Meet the 2026 Veterinary Heroes: Joanna Finstad, DVM, MS, DACVECC

Despite growing up loving animals and dreaming of veterinary school, Joanna Finstad, DVM, MS, DACVECC, nearly became a human doctor. During her undergraduate years, she pursued a premed track, took the MCAT, and prepared for a career in human medicine. However, after a position she had planned to take at a human hospital fell through, she accepted a role at a veterinary emergency and referral hospital, which led her back to veterinary medicine and sparked an interest in emergency and critical care.

Now a critical care specialist at Madison Veterinary Specialists in Wisconsin, she helped establish the state’s first dialysis treatment program for pets, bringing advanced treatment options to a region where they were previously unavailable.

When she learned she had been named a 2026 Veterinary Hero, Finstad said she was humbled by the recognition. The honor, she expressed, felt particularly meaningful after navigating challenges, including a diagnosis of cervical cancer while completing an extracorporeal fellowship as part of the inaugural class of the American College of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology.

On the biggest lesson she has learned, Finstad shared: “As humans, we are incredibly resilient, and I think [it’s important] knowing that we can get through hard things, taking it one day at a time, [and] looking at the positive.”

Congratulations to Finstad from dvm360! You can check out the rest of our 2026 recipients, and learn more about Finstad here.