The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has named Dr. Erin Burton as its next senior associate dean for academic and student affairs.

In this role, Burton will provide strategic leadership and coordination of the DVM program and oversight of the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (ASA), to include admissions, student affairs and wellbeing, curriculum, educational policies, and outcomes assessment. She will work closely with other academic leaders and will report directly to CVM Dean Dr. Laura Molgaard, who served as the previous dean for academic and student affairs. Burton credits Molgaard for sparking her interest in pursuing the position. 

"She provided me with opportunities to see the positive impacts that this role can have on veterinary college culture and experience for all. This includes students, faculty, staff, and the communities we serve," Burton says.

Bringing a depth of experience to the position, Burton is an award-winning educator and course coordinator and a nationally recognized expert in Competency-Based Veterinary Education Model (CBVE), particularly in her work with Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) to improve coaching feedback. The model helps learners grow in skills that are expected of a day-one graduate (e.g. physical exam, basic anesthesia and surgical skills, preventative medicine, etc.) as a type of workplace-based assessment tool. 

"When Dr. Molgaard transitioned to interim dean, I took over this as the project lead for the college," Burton says. "During this time, with the help of members of ASA and Office of Health Science Technology, we developed a dashboard that transforms the feedback form data into meaningful longitudinal visual data for students, house officers, veterinary assistants and nurses, and clinicians to review."

Burton has been asked to speak at the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Annual Meeting, American College of Veterinary Pathologists Annual Meeting, and to several veterinary schools and regional educational interest groups about this assessment tool. She also is a member of the AAVMC's CBVE Catalyze working group, engaged in the creation of faculty development resources. 

Burton joined CVM in 2015 as a pathology instructor and became an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences in 2016. She has served as an associate professor for the department since the summer of 2021. 

"When I arrived at the UMN, I took as many opportunities as I could to align myself with fostering the mental health and wellness of our students, creating a fun and inclusive classroom, and gaining a better understanding of the university and college policies to uphold the integrity and support our students," Burton says. 

She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Arizona State University, a master of science in biomedical sciences from the University of Missouri, and a DVM from Ross University. Burton is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Clinical Pathology. 

Burton's research is focused on providing collaborative support in the fields of clinical pathology, cytology, canine microbiome, and companion animal hemoparasitic disease.