On-Demand Speakers

Debrah Lee joined DoveLewis as the Veterinary Well-Being Program Director in March 2020. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over six years of experience working with children, families, and adults in hospital and primary care settings. Her areas of interest include trauma, grief/loss, and program development. She is honored to facilitate DoveLewis’ Pet Loss Support Groups and provide short term grief support to clients following the death of a companion animal. Debrah is passionate about developing a well-being program that supports veterinary professionals in engaging with their work in a sustainable and enriching way. In her free time, you can find Debrah practicing her gardening skills, hiking with her partner, and providing belly rubs and songs to her dog, Apollo.

Kelly Bremken is the Veterinary Social Work Intern with the Oregon Humane Society for the 2020-21 academic year. She has more than 15 years working in animal welfare for the Arizona Humane Society, Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, Seattle Animal Shelter and the Oregon Humane Society. Before beginning her graduate work, Kelly held positions in volunteer management, foster care coordination and program development. She is scheduled to graduate in Spring 2021 with a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a certification in Veterinary Social Work.

 This new area of specialty is gaining prominence as the powerful bond between animals and humans is more widely understood. Veterinary Social Work focuses on the link between animals and violence, grief and loss, animal-assisted interaction, and compassion fatigue management.

 During her time at OHS, Kelly is using social work practice to attend to the human needs that arise in the intersection of veterinary medicine and animal welfare.