In memoriam for Dr. Kari Elaine Moore

On April 30, 2024, fellow Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care diplomate Dr. Kari Moore lost her valiant 18-month-long battle with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, and we lost a great advocate for promoting the highest standards of veterinary care for patients, clients, and the veterinary medical team.

Kari obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University in 1994 and completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital. Following 2 years in general practice in Dallas, Kari completed a residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at Tufts University from 1997 to 2000 and became board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Kari was a staff veterinarian at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital from 2000 to 2001 and then joined VCA Veterinary Referral Associates (VCA VRA) in Gaithersburg Maryland where she was the Intern and Resident Director and established an emergency practice before relocating to California in 2005. Kari served as Regional Medical Director from 2005 to 2007 with responsibility for 39 hospitals. In 2007, Kari became the medical director and intern director of VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center (VCA SVRC), a position that she held until 2016 when she resumed a full-time role as Regional Medical Director with responsibility for 32 specialty and general practice hospitals in Northern California, Hawaii, and Colorado. Kari also was passionate about veterinary rehabilitation and became certified in animal rehabilitation.

Kari was a strong advocate for teaching throughout her career. As a first-year resident, she went out of her way to teach students, interns, and residents, and her contributions continued through her time at Angell Memorial, VCA VRA, and on the west coast. Kari was committed to nurturing the internship program in her home hospital of VCA SVRC as well as her other specialty hospitals in California, Colorado, and Hawaii. Kari also guided other specialists in her hospitals about their expectations to teach and mentor as a part of their work commitment.

Kari was deeply respected as a member of the VCA Regional Medical Director team.

She stood out as a competent and caring leader for her hospitals through being a person of “quiet strength.” She built trusting relationships with her hospital teams through frequent visits, always focusing on quality improvement and support no matter the size of the hospital. Leading and growing specialty hospitals can be challenging, but Kari's expertise and talent in this area were unparalleled. Her knowledge made her a trusted advisor for evaluating new equipment and innovations. She was also resourceful, quickly finding novel ways to help her hospitals manage communications and patient care challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her mission to help more animals, Kari guided her hospitals through multiple wildfire disaster responses in Northern California, providing housing for pets of displaced owners as long as was needed, coordinating VCA volunteers to help with care of those animals to avoid burnout of her hospital staff, and working with colleagues at the University of California, Davis to coordinate care for patients with severe thermal burn injury.

When Kari was diagnosed with cancer, she threw her scientific training and passion into her fight for life. Through regular email updates with her work and professional friends and colleagues, she bravely detailed aspects of her care and treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX using humor along with a big dose of science! Not surprisingly, she befriended many patients who were also receiving care with kindness and compassion for their journey. She also befriended MD Anderson doctors and staff members, bonding over a mutual love of animals in general, specifically exotic pet chickens.

Kari is survived by her husband Steve, parents Bobbie and William, sister Kristin, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Over the years, Kari and Steve had many dogs, cats, and chickens, as well as wildlife that would visit their property including turkeys, deer, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, and other animals. She loved to travel to Europe, especially to France for the chocolate croissants. She was a gracious and vibrant person with a spirit that could lift anyone. Kari was known for giving to others and being a caretaker for so many friends, family, and co-workers without asking for anything in return. She had a truly generous heart for all that knew her, and she will be deeply missed.