Dr. Kris Otteman and Dr. Jeff Brant Faculty Fellow in Small Animal Medicine

Building on their legacy in the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeff Brant, ’82, D.V.M. ’85, and Kris Otteman Brant, ’82, D.V.M. ’86, established an endowed faculty position fund in 2021 to help attract and retain clinical and instructional faculty members in small animal medicine and support the college’s partnership with the Oregon Humane Society.

The couple earned bachelor’s degrees at OSU before completing their D.V.M.s and opening a mixed animal practice in Klamath Falls. In 1993, they joined two fellow Oregon State alumni to oversee in-store veterinary clinics for PetSmart: clinics that evolved into the Banfield Pet Hospitals chain. Dr. Brant was vice-president for operations, strategic initiatives and veterinary selection at Banfield, and president of Banfield International. After retiring from Banfield, he co-founded LegacyVet and became an operating partner with Cimarron Healthcare Capital. He has served on the college’s Dean’s Advisory Council as well as the OSU Alumni Association board.

Dr. Otteman’s roles at Banfield included Vice President of Human Resources and Training and Team Advocacy.  She came to the Oregon Humane Society in 2007 to create open the new medical center and establish a shelter medicine program that would launch an educational course for veterinary students in partnership with OSU. For 15 years, she led the OHS Animal Medical Learning Center: the nation’s first in-shelter teaching hospital, where veterinary students complete a three-week primary care rotation under the guidance of OSU faculty. She was named a Veterinary Medicine Alumni Fellow in 2016 and co-edited a book, “Animal Cruelty Investigations,” published in 2022.