Dr. Katie Returns to Dakin as Medical Director of Adoption Center
Dr. Katie Spaulding, medical director at Dakin Humane Society.
Dr. Katie Spaulding first joined Dakin Humane Society in 2010 as the Adoption Center veterinarian, a position she held until 2017. After several years working in Hawaii with animal welfare organizations across the islands—providing accessible veterinary care, surgical sterilization, and support for free-roaming cat populations—she has returned to Dakin as its Medical Director.
She works alongside a team of five veterinarians supporting the Adoption Center, Community Spay/Neuter Clinic and Pet Health Center. In her new role, Dr. Katie oversees medical care for adoption center animals, including diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and follow-up, while ensuring high standards of practice and compliance across Dakin’s veterinary programs.
Dr. Katie also has a special interest in alternative sterilization methods to traditional spay/neuter for the management of free-roaming cat populations, and is passionate about One Health, a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to health recognizing that human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health are deeply interconnected.
According to her, “One of my favorite things about Shelter Medicine is the ‘herd health’ or population medicine aspect, which involves a lot of infectious disease prevention and management, public health, and community programs to keep pets and people together. In addition to the responsibilities of Adoption Center Veterinarian, a position I held for over seven years previously, my role as Medical Director demands more oversight for the standards of practice for all veterinary services provided by our stellar team of veterinarians across multiple departments who are doing amazing things every day.”
Dakin Executive Director Meg Talbert described Dr. Katie’s return as “a full-circle moment,” noting that she brings valuable experience, leadership, and perspective gained from her work both at Dakin and in Hawaii. “Our staff, volunteers and colleagues respected and appreciated working with her before, and are celebrating her return as our medical director. Additionally, her expertise and interests are much aligned with Dakin’s strategic goals of helping people and animals in the community, and she is excited to see Dakin expand its ability to become a place of learning for animal welfare professionals. Dr. Katie has an unwavering commitment to making veterinary care accessible, and providing resources for people who need help in caring for their pets.”
While in Hawaii, Dr. Katie also served as a marine animal stranding volunteer veterinarian with NOAA/DLNR, worked at the Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal hospital, and acted as an Infection Preventionist for the Hawaii State Department of Health during the pandemic. She holds a BS in Wildlife Biology and Ecology from UMass Amherst and a dual DVM/MPH from Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.
Reflecting on her return, Dr. Katie noted, “The people, mission, and core values at Dakin really shaped me early in my career. I’m glad to be back in Western Massachusetts, reunited with my Dakin coworkers, and making great things happen for our community. Dakin has some really amazing programs on the horizon, and I couldn’t have returned at a better time to be part of the great work this organization is doing.”