MedVet Appoints New Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman

MedVet, a growing nationwide network of specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals is proud to announce the appointment of Linda Lehmkuhl, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology), as Chief Executive Officer. Eric Schertel, DVM, PhD, DACVS, will assume the role of Executive Chairman, and will continue to serve as the Chairman of MedVet’s Board of Directors. Matt Erick, recently joined MedVet as President and Michael Podell, DVM, MSC, DACVIM (Neurology), has been appointed MedVet’s Chief Medical Officer.

“MedVet is committed to continue our growth as a veterinarian led and owned organization. We’ve selected a very strong and compassionate leader in Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl, who will drive our organizational success moving forward to advance our mission of Leading Specialty Healthcare for Pets,” said Dr. Eric Schertel, Executive Chairman of MedVet.

“I joined MedVet 19 years ago to start our Cardiology specialty offering and saw endless opportunities for our team to partner with our referral community to deliver exceptional care and service to pets and their owners,” said Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl, Chief Executive Officer. “I look forward to working with our team to expand access to MedVet’s specialty and emergency care to more communities. We remain committed to doing our part to preserve the integrity of the veterinary profession by supporting the wellbeing of our team, providing continuing education to the communities we serve, and leading clinical training, clinical studies, and innovation.”

Lehmkuhl joined MedVet in 2000 and has held positions of increasing responsibility that have significantly helped position MedVet for continued success. She began her career as a cardiologist and then a natural leader, she evolved to become Medical Director, Regional Medical Director, and most recently, Chief Medical Officer. In her new role as Chief Executive Officer, Lehmkuhl will hold responsibility for driving organizational success and execution of MedVet’s strategy to deliver and exceptional employee experience; deliver the MedVet Experience to patients, clients and referral partners; and deliver healthy growth.

MedVet also announced that Dr. Eric Schertel has transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman and Dr. Michael Podell has assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer. Schertel, one of MedVet’s founders, joined the organization in 1988 as a surgeon. During his tenure leading MedVet he has worked to expand the network to include 24 hospitals, 18 specialty services, and has positioned the organization well to scale for future growth.

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Podell will assume responsibility for ensuring MedVet continues to be a leader in specialty healthcare for pets by driving veterinary best practices and quality of care. A champion for the veterinarian Employee Experience, Podell joined MedVet four years ago as a neurologist and most recently served as Regional Medical Director for the Great Lakes and Dallas-Fort Worth regions.

About MedVet

Veterinarian led and owned since 1988, MedVet is a growing nationwide network of hospitals committed to delivering the highest quality, most compassionate specialty and emergency veterinary care available in the nation. More than 2,000 team members, working in 24 locations throughout the Midwest, Gulf Coast, Texas, and Western United States, help to advance MedVet’s mission of Leading Specialty Healthcare for Pets. Through this effort, MedVet serves more than 250,000 pets and their families and over 7,500 referral partners each year.