UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Aubrey Vena-Erisman, a 2018 alumna of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently returned to Pennsylvania to open a large animal veterinary clinic in her hometown of Johnstown.
“Opening my own large animal clinic is living out my dreams,” said Vena-Erisman, whose undergraduate major was veterinary and biomedical sciences. “I’m looking forward to improving the quality of life for food and farm animals and, in turn, for their humans, in Cambria County.”
Cambria Veterinary Care has been around for 10 years, but this new branch will provide additional access to veterinary services in West Taylor Township, explained Vena-Erisman. The clinic is a haul-in facility that offers preventive medicine, emergency intervention, reproductive care, diagnostic testing, and imaging and surgical procedures for large animals such as horses, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. The clinic also has a mobile unit for farm visits.
Vena-Erisman noted that one of her major initiatives will be educational opportunities for the surrounding community.
“Having a physical location like the haul-in facility presents the advantage of inviting groups such as 4-H, FFA and other local students for tours, hands-on educational experiences and presentations,” she said. “It also opens the doors to hosting students who are looking to gain experience in large animal veterinary medicine through job shadowing, internships and externships.”
Vena-Erisman earned her veterinary medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Her interest in pursuing veterinary medicine as a career stemmed from childhood experiences with both human and animal medicine. Her father is an orthopedic surgeon, and her mother is a veterinarian and fellow alumna of the College of Agricultural Sciences.
“Their examples in addition to growing up on our family beef farm made pursuing veterinary medicine a natural and deeply fulfilling choice for me,” she said.
Jody Kull, assistant teaching professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, said she is excited to see Vena-Erisman’s early career success as a new businesswoman serving the rural community of Cambria County.
“Aubrey exemplified our veterinary and biomedical sciences students and maintained her course load as a student-athlete,” Kull said. “After veterinary school, she completed a mixed animal veterinary internship in Texas and brought those skills back to Pennsylvania for this newest endeavor.”
During her undergraduate years at Penn State, Vena-Erisman was a member of the Pre-Vet Club and the Coaly Society. She also supported THON on the dancer relations committee and played ice hockey for the Penn State Women’s Ice Hockey Club.
“The Pre-Vet Club was formative for my progression through the rigorous undergraduate education required to get into vet school,” she said. “Through Pre-Vet and my veterinary and biomedical sciences major, I built the connections, support and lifelong friends required to be successful during applications, vet school and beyond.”
For Vena-Erisman, the hands-on experiences she cultivated during her time at Penn State created a crucial foundation for her career.
“The support and resources through the college helped me gain the skills and confidence needed to excel both in undergrad and through vet school,” she said. “I am grateful for the opportunities and mentorship that guided me toward achieving my career goals.”
Vena-Erisman acknowledged that large animal veterinary medicine is a challenging career but said she is looking forward to embracing the challenge.
“While the work can be demanding, it is incredibly rewarding and has an impact on your local community,” she said. “Your work will be vital in sustaining farms and ensuring the well-being of food animals, making a real difference for the ‘small guys’ who serve as the backbone of the agriculture community as a whole.”