Kat Sutherland

Dr. Kat Sutherland is an educator and researcher specializing in veterinary professional–client–patient interactions and serves as an assistant professor at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). She earned her PhD in the Department of Population Medicine at OVC, where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship and previously held a faculty position at Colorado State University. Motivated by a deep commitment to improving the lives of animals and the people who care for them, Kat's research seeks to understand how communication and relationships in veterinary medicine can be enhanced. In her teaching, she is passionate about supporting student veterinarians and practicing veterinary professionals in developing their clinical communication and relationship-building skills during interactions with clients and colleagues.

Kat's research focuses on veterinary clinical communication. Her specific interests include nutrition- and weight-related communication in companion animal veterinary medicine; shared decision-making and the practice of contextualized care; and communication that supports client adherence to veterinary care recommendations. She uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies in her work to gain a deeper understanding of how veterinary communication can be optimized.

Kat welcomes inquiries from students interested in pursuing graduate research in veterinary communication. Prospective students are encouraged to email her with a brief introduction, a description of their research interests and a copy of their CV.

Find Kat's current list of publications on PubMed.