Veterinary Heroes: Internal Medicine winner Caeley J. Melmed, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

dvm360^®, the No. 1 multimedia platform in the veterinary industry, announced the 8 winners of its inaugural Veterinary Heroes™ recognition program on November 16, 2021, including Caeley J. Melmed, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM). Inductees were honored during a celebratory gala at Fetch, a dvm360^® conference, on December 1, 2021, at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

The Veterinary Heroes™ program honors individuals who have achieved landmark successes within veterinary medicine. Veterinary leaders are nominated by their peers for their remarkable achievements in improving patient outcomes. A panel of distinguished judges from the dvm360^® Advisory Board chose 1 honoree in each category who has made a measurable difference.

The Veterinary Heroes^TM program is sponsored by Nationwide, Merck, Zoetis, Clevor®, Blue Buffalo, NorthStar VETS, and MedVet.

The winners of the 2021 Veterinary Heroes™ program are being featured in an 8-part series. Part 6 focuses on Internal Medicine winner Caeley J. Melmed, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM).

Melmed is the mobile consultations and referral partner liaison for MedVet Dallas, providing mobile consultation and ultrasound services for veterinarians in her region. She both attended veterinary school and completed her residency at Texas A&M University, and served her internship at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Melmed later worked as an associate internist and helped form the Veterinary Medicine Specialists practice, which merged with MedVet Specialty and Emergency in 2017.

Melmed said she comes from a long line of doctors in her family, and some of her earliest memories involved her tagging along with her father as he tended to after-hours emergencies at the hospital. “When my first (and only) spay took 3 hours, it became immediately clear that the surgical abilities in my family lineage stopped with me,” she said. “Thankfully, my other skills…pave the way to becoming an internist.”

According to her award nominator, Melmed is not only a talented veterinary internist and clinician, but also a kind and compassionate care provider. A referral internist, Melmed performs mobile ultrasound evaluations for a community of veterinarians. Her approach to assisting veterinary professionals with diagnosis and treatment plans in their private practices is thoughtful, according to the nominator.

“We tend to think of veterinary medicine as an intellectual and educational pursuit and certainly that is the foundation. But so much of what we do is based on subtle observations and a good sense of instinct,” said Melmed.

Melmed lives with her husband and children on a farm with 40 animals. In addition to caring for animals, she enjoys backpacking around the world, including the rainforests of Nicaragua and camping in Jordan. “My mission is to lower the bar during our travels so that we are all, once again, appreciative of [modern conveniences],” she said.