About Dr. Greg Burkett

Curriculum Vitae
Richard Gregory Burkett DVM
Diplomate ABVP Avian

DrB@theBirdVet.com

A. NAME, ADDRESSES, AND PHONE NUMBERS Top

Richard Gregory Burkett DVM Dipl. ABVP-Avian

Office Address and Phone Number 3039 University Drive
Durham NC 27707
919-490-3001

B. Education Top

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Raleigh NC USA
Attended August 1989 - May 1993
Graduated May 1993
Degree Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC USA
Attended August 1982 - December 1986
Graduated December 1986
Degree Bachelor of Science Biology

Lenoir Community College
Kinston NC USA
Attended August 1981 - May 1982
No degree earned

C. Post-DVM Training Top

Preparation for board certification examinations in avian specialty practice given by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners included 12 months of reading, reviewing, and studying all aspects of avian medicine, surgery, care, and behavior. I sat for and passed the examinations in November 2002, earning Diplomate status in the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Avian Practice; at that time a status that could only be claimed by fewer than 100 veterinarians.

Annually, by attending avian veterinary conferences in his field of expertise, Dr. Burkett exceeds continuing education state requirements. In addition to conferences he also attends courses and seminars that are focused specific disciplines such as ultrasonography, endoscopy, and microsurgical procedures, among others.

D. Work Experience Top

The Bird Hospital, Avian Veterinary Services
3039 University Drive
Durham NC 27707 USA
(919) 490-3001
(919) 403-0218 - FAX
Self-employed
Employment Dates: August 2003 - Present
Hours worked per week: 70
Hours worked per week avian: 40

Job description:

My practice consists exclusively avian patients. As owner of the practice, 20% of my time is spent in practice management. My clinical responsibilities include medical and surgical case management and treating avian emergencies; I handle all of my own emergency cases. Being the only avian practice in the area, a large portion of my caseload is referrals; the remainder of my client base is generated from the customers of our bird shop, The Birdie Boutique, Inc. In addition to the medical services that I provide, I offer behavioral counseling, bird care and handling consultations and professional consultations for colleagues.

My caseload consists of 35-40 cases per week, with 25% being complex cases and the remainder being a mix of simple cases and well-bird examinations and work ups.

Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures include and are not limited to rigid endoscopy, contrast radiography, bone marrow aspirates, air sac cannula placement, beak repair, orthopedic procedures, and abdominal surgery.

Four Paws Animal Clinic Avian Health Care Services
1216 Raleigh Road
Chapel Hill NC 27514 USA
(919) 942-1788
Supervisor: Melanie A Smith DVM
Employment Dates: March 2000 – July 2003
Hours worked per week: 40
Hours worked per week avian: 40

Job description:

As an associate in a two doctor practice, I was responsible for all clinical practice on avian patients. Approximately 35% of the 25-30 cases per week that I saw were well bird annual visits and vaccinations. The remainder of the cases was clinically ill birds, trauma patients, and surgical cases. I was responsible for all of the avian emergencies. Special diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that I performed included crop gavage feeding, air sac cannula placement, nebulization, contrast radiography, and nasal flushes.

My special interest is endoscopy. I had approximately 25 cases of diagnostic endoscopies including abdominal exploratory laparoscopies, tracheobronchoscopies, rhinoscopies, cloacoscopies, and endoscopies of the esophagus, crop, and proventriculus. I performed approximately 15 soft tissue surgical procedures including liver biopsies, kidney biopsies, crop biopsies, engluvotomies, salpingohysterectomies, tumor removals, and cloacal prolapse repairs. I performed approximately 9 orthopedic procedures including external fixatures, intramedullary pinning, and beak repairs.

The Birdie Boutique Inc.
3039 University Drive
Durham NC 27707 USA
(919) 490-3001
(919) 403-0218 - FAX
Supervisor: Michelle A. Ripple
Employment Dates: July 1998 - March 2000
Hours worked per week: 50
Hours worked per week avian: 50

Job description:

As staff veterinarian I was responsible for a breeding facility containing over 400 birds covering 40 psittacine species. I was also responsible for the health and well-being of all babies in the nursery. At any one time throughout the year there were 50-100 babies in the nursery covering more than 40 psittacine species.

I was responsible for design and implementation of nursery management and flock management techniques to prevent disease outbreaks. I was also responsible for diagnosing and treating all problems and illnesses in the nursery and breeding flock.

I performed exploratory laparoscopy on more than 300 birds to determine sex, breeding condition, general health, and use as a diagnostic tool. I had approximately 12 orthopedic cases that required external fixation or intramedullary pinning. I performed approximately 6 beak repairs. I had approximately 18 cases of soft tissue surgery. I managed approximately 120 cases of illness attributed to infectious disease organisms.

During the dates of July 15, 1998 through October 15, 1998 I was not engaged in private practice. My license to practice veterinary medicine had been suspended for 90 days by the North Carolina Board of Veterinary Medicine for practicing medicine in an uninspected facility. During these three months I was able to practice on my own birds at The Birdie Boutique, Inc.

Avian Veterinary Services
3033 University Drive
Durham NC 27707 USA
Self-employed
Employment Dates: June 1993 - July 1998
Hours worked per week: 60
Hours worked per week avian: 40

Job description:

My practice was exclusively avian patients. As owner of the practice, 25% of my time was spent in practice management. My clinical responsibilities included medical and surgical case management and treating avian emergencies. Being the only avian practice within a 35 mile radius, a major portion of my case load was referrals. I also acquired patients that were customers of our bird shop, The Birdie Boutique, Inc.

By the second year of practice, my caseload consisted of 20-25 cases per week, with 10% being complex cases. By the end of the fourth year, I was seeing more than 40 cases per week with approximately 25% being complex cases.

Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures included rigid endoscopy, contrast radiography, bone marrow aspirates, air sac cannula placement, beak repair, orthopedic procedures, and abdominal surgery.

E. Professional Publications Top

A New Technique for Psittacine Feather Imping: Indications and Considerations
Poster, in Proceedings of the Association of Avian Veterinarians 25th Annual Conference & Expo
August 17-19, 2004, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, pp.385-388.

Avian Ambulatory Medicine in Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Medicine
Field and Ambulatory Medicine. Volume 21, Issue 3, Pages 635-649, 2018.

F. Non-Pressional Publications Top

Avian First Aid: Be Your Bird’s First Responder
DVD, Written, presented, produced and directed by Dr. Greg Burkett, 2010, Run time: 53 minutes

Housing and Cage Materials
Expert Companion Bird Care Series” DVD, Produced by Avian Studios, 2010. Run time: 88 minutes

Solutions for Reducing the Rehoming Rates of Pet Birds
Proceedings for the Annual Conference of Avian Veterinarians, 2010.

Prescription for Better Bird Care
Proceedings for the Annual Conference of Avian Veterinarians, 2010.

The Utilization of Veterinarians in the Retail Store
PSM - Pet Supplies Marketing 1997 Red Book of Pet Store Management,
pp.12-14, Fancy Publications, 1997.

Aging in Psittacines
Bird Talk Magazine,
pp.56-61, Fancy Publications, July, 1997.

A Case for Specialization
Pet Product News, Fancy Publications August, 1996.

Featured on National Geographic showing surgical implant of a swan prosthetic beak

G. Memberships Top

  • Association of Avian Veterinarians Avian Welfare Committee August 2007 - Present
  • American Board of Veterinary Practitioners 2002 - Present
  • Association of Avian Veterinarians 1989 - Present
  • American Veterinary Medical Association 1993 - Present
  • American Federation of Aviculture 1984 - Present, commercial and individual member
  • Raleigh-Durham Caged Bird Society 1982 - Present
  • World Parrot Trust 1994 - 1997
  • North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association 1993 -1997
  • Mid-Atlantic States Association of Avian Veterinarians 1990 - 1996
  • Student Chapter American Veterinary Medical Association 1989 - 1993
  • International Aviculturists Society 1992 - 1994
  • Bird Clubs of North Carolina Board of Directors 1990 - 1992
  • Phi Theta Kappa (Honorary Society) 1981-1982

H. Leadership Roles in Veterinary Organizations Top

Board of Directors Member for the Association of Avian Veterinarians 2010

I am a sitting voting member of AAV since February 2010. AAV promotes the advancement and stewardship avian medicine worldwide.

Chairman for the Assoc. of Avian Veterinarians Avian Welfare Committee 2009 to present

The Avian Welfare Committee was formed by members of the Association of Avian Veterinarians to determine the current status of the pet bird population with concentration on rescue, sanctuary, and foster organizations. We are working to establish standards of care for avian species in these organizations as well as for individual pet bird owners, with focus on teaching foraging concepts, appropriate housing, and proper nutrition.

Chairman for the Advisory Council of the Association of Avian Veterinarians

Managed the standing committees, ad hoc committees, and members at large to provide advice and counseling to the Executive Board.

Board Member for the American Federation of Aviculture
Southeast Regional Director

I am a sitting voting member of AFA since 2011. AFA promotes the advancement and stewardship of aviculture worldwide.

Class Representative Wildlife, Avian, & Zoo Medicine Club 1989 - 1993

I assisted with the organization and maintenance of meetings and announcement boards to inform members of current happenings within our organization. I helped to arranged speakers to address our group. I recruited, organized, and trained volunteers to monitor and care for the wildlife facilities on campus. In addition, I was the liaison for other related groups such as national student organizations and the student members of the Association of Avian Veterinarians.

I. Community Activities Top

Adjunct Assistant Professor

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, September 2004 - Present I teach students rotating through my practice about the functions of private avian practice as well as teach avian medicine and surgery.

Veterinary students spend time in my practice to observe and participate in avian cases as part of their fourth year training program.

Student Externship Program

From 1995 to present, I offer an externship program in my private practice to provide students from the College of Veterinary Medicine the opportunity to experience avian medicine in a private practice setting. This externship program is approved and recognized by the Dean at NCSU-CVM. During each 2-4 week program I provided instruction on handling techniques, treatment protocols, diagnostic procedures, and surgical approaches.

In addition, the students developed client communication skills and practice management experience. This has been my most rewarding contribution.

Public Speaking Engagements

I have been invited to speak at bird club meetings, rescue organizations, and other pet bird groups on many different topics of avian care. I also assisted with the planning and presentation of a full-day seminar including a wet lab attended by pet bird owners, breeders, veterinary students and other bird enthusiasts.

Fund Raisers

Annually from 1992 to 1997 I sponsored and organized a fund raising event to generate awareness for the need of continuing research in the field of avian medicine. All of the proceeds raised were donated to several university research groups to help fund their ongoing research in this field.

Scholarships

I established a student scholarship in the name of my avian private practice. In 1994, 1995, and 1996, I donated funds raised during fund raising events to students, chosen by the College of Veterinary Medicine, interested in furthering their education in the field of avian medicine. The money was to be used for externships or continuing education conferences related to this field.

Volunteer Laboratory Assistant

In 1991 and 1992 I participated in a student program to provide assistance in wet labs for the instructors. I did this for the Association of Avian Veterinarians Annual Conference and the Mid-Atlantic States Association of Avian Veterinarians Annual Conference. I helped with the equipment set up and assisted the lab participants with equipment usage and laboratory techniques. The labs were ‘Basic Techniques’, ‘Advance Techniques’, ‘Avian Endoscopy’, ‘Advanced Avian Endoscopy’, and ‘Soft Tissue Surgery’.

Volunteer Aviary Position

In conjunction with the National Audubon Society and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I participated in a volunteer program working on the Puerto Rican Parrot Conservation Project from February 1987 through April 1987. My position involved aviary cleaning and maintenance, captive parrot care and feeding, captive parrot observation and documentation, nursery care and maintenance, and aviary traffic flow and control. I also participated in blind studies observing and documenting the activities of wild Puerto Rican parrots as well as inspecting nests of wild pairs, collecting data on chicks, eggs, and parents in the wild. I also participated in a captive study involving artificial insemination.

J. Honors and AwardsTop

Pet Business Industry Recognition Award 2009

Given as recognition for innovative design of the most exciting and functional pet products on the market. I was presented with this award for the Original Forage Feeder, designed and manufactured by me and my company, Avian Innovations.


Dr. Greg Burkett in Durham, NC


The Bird Hospital, Avian Veterinary Services | 3039 University Dr. | Durham, NC 27707 | Appointments call | 919-490-3001

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