Dr. Erin Katribe

As Medical Director of Best Friends Animal Society, Dr. Erin Katribe oversees Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's medical department and also provides medical guidance for all of Best Friends' lifesaving centers and partner shelters. Keeping shelter and community animals healthy while navigating the balance of population care and care for individual animals is an integral part of our efforts toward achieving no-kill nationwide by 2025.  

Erin earned her DVM degree from Texas A&M University in 2009, already knowing that her future was in shelter medicine and animal welfare. Following graduation, she moved to Austin, Texas, where she initially practiced full-time emergency and critical care and performed contract work in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter and local shelters. In 2014, she moved to nonprofit full-time, working as the Medical Director for Animal Trustees of Austin, an organization that focused on access to care by providing low-cost services to the public and partnered with local shelters.  

Erin moved to Kanab, Utah, in January 2017 to work at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as a Staff Veterinarian, then Lead Staff Veterinarian. In late summer of 2017, she participated in Best Friends' response efforts following Hurricane Harvey in Houston by heading up the medical team. She helped the organization lead the way in saving the lives of dogs with distemper, as well as hundreds of other animals affected by the storm.  

In 2018, she completed the master's degree program in shelter medicine through the University of Florida and also took on her current role as Medical Director. She has continued to provide contract services for the Humane Society of the United States Rural Area Veterinary Services program as a field clinic veterinarian. Erin is passionate about teaching the next generation of veterinarians about the field of shelter medicine, whether that's at the Sanctuary clinic or while focusing on access to care in underserved communities.