Interview with Dr. Linda Tikofsky
M²-magazine. Linda, are you from a farming background. Did your interest in animals develop gradually or was there a “trigger point”?
Dr. Linda Tikofsky. My grandparents’ families were dairy producers in Wisconsin, and my great-grandfather owned a creamery there. I spent many summers up on the farms, so I think that experience influenced my passion for agriculture.
The trigger point is actually a funny story! In high school, I was exploring different career options and college paths. My father was a chemical engineer and really wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but that is not how my brain works. I was interested in culinary arts, agriculture, or medicine. I read a statistic that said it was more difficult to get into veterinary school than medical school at the time so that really was the trigger.
It satisfied my father’s need for me to achieve but also fitted my passions. I used to joke in vet school that I would have a building with a vet practice on one side and a cafe on the other and I would call it Linda’s Veterinary Victuals!
Veterinary medicine was attractive to me because it offered a truly diverse career and the ability to blend science, communication, epidemiology and medicine into a job that really serves humanity. No one day of my career has ever been like another. I’m never bored and this career has afforded me tremendous opportunities.
M²-magazine. When did you first become interested in the veterinary profession and how did the interest develop?
Dr. Linda. I don’t really remember but it was likely in high school. I was trying to figure out a way to blend an interest in animals, science and medicine and really started digging into the option of veterinary medicine. I didn’t have a tremendous knowledge of the day-to-day activities of a veterinarian, so I started volunteering at some practices - both small animal and large animal ambulatory and I was hooked. The next step was to convince my family!
M²-magazine. You took your Bachelor’s degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US. What was your main subject and your graduation year?
Dr. Linda. My undergrad degree was in Biology, but I really worked to incorporate coursework that included animal sciences and husbandry so that is where my electives fell. I was lucky that I entered undergrad with several credits under my belt, so I was able to skip many of the freshmen prerequisites and jump immediately into coursework that interested me. I graduated undergrad in 1980.
M²-magazine. You then completed your veterinary science degree at Illinois. Again - your main subjects and your graduation year?
Dr. Linda. My coursework in veterinary school covered the full range of subjects. We didn’t really specialize at that time but were required to graduate as well-rounded veterinarians. My favourite subjects were internal medicine and epidemiology. I graduated from veterinary school in 1984.
M²-magazine. Following our veterinary degree, what were your next steps? At the University or elsewhere? What did the positions involve?
Dr. Linda. My first job was in clinical practice for about 8 years. It was a great experience and allowed me to see the practical application of skills I developed in veterinary school. It also taught me the importance of the human-animal bond and communication with clients. However, since I was always on a quest for knowledge, I knew that private practice was not going to be a long-term path for me. I was eager to return to a more academic environment and pathway. So, after my years in practice, I had the opportunity to take up a position at Cornell University, US.
A post-doctoral position opened up at Quality Milk Production Services. This was an extension position providing mastitis consulting services to local dairy producers and veterinarians. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I had some fantastic mentors in the other veterinarians, technicians and visiting academics that really spurred my interests and development in milk quality and mastitis control. I took additional coursework in lactation biology, statistics, epidemiology, microbiology, and adult learning and was able to move from a post-doc position to a senior extension veterinarian by the end of my tenure there.
M²-magazine. When did your employment at Boehringer Ingelheim start? What was your position, what did it involve?
Dr. Linda. I joined Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (BIAH) in 2010 as a professional services veterinarian in the cattle group. I had had interactions with BIAH when I was at Cornell and was really impressed with the organization and its people. The company had recently expanded its portfolio of dairy products, and they were looking for a technical services veterinarian for the eastern United States. I served as that technical service veterinarian through 2016, when I was promoted to senior associate director of dairy professional services and led a team of fantastic dairy technical service veterinarians at BIAH.
As a professional services veterinarian (PSV), the responsibilities were diverse. Primarily we worked alongside our sales representatives in their interactions with dairy producers and veterinarians. PSVs provided the technical and scientific knowledge on our products so 75% of our duties were on-farm with producers and veterinarians in a consultative aspect.
We also worked with key opinion leaders at universities on Phase IV clinical trials to add additional scientific knowledge to support our products. Since my background was largely milk quality and mastitis, a lot of my efforts were focused there but in my tenure at BIAH, I also developed an interest in calf management and disease, and in transition-cow health.
Editor’s note. Phase IV trials are post-approval monitoring and surveillances which take place after a drug is FDA-approved and placed on the market. The purpose is to monitor safety and efficacy over a long period in a broad patient group to look for long-term adverse effects not found in earlier trials.
M²-magazine. More on your work at Boehringer Ingelheim and what is your current position?
Dr. Linda. As PSVs, we also tried to be a resource for practicing veterinarians, not just on our products but on aspects of animal health as well. I was particularly interested in helping veterinarians and producers develop their milk culturing practices so that we could take a judicious use of antibiotics approach to mastitis treatment and control with a culture-based approach.
I recently retired from BIAH this past January but still plan to remain active in the dairy space as a consultant and have already had some opportunities to keep my toe in the water.
M²-magazine. How do you see your work developing in the next period of time?
Dr. Linda. I have retired but as I said, not from the dairy industry. I still plan to be involved but a little bit more selectively, since I really enjoy traveling and spending time with my grandchildren. I am open to consulting opportunities and already have a few on the books. To be honest, I think retirement lasted about two days!
M²-magazine. Some detail please on your positions at other bodies, including the National Mastitis Council (NMC), the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and the New York State Veterinary Medical Service (NYSVMS),
Dr. Linda. I think it is essential that we all give back to our profession and the best way to do that is to be active in our professional organizations. The highlight has been my activity with NMC. As a general member, director on the board and President (during 2022), I have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the experts in this field and to become friends with many of them. The resources NMC provides allows me to share cutting edge information with the producers and veterinarians with whom I worked.
With AABP, I have been a general member and a member of the Animal Welfare committee and have helped moderate some of the sessions at the annual meeting.
With NYSVMS, I chaired the Large Animal committee for a year or so while we were facing some legislative challenges in the state on antimicrobial use on farms.
M²-magazine. More generally, do you think that young people coming into the veterinary profession have plenty of good opportunities for education, research and work?
Dr. Linda. Developing and mentoring young veterinarians has been my passion over the last few decades. I think there are many opportunities in education, research and work for our graduates, but they may not have the connections or knowledge about these opportunities. My role is to communicate and help guide them along these paths that will feed their passion and also help them combat that ‘impostor syndrome’ that has them feeling unqualified. I want them to reflect on their unique talents that do qualify them and then help them have the confidence to take the leap. I always tell them: “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know”.
I do believe we have enough young people but often we don’t give them enough support to develop their confidence. In the USA right now, we are suffering a crisis of insufficient veterinary talent in many rural areas, largely, I think, because our young people graduate with a tremendous debt load and some rural practices cannot provide enough for young veterinarians to service that financial burden. I don’t have an answer for that, but I know that the AABP is taking an active role in addressing these issues and preparing young veterinarians for rural practice. Those of us who have been in practice or in the industry for years have the obligation to support and mentor the next generation.
M²-magazine. In life we are often helped along the way by other people. Mention two such people who have been of help and in what way have they have helped?
Dr. Linda. Gosh, I have had so many it’s hard to pick just two. I would have to say Dr. Ynte Schukken was one of my greatest mentors. He championed my development at QMPS and really made me passionate about milk quality and mastitis. He also gave me my first opportunity to develop my leadership muscles - something I became passionate about and that served me well at QMPS and later at BIAH.
Secondly, I would say the women in the dairy industry that acted as mentors to me or sounding boards, and who shared their knowledge and compassion… but are too numerous to name!
M²-magazine. Outside of academia, what are your other interests?
Dr. Linda. My past work-life has not left a lot of time for other activities. My husband and I truly love to travel, particularly outside of the United States. We want to experience the culture and the dairy industry elsewhere. We always try to tie in a dairy visit when we travel - just recently we were able to visit a twenty cow Tyrolean farm in the Alps this fall.
And maybe going back to something I have already mentioned, my main hobby is supporting and developing young women. Listening to them, providing advice, bringing groups of them together so that they can develop relationships. This is what really feeds my soul.
M²-magazine. Tell me something unusual about yourself that others may not know.
Dr. Linda. Perfecting batches of homemade ice cream. Thinking of the perfect flavour combination and bringing it to life. Most recently it’s Bourbon Praline Salted Caramel (Editor’s comment… sounds yummy!)
M²-magazine. And finally, what makes a typical day for you - if there is such a thing, in your workplace!
Dr. Linda. That’s the beauty of my life and profession; there is no typical workday. Maybe the most common day includes discussions or herd visits with veterinarians on mastitis or milk quality issues, answering technical questions on products, brainstorming on the next great research project, and having life conversations with mentees – in particular, the less experienced ones.
Fun facts about Linda Tikofsky
M²-magazine. How do you cope with deadlines?
Dr. Linda. Deep breaths and lists. Sometimes even putting the most mundane task on a to-do list and checking it off provides the impetus to get the rest done.
M²-magazine. Your bucket list of things to do - your top three!
Dr. Linda.
- Spend time at our lake house with family and friends;
- Travel;
- Learn to paint with watercolours (I was not blessed with an artistic gene, so this is a real-life challenge).
M²-magazine. What were your most recent three online searches?
Dr. Linda.
- Options for kitchen backsplashes;
- A recipe for cholent (a savoury, slow-cooked stew);
- Watercolour classes in Ithaca, NY.
M²-magazine. The titles and authors of two books which you have enjoyed reading.
Dr. Linda.
- Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
- Lilith by Nikki Margery
M²-magazine. If you could afford any car, which one would you drive?
Dr. Linda. A Volkswagen convertible Beetle of 1960s vintage
M²-magazine. What is the coolest feature in your home?
Dr. Linda. My wrap-around porch. It’s a great place for peaceful leisure and entertaining.
M²-magazine. Where’s the most interesting place you’ve visited with your job?
Dr. Linda. Chile. The dairy industry and wine industry were both fascinating.
M²-magazine. Where did you last go on holiday?
Dr. Linda. To Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic.
M²-magazine. How tidy/untidy is your desk?
Dr. Linda. You don’t want to know…!! Einstein remarked “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what are we to think of an empty desk?”
M²-magazine. Do you have any pets?
Dr. Linda. Two indoor calico cats (i.e. multi-coloured moggies) – named Bad Cat and Pickle, a 3-month-old Australian Shepherd – named Finn (but about to be renamed Bad Dog…!) and a few barn cats and four chickens.
M²-magazine. What’s your favourite snack?
Dr. Linda. Cheese
M²-magazine. Tea or coffee - your preference?
Dr. Linda. It’s Coffee
Linda Tikofsky at Boehringer Ingelheim
Linda Tikofsky is a veterinarian with long experience in dairy cattle health with a focus on udder health, milk quality, mastitis prevention and management, biosecurity, and the judicious use of antibiotics.
She is active in industry outreach, technical support to field teams and producers, and collaborative research and extension activities.
She was Senior Associate Director, Cattle Professional Services, Dairy at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health at Ithaca, New York State, USA. She has retired recently after 15+ years at the company.
Boehringer Ingelheim is a German, family-owned pharmaceutical company founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein. Originally a chemicals producer, it moved into pharmaceuticals in the early 20th century. The company expanded globally during the mid-20th century and diversified into human pharmaceuticals, animal health products and biopharmaceuticals.
This content is for M²-DIGITAL, M²-PREMIUM, M²-INSTITUTIONAL & NMC members only.
- Log in if you have a valid subscription and continue your reading
- Or Join us today (subscribe) and get instant premium access to posts and all flipbooks
