For their achievements in scholarship and clinical practice, two College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members have been inducted into the University of Minnesota Academies of Excellence

This honor recognizes outstanding faculty in the areas of scientific research, educational scholarship, clinical practice, and team science.

Erin Burton, senior associate dean of academic and student affairs, and Kelly Tart, professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, were announced as part of the 2026 cohort of inductees, which includes faculty from across the University’s Health Sciences schools. 

Burton was inducted into the Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, which recognizes faculty who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly contributions to advance learning in their schools and across academic programs in the University of Minnesota.

Burton has served in her current role since 2022, first joining CVM in 2015 as a pathology instructor and then holding assistant and associate professorships in the Department of Clinical Sciences. She is a nationally recognized expert in the Competency-Based Veterinary Education model. 

Tart was inducted into the Academy for Excellence in Clinical Practice, which serves as the highest recognition of excellence in the practice or provision of clinical care by a full-time faculty member. Those selected will have demonstrated their ability to deliver the highest level of clinical care, and/or developed and implemented an important innovation for clinical care delivery with proven efficacy using appropriate metrics as further defined by their college or school. 

Tart has been a longtime leader in the Veterinary Medical Center. Nearly three decades ago, she started the center’s current Emergency and Critical Care Service, which has since grown into one of the largest receiving services. During that time, she has trained many ECC residents and specialty interns, along with 150+ rotating interns.