentials as an academic, entrepreneur and facilitator is perfectly aligned with the products and services we offer under the LifeLearn veterinary ECOsystem. And she has the ideal expertise to help us in our ongoing mission to provide expert solutions in education, communication, and business optimization that advance animal health worldwide,” he said.
In her new role, Dr. Stoewen will be integral to LifeLearn’s renewed focus on continuing education (CE), developing curriculum to help veterinarians and their teams address the challenges of the modern veterinary practice.
With 25 years of practice experience, including as the founder and sole proprietor of a companion animal hospital, and a Masters of Social Work and a PhD which focused on veterinary communication, Dr. Stoewen is not only well-versed in the daily realities of veterinary practice, but adds to this an advanced understanding of personal well-being, interpersonal dynamics, and veterinary-client-patient communication, giving her a unique vantage point on the social aspects of practice.
Dr. Stoewen will lead within LifeLearn a CE program that she’s developed called The Social Side of Practice that LifeLearn will be making available to its clients. This, Valpy explains, is a fully accredited, evidence-based continuing education program for veterinarians and their teams. “Veterinary wellness, veterinary-client-patient communication, teamwork, organizational culture, and leadership are all topics she has covered in her career,” he said.
Mark Stephenson, DVM, Chief Veterinary Officer at LifeLearn, weighs in with more details of how Dr. Stoewen’s unique talents and expertise will advance the LifeLearn ECOsystem.
“Dr. Stoewen is not only a DVM with a strong practice background, but with her advanced education, she has clear expertise in the people part of veterinary medicine. This is important because although the animals are our patients, the people are our clients, staff and stakeholders and our ability to work and communicate with them makes or breaks our success in veterinary practice despite our passion and skill in medicine and surgery,” Stephenson said.
Dr. Stoewen, he said, will help with an expanded CE product offering in communications that will truly change the way the profession learns and uses information. “As an avid learner herself, she brings so much to the table that’s going to help us continue to keep our finger on the pulse of veterinary practice, including the pain points that we can help address with our evolving technology and digital solutions.”
Dr. Stoewen comes to LifeLearn from Pets Plus Us pet health insurance. “For me, it’s a gift to have the opportunity to continue my work in supporting veterinarians and their teams, and to give back to my profession,” says Stoewen.
About LifeLearn Animal Health
Founded in 1994, LifeLearn, Inc., is a Guelph-based technology company dedicated to helping animal health organizations realize the value of knowledge, by building and delivering solutions that advance animal health worldwide. LifeLearn’s Animal Health ECOsystem is a comprehensive suite of custom digital solutions designed to help veterinary teams and animal health companies in the areas of education, communication, and ultimately, optimization of their business.
For more information, please contact:
Rachel Powell, LifeLearn, Inc. [email protected] / 226-780-0732
