Meet Carolyn

Co-Founder of AkoVet

I help people have better conversations about animals.

My work sits at the intersection of three groups who don’t always talk to each other well: animal owners, veterinary teams, and researchers.

Owners are trying to make sense of complex health information and figure out what they can actually manage in their lives. Veterinary teams have the clinical knowledge but don’t always have the tools to communicate it in ways that land. Researchers are generating evidence that often stays in journals rather than reaching the people who could use it.

Drawing on 15 years of getting it right (and wrong!) in clinical practice, research, and education, my goal is to change how we communicate about animals and improve the care we provide them.

What I do

For owners, I create educational content that replicates the kinds of conversations I have with my own clients, helping them understand what’s happening with their animals and what options they have.
For veterinary teams, I build professional development that goes beyond the science to focus on how we actually get good practice into clinical practice, with a heavy emphasis on communication.
For practices, I develop software tools that streamline clinical workflows so teams can spend more time having conversations and less time on admin.
For researchers, I help design studies that capture the right information from animals and people to build an evidence base that supports better care.

Why This Matters

Good outcomes in animal health depend on more than clinical knowledge. Owners need to understand enough to engage. Teams need the skills to support decisions rather than just deliver them. Evidence needs to reach the people who can actually use it.

When those pieces connect, care improves. When they don’t, even the best knowledge falls short.

This work is different because it addresses all of those pieces together:

Grounded in evidence, not opinion
Designed for real consults, not ideal scenarios
Focused on behaviour change, not just knowledge
Built for teams, not just individuals
Inclusive of everyone in the conversation: owners, teams, and researchers

How I Got Here

I started my career in clinical practice and shelter medicine before moving into research and veterinary education at Massey University, where I spent a decade building teaching programmes, leading research, and developing new ways to prepare students for the realities of practice.

Good research means nothing if it stays in journals. After a decade in academia I realised I was better placed to focus on the harder problem: how to get knowledge out of the research world and into the conversations, decisions, and systems that actually shape animal care. I co-founded AkoVet in 2023 as the platform to make that possible.

I am currently completing a postgraduate diploma in health behaviour change at the University of Canterbury, with a focus on motivational interviewing. I still do locum clinical work in the Palmerston North and Horowhenua region, which keeps me connected to what practice actually feels like.

Recognition

Prime Minister’s Educator of the Year (2022) · Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) · ISVEE Emerging Scientist Award (2018) · 90+ peer-reviewed publications