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VIN Foundation | Supporting veterinarians to cultivate a healthy animal community | prevet resources veterinary student resources veterinarian resources | Nonprofit free veterinary resources | Blog | Veterinary Pulse Podcast Episode 151 | Dr. Tony Bartels Dr. Rebecca Mears Veterinary Student Debt Education Latest Student Loan News

Dr. Tony Bartels and Dr. Rebecca Mears on the latest student loan extension and what you need to know now

Listen in as Executive Director Jordan benShea chats with student debt expert and Board Member Dr. Tony Bartels and the newest student debt team member Dr. Rebecca Mears in this next installment of our Student Debt Series.

In this episode we’re covering the following six topics:

  1. Latest news for current veterinary school students
  2. How to help 2023 grads prepare for repayment
  3. What pandemic grads, classes 2020, 2021 and 2022 should be doing
  4. Helpful information for all other borrowers
  5. The latest on the Student Debt Relief before the Supreme Court
  6. Recertification and the important dates to be aware of now

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.

 

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Tony Bartels
Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is a VIN Foundation Board Member and Student Debt Expert, and an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie.

 

Dr. Rebecca Mears

Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, where she completed her BS at University of Kentucky. She is a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. While in vet school, she served as the National Business Certificate Director for the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and as a board member for Vets for Pets and People. During this time she took an active role in wellbeing awareness and access within the veterinary community. Rebecca then worked as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found hiking, baking, and hosting impromptu dance parties. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students.

 

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

Email VIN Foundation: studentdebt@vinfoundation.org

Get updates to stay tuned for the VIN Foundation webinars on student debt.

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