Originally interested in human medicine, Dr. Payne decided to make the switch to veterinary medicine thanks to the influence of two other veterinarians in the family. He attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a major in Veterinary Biomedical Science and went on to pursue his DVM degree from a joint program with the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University. Dr. Payne has a particular interest in all kinds of surgery as well as cytology. In his free time, he enjoys dirt biking, wrenching on motorcycles, snowboarding and hiking with his partner, Patty, and their two Shiba Inu's, Sushi and Soba.