Speaking

Dr. Kelly Cairns is a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist and nationally recognized speaker on veterinary education, leadership, professional wellbeing and clinical medicine. She speaks at conferences, colleges of veterinary medicine, veterinary hospitals and industry events. Her audiences include veterinarians, technicians, students and leaders across the profession. Every talk is built around the audience in the room.

Speaking areas

Veterinary education

How veterinary professionals are trained and developed, from first-year student to experienced clinician: curriculum design, competency-based education, clinical reasoning and the transition to practice.

  • Reimagining Veterinary Education: An Integrated Model
  • From Blueprint to Classroom: Practical Lessons in Veterinary Curriculum Development and Implementation

Leadership, mentorship and medical excellence

Building the people, systems and culture behind high-quality veterinary care, in single hospitals and across national networks.

  • Effective Mentorship: Core Principles for All Practice Settings
  • Getting Buy-In, in the Exam Room and Beyond

Purpose and professional wellbeing

Sustaining passion, purpose and resilience in a demanding profession, for individuals and teams.

  • Rekindling the Spark: Sustaining Passion and Purpose from the Heart
  • Lessons From My Tech Teachers

Small animal internal medicine

Practical, case-based continuing education, from single lectures to full-day programs.

  • Demystifying Feline Liver Disease
  • Canine and Feline Chronic Enteropathy
  • Addison's Disease: When to Look and How to Act
  • Chronic Kidney Disease: A Fresh Look at an Old Disease

Other popular topics include the icteric cat, canine chronic hepatitis, Cushing's disease, polyarthritis, pancreatitis, triaditis, cardiorenal syndrome, platelet disorders and steroids in the cardiac patient. Ask about any topic not listed here.

Formats

  • Keynotes and 1-hour CE lectures, in person or virtual
  • Multi-hour CE programs, from 2 hours to a full educational day
  • Dinner programs and lunch-and-learns
  • Association, academic and industry-sponsored continuing education

Tailored to your audience

These are starting points, not a fixed menu. Dr. Cairns adapts existing talks and develops new educational content to fit your audience, goals and format.

Selected engagements

  • 2026 · Michigan Veterinary Medical Association: six-hour gastroenterology CE program
  • 2026 · ACVIM Forum: “Effective Mentorship: Core Principles for All Practice Settings” (co-presenter)
  • 2026 · AAVMC Catalyze: “Reimagining Veterinary Education: An Integrated Model: Connected Systems, Shared Stewardship”
  • 2026 · FelineVMA Spring into Feline Medicine: “Demystifying Feline Liver Disease”
  • 2025 · Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association: internal medicine program on canine chronic hepatitis, chronic kidney disease, Cushing's disease, the icteric cat and polyarthritis
  • 2023 · VCA Canada Annual Regional Conferences: sole keynote speaker, “Rekindling the Spark”
  • 2023 · ACVIM Forum: “Reimagining Veterinary Education: An Integrated Model”
  • 2022 · Viticus Group Annual Veterinary Technician Symposium: keynote, “Lessons From My Tech Teachers”
  • 2022 · ACVIM Forum Leadership Luncheon: “Getting Buy-In”
  • 2021–present · Fetch dvm360 conferences: internal medicine and leadership
  • 2021 · Fetch dvm360 San Diego: keynote, “Rekindling the Spark”
  • 2019 · ACVIM Forum: “Lunch with the Expert: Cardiac Conundrum”

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