Karyn Havas

Dr. Karyn Havas, DVM, Ph.D., MS, DACVPM has not one, but two, impressive career titles. In addition to being the Director of Transboundary Disease Research at Pipestone Research she is also a Senior Research Associate with the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University. A veteran of the US Army who was deployed in Iraq, Karyn also previously served as the USDA/APHIS Diagnostic Services Section Head, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Plum Island. Karyn loves working on a team of people united in a common goal where everyone brings their individual skills and talents. We really appreciated Karen’s honest reflections on the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Veterinary School & Year Graduated: Cornell University, 2005

Additional Degrees: Ph.D., Veterinary Epidemiology, Colorado State University, 2011

MS, Applied Economics, Purdue University, 2018

Questions and Answers

Tell me about your most challenging and rewarding veterinary jobs or work experiences.
My most rewarding job was working at Plum Island, however it was not a long-term position and the fast pace could be very stressful at times. I also liked working at the Foreign Animal DIsease (FAD) Diagnostic Laboratory because of the very tangible goal of providing mostly yes/no answers to ranchers. The work I do now is very interdisciplinary and I get to collaborate with many different professions and experts which can be very challenging yet also rewarding. Ultimately the people dynamics and the environment is what makes it a really rewarding experience. My work with the Navy was also really rewarding, specifically my involvement in changing their approach to supporting medical programs in other countries. I helped shift the focus from providing the care ourselves to supporting existing local health care providers. We [the veterinarians], introduced a model for supporting local clinicians by identifying a local problem and seeing if we had resources or expertise that could help them reach their end goal. We also created educational training programs for international veterinary services which were able to create long lasting effects. My first time working abroad, studying brucellosis in the country of Georgia, was also very rewarding in terms of personal growth through forming new connections and gaining independence. Gaining cultural awareness was also a very rewarding part of working abroad for my PhD. The biggest challenges I have in working in academia are the individuality and working alone aspects.
What did you love about the position or experience?
I love working on teams towards a goal. The Army was a great entry point for me because everyone brings something to the table and contributes in any way needed. I really loved my time with the Army and also my FAD job. I also really enjoy my work in the industry sphere because of the opportunity for teamwork and ability to excel in certain skill sets.
Tell me about your journey to get to that point in your life.
I was the stereotypical vet student who had always wanted to be a vet. I went to Cornell for vet school and was interested in emergency medicine or oncology until my elective in Foreign Animal Diseases. There was one particular presentation on Rift Valley Fever and it brought on this realization of how interdisciplinary infectious diseases can be. I love when things are diverse and I loved learning about how politics and weather and climate and vectors and trade are all wrapped up in this crazy zoonotic disease. That was my first real view of infectious diseases as anything beyond something you look at at a lab bench. The professor of that class recommended reaching out to different people and applying for internships and advocating for myself. I got an internship at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) during the H1N1 outbreak. My project from that internship didn't go anywhere but it did confirm my interest in epidemiology. From there I decided to do a PhD in epidemiology following my Army commitment. I completed my PhD while I was still enlisted in the Army through their Long Term Education and Training Program.

My PhD focused on brucellosis and I got to incorporate anthropology and sociology and I actually fell in love with statistics. Following my medical retirement from the Army, I moved on to the FAD Diagnostic Lab under their Diagnostic Services Section where I worked with people from all over the world including Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Uganda, and Kenya. Many of the people I worked with were trained at excellent universities all over the world and the biggest gap was the availability of resources to do what they needed to do [in their country]. Later I was asked to apply for a job at Cornell’s public health program and went on to help develop their MPH program. After that Pipestone reached out and offered a job.
As a veterinary student, did you ever imagine yourself taking this journey and having these professional experiences?
Not really, I only imagined being in the Army for several decades and then getting a Ph.D. I didn’t imagine all of these other parts of my journey.
In retrospect, what do you wish you’d known as a veterinary student or early in your career?
I wish I knew the importance of writing skills and work-life balance and just understanding that vet med is not your whole life. I think we've [veterinarians] let the work-life balance slide so far and for me personally, I thought my career was more important than other things for a long time. If anything, I think that was one of the most detrimental things I’ve done. I'm glad I've kind of reset. I think we need more honest conversations with young professionals to not forget that your professional life is just part of your whole life, it’s not your whole life, and make sure to make room for yourself too.
Would you have changed anything about your time in veterinary school?
I wouldn't have changed anything but I might have benefitted from tracking. I wish that there were more options for that back then. I also think that vet students won't learn everything in vet school and they will need to seek out other resources and training for different skills.
Would you have changed anything about your career path since graduating?
I am very happy with my journey but I wish I had more work-life balance.
Did you have any mentors or role models along the way that helped or inspired you? Please provide an example of how they helped you or what qualities they had that made them a good mentor? How did you find them?
I think really good mentors never tell you what to do. They sometimes point out your strengths and sometimes they point out your weaknesses or areas of growth and they make suggestions about different avenues. A good mentor really helps you discover yourself professionally and I think that's the best characteristic.
Tell me about any pivotal moments or key turning points that shaped your career.
The major turning point in my career was when I was pointed in the direction of the Plum Island FAD job by a mentor. Also taking the FAD elective was also a major turning point.
Tell me about one or two challenges, setbacks, or obstacles that you faced along the way on your professional journey. How did you address those?
The biosurveillance jobs I had were the same everyday and not very exciting. It could have been valuable over time but it was not for me. I still got a lot out of these jobs and I think it was important to learn how that system works but feeling bored was a challenge.
What are the most important lessons you learned as a veterinarian, and still remember today, and would want to tell vet students about?
It's a privilege to be a guest, work with people on a team, and learn what that community or team needs to succeed. Sometimes you're just bringing resources and those resources are sometimes money. I think it's important for people to be humble in their approach. Sometimes you're not the best suited, you just have the resources. Be prepared to listen and to learn and grow and not think that just because you have the funds in your pocket that you're in charge. Also, work life balance is so important and your dream job might not look like what you expected. One thing is never going to make you completely happy. You've got to find a balance for your life and the perfect job won't provide everything. Follow your own interest, follow your own heart, follow your own path and you'll go where you want to be.
What’s been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
I don’t really have one big accomplishment, instead, I like to consider my wins for the day as my biggest highlight.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell me that you think would be helpful or relevant to veterinary students or early-career veterinarians
When working abroad I think it’s important to learn the language. I found I've had more luck building relationships by trying and showing it's important to me. Also when looking for jobs, don't just look for vet jobs. Your veterinary degree is versatile, so the only one who can limit what your veterinary degree can do for you is you. This might require further education but a veterinary career can be so much more than clinical medicine. If you're interested in public health, look for public health jobs. If you're interested in conservation, look for conservation jobs.