When Dr. Garrett Ryerson earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University, he didn’t expect that just a few years later he would lead the program that brought veterinary education closer to home for him and so many Montana students.
Ryerson (’21 DVM) is the new director of the Montana Veterinary Medicine Program (MVMP), a cooperative program between Montana State University (MSU) and WSU that allows Montana students to complete the first year of veterinary school in Bozeman before concluding their education at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
For Ryerson, who found himself beginning veterinary school on the Bozeman campus in the fall of 2018, the new role is a full-circle opportunity to invest in students who once sat in the same seats as him.
“It’s really exciting to see how the program has continued to evolve and become more embedded in Montana,” Ryerson said. “It’s amazing to see the return on investment in the students we’ve already put through the program, and now, being in a position to help invest in the next generation of Montana veterinarians is a really special opportunity.”
Ryerson joined MSU’s faculty in 2021, initially teaching anatomy to undergraduate students before taking on veterinary student anatomy the following fall. He became the program’s assistant director in 2022 and has since taken on additional roles at MSU, including serving as the university’s attending veterinarian.
Mark Quinn, who has spent 36 years at MSU and the past 12 years as director of MVMP, said Ryerson’s experience and vision made the transition an easy one. Quinn, who served as the program’s inaugural director, plans to remain available to help but said he feels comfortable stepping away.
“I feel relaxed with Garrett taking over,” Quinn said. “He’s younger and has tons of ideas for improvements, opportunities and new things that maybe we haven’t considered in the past. Every year, we’ve focused on trying to offer new opportunities, new scholarships and new things for our veterinary students, and I know Garrett is going to continue that.”
While Quinn is ready to hand over the reins, he said he will miss the students.
“You get to know them from the time they start here, and then you watch them grow and develop into veterinarians,” Quinn said. “They’re easily what I will miss most.”
Ryerson’s young career includes small animal clinical practice, work as a field veterinarian for Nationwide Pet Insurance, and serving as a supervising veterinarian for the veterinary technician program at Great Falls College.
“I went to vet school and fell in love with small animal practice, but now it’s pretty neat because I get to work with all the lab animals on campus, and then also all of our teaching animals,” Ryerson said.
As director, Ryerson hopes to build on the program’s growth while increasing its visibility across Montana. The program has added six students in recent years, strengthened partnerships with veterinary practices and expanded opportunities through the Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, including bringing fourth-year students back to Montana for clinical rotations.
Now in its 14th year, MVMP has seen 67% of its graduates return to Montana to practice, according to program data. Ryerson sees that growing network of alumni as one of the program’s greatest measures of success.
“We’re hitting the point now where we’re starting to see the results of the money the state has put forward to fund our program,” he said.
Ryerson grew up in Helena and attended Carroll College as an undergrad, studying biology and animal behavior. His family also has a ranch in eastern Montana, where he spent summers working around cattle and sheep.
Although his veterinary career ultimately led him toward small animal medicine, perhaps Ryerson’s favorite part of his work is the opportunity to watch students grow.
“I get to meet them at the very beginning of their time in school, and then I get to see them through at graduation,” Ryerson said. “You’re able to follow their career arc and see what their interests became. It’s really great to see so many of them come back to the state and choose to maintain those relationships they built with the Montana veterinary community.”