--- title: VIN Foundation Zoom Webinar Registration ACVIM 10.21.26 --- [![VF_logo_horizontal_w_animals-1](https://info.vinfoundation.org/hubfs/VF_logo_horizontal_w_animals-1.svg "VF_logo_horizontal_w_animals-1")](http://vinfoundation.org) ## FREE WEBINAR: ### Climbing Mt. Debt for ACVIM Candidates: Navigating Student Loan Repayment as you move from resident to specialist #### Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - 5pm PT / 8pm ET Recent student loan changes and repayment uncertainty have made it more confusing than ever to choose a viable student loan repayment strategy during and after your training. Let’s discuss recent changes, who is affected, and the best available options for you to manage your loans as you move from resident to specialist. **Can't join in person?** By registering for this webinar you will receive the webinar recording with additional helpful tools and information. ![VIN Foundation Repay Wiser ACVIM](https://info.vinfoundation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/REPAY%20WISER%20acvim.png?width=1066&height=1066&name=REPAY%20WISER%20acvim.png "VIN Foundation Repay Wiser ACVIM") ### Brought to you by the VIN Foundation in collaboration with ACVIM, join Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA and Rebecca Mears, DVM, to learn how you can Repay Wiser! During the Climbing Mt. Debt session for ACVIM Candidates, we will approach student loans clinically, like any complex medical case. We start with a good “history” (recent happenings and changes), perform a thorough “physical exam” of your student loans, determine your “IDR Profile,” and then use our findings to create a “treatment” plan (repayment strategy) for a variety of circumstances. **The objectives of the ACVIM Climbing Mt. Debt session include:** - Student loan consolidation or refinance: what’s the difference and why to avoid both - Recent student loan changes: Who is impacted and what do they mean for repayment? - Income-Driven vs. Time-Driven repayment: Which is best and when? - Understanding PSLF: The quickest and cheapest way to eliminate your student loans - Post-training and specialist loan repayment strategies **BONUS:** Those who attend this session live will be eligible for 2 CE credits. The VIN Foundation respects your privacy. Your information will only be used to inform you about the VIN Foundation, and will never be shared or sold. Presenter: Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA ![Tony Hubspot profile](https://info.vinfoundation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Tony%20Hubspot%20profile.png?width=162&height=162&name=Tony%20Hubspot%20profile.png)Tony Bartels graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is an employee of the [Veterinary Information Network (VIN)](http://www.vin.com/). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on [veterinary student debt](https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-debt/), providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, their daughter Lucy, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie. Presenter: Rebecca Mears, DVM ![Becca headshot](https://info.vinfoundation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Becca%20headshot.png?width=162&height=162&name=Becca%20headshot.png)Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, and a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Rebecca started her career as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member, currently serving as a member of the AAEP DEI Committee. Her interest in student debt education began with keeping her own education costs lower and grew from there. This was supported by her involvement in the [Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA)](https://vbma.biz/)which she now gives back to as a National Advisor. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found obsessing over plants and hosting impromptu dance parties. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students.   Copyright © 2026 VIN Foundation. All Rights Reserved.