Jill Akkerman

Dr. Akkerman earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and PhD degrees from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 and 1998, respectively. She practiced small animal clinical medicine for six years before entering academic veterinary medicine.

In 2001, Dr. Akkerman joined North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Anatomy, a position she held until 2015. During her tenure, her primary teaching responsibilities included veterinary anatomy and embryology for both small and large animal species within the DVM curriculum. In addition to her teaching roles, she contributed extensively to college service, including participation in curricular review and implementation initiatives, admissions, and diversity-related efforts.

In 2015, Dr. Akkerman was recruited to Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine as an Associate Professor, where she continues to teach anatomy. At OSU-CVM, she has played a significant role in modernizing anatomy instruction through the integration of new teaching technologies and the restructuring of the anatomy curriculum. She has also been deeply involved in curriculum governance and reform, serving as Chair of the Curriculum Committee from 2015 to 2023 and contributing to curricular review, development, and implementation of an outcomes-based curriculum.

From 2021 to 2025, Dr. Akkerman served as Director of the Clinical Skills Program, where she led the development, coordination, and assessment of key components of the newly implemented curriculum. Her professional interests center on teaching excellence, educational assessment, competency-based veterinary education, and the development and evaluation of clinical skills.