VMCVM Alumni and Faculty Spotlight: Sierra Guynn
Sierra R. Guynn
Clinical Assistant Professor of Production Management Medicine
When did you join the veterinary college?
March 2012 faculty; 2002-2006 DVM alumni
The best part of being a faculty is?
The students — they challenge me to grow into a better veterinarian, educator, mentor, researcher, and person.
Best advice I've gotten...
Jodi Picoult wrote this in one of her books, "All you ever really had was yourself, and that sort of sucked if you were less than reliable.”
I took that and turned it into this piece of advice — be reliable for yourself.
My hidden talent...
Editing. Writing is a challenge for me and always has been, but editing ... I do well and reasonably fast.
A person who has inspired me...
Dr. K. Fred Gingrich - Executive Director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners
Dr. Gingrich is an accomplished food animal veterinarian and excellent educator as I have heard from those who have ridden with him. AABP is a group of highly proficient veterinarians, who also have strong personalities and varying experiences, and therefore strong but different opinions. However, he does such a great job advocating for bovine practitioners, wrangling us up, and trying to bring the best out in us as a group. And Dr. Gingrich does not shy away from hard conversations, and actively advocates for real solutions to many of the issues affecting our profession internally including lack of diversity, discrimination by colleagues, toxic work environments, inappropriate compensation, and lack of mentorship for new graduates. However, he manages to do it in a way that appears very calm and collected. I inspire to be that calm and collected and yet still effective in hard conversations.
One misconception that all students seem to have is?
That there is ONE right answer.
There is no right answer to anything. The goal is to learn the information, the skills, and the right tools. Then you can create the right answer for that patient, client, farm, or organization.
Words of encouragement to a current veterinary college student...
Veterinary school is hard, and to be honest I think it SHOULD be. Being a veterinarian is hard — it's very rewarding but definitely not easy from a physical, intellectual, or emotional point of view.
But every faculty and staff member in this building wants you to succeed in veterinary school AND as a veterinarian. Sometimes that means in school we will challenge you — to build up the physical, intellectual, and emotional resilience you need to be a happy and successful veterinarian. But remember, the challenges are not meant to trick or mislead you — I promise! We want you to succeed, so do not hesitate to reach out to faculty, ask questions in class or by email, or request a review session or further resources. We want to help you but only you know what you need.
If I had a superpower, it would be...
To be able to fully live in the moment.
A cause I'm most passionate about...
Is the critical role of veterinarians in food production.
For the animals that provide so much for society, it is our duty to care for them to the best of our ability for the span of their lives. Yes, they serve a purpose and I think it is an essential purpose, but we owe them a good life for that purpose.
For the producers, they deserve a veterinarian that advocates for them to earn a decent living because they provide society with many essentials. And they need a good teammate that works with them to provide the best care for the animals in a reasonable manner.
And for society, we help producers provide safe and nutritious food. But WE NEED to be a part of the difficult conversations between producers, processors, distributors, policy makers, government officials, and society to better align our US food animal systems to continue to provide safe and nutritious food that is affordable, environmentally conscious, and still allows for good animal welfare..
Top of my bucket list...
Traveling — everywhere! You would think that as I travel, eventually my list of places I want to go would get shorter, but every time I go somewhere I learn of 3 more places I want to go. .
My favorite quote...
"Not everyone likes me, but not everyone matters."
Anything else to add?
The only animal I know of that can operate a phone or an ATM is the human. And humans are fickle beasts. All those "soft skills" everyone talks about ... they are not soft — they are hard as heck in fact. But your whole life is going to be about people — people you love, people who love you, people you work for, people who work for you, people you care for, and people who care for you. So don't forget those people skills — they will serve you well in every aspect of your life.
