Tag: unique practitioner

Unlike many veterinarians, I did not grow up dreaming of being a veterinarian, even though I loved animals. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in psychology hoping to pursue a PhD and work with troubled adolescents. I soon realized I had little control over the parents who were an influential “issue” for the children, so I became discouraged with my career path.

I always wanted to be an ecologist—to study rainforests, birds, evolution, and animal behavior; write and teach about the amazing interconnections in nature; discover new species; combat deforestation; and maybe even save a species or two from extinction. I even completed a master’s research thesis on the ecology and evolution of birds in Costa Rica, but a few wonderful mentors before, during, and after graduate school ultimately led me to veterinary medicine and my position as a senior wildlife veterinarian at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

Going into veterinary school, I was excited to work with animals and their stewards—as are most of us who enter the veterinary profession. The thought of being a modern-day James Herriot who worked with “all creatures, great and small” was a driving force for my educational path and early career. My short, two-week rotation with the late Dr. Murray Fowler, head of the zoological medicine service at UC Davis opened my eyes to many zoological species. Everything was exciting and anything seemed possible!

As a practicing veterinarian in New York and Houston, two of the most diverse cities in the United States, I saw firsthand the disparities in veterinary patient care due to language barriers and cultural differences. Often, I was the only doctor—and the only person of color— in the practice. This disconnect with clients who were people of color directly changed patient care and the veterinary client- patient relationship.

The only occupation I ever remember wanting to do as I grew up other than a veterinarian was dolphin trainer. After I got a few more years under my belt, I realized that swimming with porpoises might not be the career for me, and instead I went to my “backup” career plan of veterinary medicine.

← Back to all posts When Opportunity Knocks: Unique Insights from a Public Health Veterinarian This article was originally printed in the January/February 2024 issue of the California Veterinarian magazine. I retired at the end of 2022 after having been an appointed deputy director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and leading the… Continue reading When Opportunity Knocks: Unique Insights from a Public Health Veterinarian