Dr. Adam Ward
20 Questions
Adam Ward, D.V.M.
Assistant Clinical Professor, Ambulatory Medicine and Theriogenology
- How do you start your day?
Coffee is essential. I usually start the day by taking my Miniature Schnauzer for his walk. Before I leave my house, I try to think of something I’m grateful for.
- What is on your bucket list?
Visit South America and Antarctica to be able to say I have been to every continent.
- What three words best describe you?
Inquisitive, loyal, friendly.
- If you could time travel, what year(s) would you visit?
I think it would be cool to see woolly mammoths alive and in their natural habitat, or the Great Plains when the bison population was at its peak. But I don’t want to live in those times.
What is your hidden talent?
I built a 5-star island on Animal Crossing New Horizons.I ride the Pan Mass Challenge every August to raise money for Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund. It’s a two-day bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown (187 miles). In the four years I have done the ride, I have raised over $29k.
- What book, movie, podcast, show would you recommend?
Now that House of the Dragon is streaming, I have decided to re-watch the original seasons of Game of Thrones.
My favorite book is probably The Grapes of Wrath, but I also enjoy historical fiction and non-fiction WWII novels as well.
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast by TrainerRoad has helped me become a better cyclist.
- What is your dream vacation?
Two-week cruise around the southern tip of South America
- What or who has had the greatest impact on you?
From a professional perspective, I have been fortunate enough to stand on the shoulders of those who came before me in this profession. I like to think that I have formed a skillset and mindset around veterinary medicine that makes them proud.
As a human being, the single largest impact on the person I am at this very moment today has been the loss of my mother-in-law to colorectal cancer earlier this year. She was only 48 years young, and the loss has really changed my perspective on a lot of things.
- What’s the best advice you ever received?
Devote yourself to learning one new skill or hobby every year.
- What is your least favorite word or phrase?
Humane euthanasia. Euthanasia is by definition humane, and humane euthanasia’s use implies there is some form of inhumane euthanasia, at which point it wouldn’t be euthanasia. Pedantic, I know.
Benign neglect is another one. Something can’t be both. I haven’t come up with something better, though. Benign indifference?
- What is your favorite junk food?
Sweet: Crumbl cookies
Salty: Cashews
- What is your theme song?
I have a hard time attaching myself to just one song, but if I had to pick one that vibes with my ethos, it would be The Dance written by Tony Arata and performed by Garth Brooks.
- Dog or cat or ??
Prefer dogs but appreciate both. Own one of each.
- Who would play you in a movie?
I think I would rather be the cameraman than in the movie.
- What is your favorite season of the year?
Autumn, specifically the timeframe when the leaves are still on the trees but colorful, and the mornings are crisp.
- What is your favorite color?
Burgundy
- Early bird or night owl?
Night Owl|
- What is your biggest pet peeve?
Imprecise language.
- What is your favorite type of surprise?
Pulling an animal through a successful case where the odds were stacked against success and seeing them thrive in recovery.
- What or who makes you smile?
My family