News

Dr. Jane E. Brunt will be honored with a 2004 Alumni Recognition Award

Dr. Jane E. Brunt, owner and director of the Cat Hospital at Towson (CHAT) in Baltimore, MD, will be honored with a 2004 Alumni Recognition Award from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and its Veterinary Medical Alumni Association. The award will be presented during the K-State Alumni Reception held in conjunction with the North American Veterinary Conference on Sunday, January 18, 2004 between 7 and 9 p.m., at the Marriot's Orlando World Center Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

A native of New Jersey, Jane Brunt called Manhattan and K-State home for seven years while pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. She earned her BS in Biological Sciences in 1976, graduating Cum Laude, before continuing on to obtain a doctorate in veterinary medicine from K-State in 1980. Immediately following graduation, Dr Brunt started her career in Elkton, Md. with the Cherry Hill Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Brunt remained with Cherry Hill for only a year before moving on to the Anne Arundel Dog and Cat Hospital in Brooklyn Park, Md. in 1981, where she would remain for three years. In 1984 she established CHAT, which at that time was the only veterinary practice in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area dedicated solely to cats. After CHAT was so well received by cat owners, Dr. Brunt opened Cat Hospital Eastern Shore (CHES), in Cordova, Md. in June of 2002.

As the pioneer of feline exclusive practice in Maryland, Dr. Jane Brunt and the staff of CHAT are dedicated to practicing the highest quality of cats only care and medicine. CHAT currently consists of a 23 member support staff including five veterinarians, and CHES has eight team members including two doctors. Dr. Brunt founded Animal Relief Inc. in 1996 to assist organizations in the healthcare of animals, and felines in particular.

A special affinity to cats led Dr. Brunt to pursue her cats only career tract: "I adore cats and the people that love them. The thing that amazes me is how different their personalities are." Dr. Brunt disagrees that cats can be generalized as an aloof species and non-responsive when compared to dogs. She feels that those who would make this assumption have never owned a cat. Instead, Dr. Brunt argues that cats' personalities range from quiet, sweet, and compliant, to scared (which are quite often calicos), to outgoing, curious, troublemakers (red tabby boys), and to those who are just real firecrackers! Dr. Brunt also enjoys the challenge of cats diagnostically, "they're so clandestine about their medical signs that when you make a diagnosis and treat effectively, it's a triumph and a really good feeling."

Dr. Brunt partakes in an impressive amount and array of professional organizations: she is a Fellow of the Academy of Feline Medicine, a board member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), and has held 13 different titles with the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association since becoming a member in 1980 (including President-elect in 1993-94, and President in 1994-95). Dr. Brunt is a national advisor on feline medicine, as well as the current representative of the AAFP to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Dr. Brunt also acted as Chair of the Host Committee of the AVMA Annual Convention in Baltimore last July where she received many awards and accolades. She is active in the American Animal Hospital Association, the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, the Greater Baltimore Veterinary Medical Association, and is a founding shareholder in the Animal Emergency Center-Baltimore, which was founded in 1987. Dr. Brunt has served on more than 15 advisory councils, has authored six publications, participated in seven publications, and is active in an extensive and diverse list of community activities. Dr. Brunt was recognized by her colleagues in 1997 when selected as one of Baltimore Magazine's "Top Vets," appearing on its cover "holding a Border Collie," she remarked laughingly. She is also an active supporter in local, state, and national feline organizations. When asked how she manages her time, Dr. Brunt replied with tongue in cheek, "Poorly. It's a constant battle and I try hard to keep all my balls in the air. Sometimes it gets hard to juggle and I have to stop and say 'I have too many windows open.'" Apparently, Dr. Brunt is not performing too poorly as is evident by her long record of achievement.

Despite Dr. Brunt's impressive and numerous accomplishments, she remains humble and appreciative of her time at K-State. When reflecting upon her career she stated, "Looking back on many of the 'things' that are listed [on Dr. Brunt's Curriculum Vitae], they are really quite insignificant, especially compared to the seven years I spent in Manhattan, the education I obtained and values I learned there, the life friends that I made, and the many wonderful memories that I have. All that just gets one line on my CV."