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Remembering Dr. Charlotte D. Spires

Recognizing a life of service in public veterinary medicine

We are saddened to share that Dr. Charlotte D. Spires, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, CAPT.[ret.], USPHS and an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine (CPCVM) passed away on May 24, 2021 after a long and courageous fight with breast cancer.

Dr. Spires graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1982, where she earned both a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She received her commission into the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) in 1995, rising to the rank of Captain. She earned a Masters in Public Health in epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins University in 1998, and was a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

As a USPHS commissioned officer, she was a member of a team of veterinarians who were deployed for animal rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, and Harvey. Dr. Spires was a recognized expert in animal rescue, and developed federal guidance for the management of companion animals of hurricane evacuees. It was her depth of experience where natural disaster, veterinary medicine, and public health converge that she shared with CPCVM students.

For her Hurricane Katrina effort, she received the USPHS Commendation Medal and was also chosen as the 2009 USPHS Veterinary Responder of the Year. She also received the James H. Steele One Health Outstanding Public Health Service Veterinary Career Award in 2017. Throughout her career, she received numerous other medals and awards, including two Crisis Response Service Awards for her hurricane relief work, a Presidential Unit Citation for her role in Ebola response, and an Army Achievement Medal. At her retirement in 2018, Dr. Spires was the Chief Veterinarian for the National Veterinary Response Team.

Previously, she was the Executive Director of the National Biodefense Science Board, a past president of the DC chapter of the PHS Commissioned Officer Association, Director of the Commissioned Officers Association Board of Directors, and Vice President of the DELMARVA-DC Tuskegee Veterinary Medical Alumni Association. She also practiced relief veterinary medicine in several clinics and hospitals throughout Maryland and Virginia, including military veterinary clinics.

“Dr. Spires lectured to our students in the public and corporate track on veterinary and public health preparedness and response. Her real-world experience in responding during Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters really engaged students in the learning process, and students always commented on how much her lectures inspired them to consider this aspect of veterinary medicine as part of their career path,” recalls Dr. Cassidy Rist, Assistant Professor Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

An endowed scholarship has been established at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine to support Tuskegee veterinary students pursuing nonclinical veterinary careers.