Associate Professor
Jane R. Shaw, DVM, PhD is a recognized expert in veterinarian-client-patient interactions. Her dissertation was the first scientific study of veterinarian-client-patient communication and her publications focus on the analysis of videotaped conversations between veterinarians and their clients and animal patients. Of interest is studying the relationship between communication and clinical outcomes for veterinarians, clients and patients, including satisfaction, adherence and patient health.

Dr. Shaw is an Associate Professor of Veterinary Communication and Director of Veterinary Communication for Professional Excellence at Colorado State University. Dr. Shaw received her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1994 and received her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada in 2004. In 2018, Dr. Shaw was the recipient of the Bustad Award, recognizing her contributions to enhancing the relationship between people and their pets. In 2011, she received the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award. In 2018, she was the inaugural recipient of the Academy for Healthcare Communication Teaching Excellence Award for advancing the field of healthcare communication.

Dr. Shaw implements the communication curriculum at Colorado State University, focusing on clinical interviewing skills to enhance professional performance through partnership with colleagues and clients. She serves on the workshop committee for the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare. Dr. Shaw is called upon internationally and nationally to conduct skills-based communication workshops at veterinary conferences and symposia. She consults with veterinary practices to enhance teamwork, continuity of care and client service. She shares her life with her beloved 4-legged friend yellow Labrador, Charlie.

Professor
Mary Jane Collier, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized scholar and trainer in intercultural communication. She has conducted research and facilitated workshops on communicating around cultural difference, alliance relationships, conflict management, and community engagement in international contexts such as the Middle East, Southern Africa, and Northern Ireland. She has worked with international, national, and local nonprofit organizations advocating for justice and ameliorating poverty for diverse communities, women, and youth. Her most recent project focuses on the effects of experiential and applied teaching strategies on learners’ abilities to acknowledge cultural differences, understand contextual influences, and practice conflict management, dialogue, and community building.

Professor Collier earned her Ph.D. in interpersonal, group and intercultural communication from the University of Southern California; she has held tenured faculty appointments at the University of Denver, Oregon State University, and California State University, Los Angeles. She served as Director of the Doctoral Program and was named Professor Emerita in Communication at the University of New Mexico in 2018.  She has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cape Town, South Africa; Birkbeck College, University of London; and Corrymeela Center for Reconciliation, Northern Ireland. She is a past-president of the Western States Communication Association. She was editor of volumes 23-25 of The International and Intercultural Communication Annual, published by SAGE. She has written and edited five books including her most recent entitled, Community Engagement as Intercultural Praxis. Her work appears in the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Departures in Critical Qualitative Research, Journal of Applied Communication, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Women’s Studies in Communication, Communication Monographs, Communication Quarterly, the Western Journal of Communication, as well as various edited books.

Professor Collier has received the lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the Western States Communication Association, the Feminist Scholarship Award from the Organization of Research on Women and Communication twice, and the Scholarship Award from the International and Intercultural Communication Division of the National Communication Association. She was given an Outstanding Faculty Award by the Center for Multicultural Excellence at the University of Denver, and graduate students in Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico presented her with an Outstanding Professor Award.

Professor Collier assists with the teaching and coaching of the communication curriculum in the Veterinary Communication for Professional Excellence Program. Her research includes analysis of communication strategies for effective partnerships between veterinarians and clients, working with cultural differences to enhance collaboration in clinical and practice settings, and expanding relationships with diverse communities. She was born and raised in Colorado. Springer Spaniels have been a longstanding family tradition and have been her companions for many years.

Communication and Curriculum Coordinator
​Courtney joined the Veterinary Communication team in 2017 after recently moving to Fort Collins from San Francisco. There she spent almost 10 years as an Administrative Support Coordinator at San Francisco State University. She brings her eye for detail and event planning experience to CSU to provide a supportive learning environment for veterinary students and visiting professionals.

Courtney received her Master's of Science in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University in 2015 and currently splits her time between the Veterinary Communication office and the Poudre River Public Library District, where she works both in circulation and as a substitute librarian. When she’s not working somewhere, she spends her time on a hike, at yoga, with family, or reading a good book, all preferably outside in the Colorado sunshine. ​