Dr. Adams is a native of Iowa and after graduating high school attended Iowa State University (ISU). She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science in1984, and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1988 from Iowa State Veterinary Medical College. During vet school she volunteered in the school’s wild life rehabilitation center and developed an interest in rehabilitation of birds of prey, wolf and wolf mixes. She adopted her first wolf hybrid rescue, Alexia, during her sophomore year of vet school. After graduation she worked in general practice, emergency medicine and practice management in the Chicago suburbs for 22.5 years.

In 1990, Dr. Adams developed a special interest in “alternative and complimentary” medicine and pursued extensive education in alternative modalities and began integrating those treatment options with Allopathic or Western Medicine. She is certified in acupuncture, CVA, through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). Certification in Chinese herbal medicine was achieved through the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA) course taught by Steve Marsden and Mona Boudreaux. She became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, CCRT, through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CRI). Certification as a Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapist, CVSMT, was through The Healing Oasis. After passing required testing she became a member of the Canadian American College of Animal Chiropractic (COAC). Dr. Adams also has training in homeopathy, applied kinesiology (AK), supplements and nutrition, and has taken multiple advanced coursed in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. She has training in diagnostic ultrasound and utilizes ultrasound for diagnosis of strain and sprains, and for soft tissue and joint injections.

In 2000 Dr. Adams joined a 24 hour specialty referral practice in a Chicago Suburb as Director of the Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. For the next 10.5 years she treated referral cases from veterinarians in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, along with referrals from area specialty hospitals and 4 surrounding Veterinary Colleges. Among the complex cases referred from Universities, she rehabilitated the first canine to receive bilateral elbow replacements at the University of Michigan Veterinary College. Along with her outpatient cases Dr. Adams consulted and co-managed hospitalized and outpatient cases with the hospitals specialty departments including Oncology, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Neurology and ER critical care.

Dr. Adams’ Work with Stem Cell Therapy

In 2005 Dr. Adams began working with Vet-stem, the first Veterinary Regenerative Medicine company. She was involved with the first three small animal orthopedic studies, which results in two published studies. Since 2005 she has participated in multiple clinical studies, case studies, and treated hundreds of patients with stem cells. Dr. Adams has treated patients for a variety of medical problems including:

• Arthritis
• Fractures
• Spinal cord injury
• Soft tissue injuries
• Renal disease
• Liver disease
• Degenerative myelopathy
• Immune mediated diseases including poly-arthritis, FIV, atopic dermatitis
• IBS or inflammatory bowel disease
• Infectious diseases including Lyme and Ehrlichiosis

Some of Dr. Adams stem cell patients have been profiled on FOX, ABC and WGN news segments, as well as in the Seattle times and the Chicago Tribune. Through her work with the Chicago PD’s Canine Police Dog Program, she treated some of their canine officers. Canine officer “Dasty” was profiled in the Chicago Tribune after his successful return to duty with stem cell treatment.

In 2010 after the Illinois specialty center was purchased by a corporation Dr. Adams briefly relocated to Washington to open an Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation center for a large ER and specialty group. After one very gloomy, rain filled year she relocated in 2011 to SUNNY Colorado and spent 2 years building a new rehabilitation and wellness center for a general practice in the southern suburbs of Denver. After turning in her letter of resignation in 2014, she agreed to stay on until additional DVM’s and staff could be hired to take over the rehabilitation center. In July of 2014 she started Vet Sports Rehab and Integrative wellness, and is currently seeing patients in Lakewood, providing limited house call services and teaching classes on weekends.

In 2013 Vet-stem began the first of a 3 -phase study, for an FDA approved stem cell product, and was restructured to become VetStem Biopharma. Dr. Adams enrolled all of the patients for the initial pilot study on safety and efficacy, participated in the phase-2 study. She is co-author of a study published September 10, 2016 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science: “ A Prospective, Randomized, Masked, Placebo- Controlled Efficacy Study of Intraarticular Allogeneic Adipose Stem Cells for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis in Dogs”

In additional to clinical practice and research Dr. Adams has lectured at international and national continuing education conferences and seminars, and has been invited to speak to students at Veterinary schools on Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation. In 2015 she lectured on integration of acupuncture with regenerative medicine to enhance patient outcome in conjunction with IVAS and AAVA in Fort Collins CO. Dr. Adams was most recently published in 2016 as a co-author on a research study on allogenic stem cell treatment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

I would like to thank the many wonderful clients, patients, and professionals I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from over the last 34 years as a practicing DVM. I have had many amazing professional opportunities, and built wonderful relationships with some outstanding doctors, professional staff, and clients with 3 and 4-legged family members. I have been fortunate enough to maintain friendships with a great number of them, even though I no longer work directly with many of them.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Vet-Stem the last 13 years. Dr. Bob Harman, DVM, CEO, and Sue Harman CVT, are true pioneers in the field of regenerative medicine. It has been an exciting opportunity to treat so many patients, with various medical issues, with Regenerative Medicine. The landscape of Regenerative Medicine has changed significantly over the last 17 years, and I feel lucky to have worked for such a pioneering and ethical company as Vet-stem, VetStem Biopharma.

I love what I do, and have dedicated my life to pursuing extensive education to keep improving the treatment options I can offer my patients. It has been an interesting journey, and I am happy it has continued here in Colorado.

• Dr. Adams DVM