TUCVM Veterinary Social Worker

Ms. Chankia Sherell Berry is a native of Auburn, AL. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Tuskegee University and then went on to earn a master’s degree in Social Work from Barry University in December 2014. Currently, she is enrolled in the Veterinary Social Work Certificate program at the University of Tennessee. Within this program, she is interested in animal-assisted interventions. Her interest in Veterinary Social Work was sparked while she worked with the Division of Aging. As a former Adult Protective Services employee, one of her tasks included working with the elderly or adults with disabilities. In this role, she continuously was exposed to cases of animal neglect due to hoarding. With the continuous cycle of a multitude of cases dealing with animal neglect, this area led to a slight sense of compassion fatigue. This aspect of compassion fatigue led her to want to combat this area by assisting others and increasing people’s knowledge of animal neglect and compassion fatigue within the veterinary profession. Her experiences in hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and the Department of Family and Children Services have been diverse and allowed her to gain several transferable skills and work with diverse populations and groups of all sizes. She strives to present the best attitude, diligence, and persistence to complete all tasks expected of herself effectively and professionally. As a very proud member of Phi Alpha National Honor Society, it is her goal to build effective, and productive working relationships with internal and external clients.