Preceptor Profile - Western University of Health Sciences

GRADS IN THE FIELD“Grads in the Field” is a regular column in the Outlook. CVM alumni are encouraged to emailPaul Gordon-Ross, DVM, MS (pgordon@westernu.edu) sharing experiences from their first years as veterinarians.GROWING UP IN THESAN DIEGO AREA,AMBER ANDERSEN,DVM 2009, wasn’tone to shun thelimelight. Sheattended the SanDiego School ofPerforming andCreative Arts anddeveloped aninterest inentertaining. Butshe’d also decidedearly on that shewanted to be aveterinarian. So, afterobtaining her DVMlast year, Dr.Andersen opted tocombine her degreewith her love ofperforming byauditioning for a show about the human-animal bond on the newOprah Winfrey Network.Many shows on television today deal with animals, she explains,but few have a host who can speak from the standpoint of aveterinarian. So, she put together a professional audition tape for ashow she calls “Animal Dr. Amber.” As she says, “We have Dr. Phil forpsychology, Rachael Ray teaching us how to cook and Dr. Oztalking about human health. ‘Animal Dr. Amber’ will educate andentertain while exploring all aspects of the human-animal bond.”During the audition process, Dr. Andersen said she hoped such ashow would “increase the visibility of our profession in the mediaand give the public expert animal information. We will address allaspects of our relationships with animals. Topics will cover a widerange including pets, food animals, zoos, wildlife, marine life, publichealth and current events.”She submitted the video in May and online voting took place intoJuly. While Dr. Andersen’s show was not picked up as part of thelineup for the new network, which debuts on cable onJan. 1, 2011, she iscontinuing to pursueher love of mediaentertainment. Amember of VeterinaryNews Network, she is acertified veterinaryjournalist and has beenfeatured on severalradio interviews. Shealso is in the process ofputting together a webmagazine – a webizine– among her otherendeavors.She’s not one to sit still.Dr. Andersen earned anundergraduate degreefrom CaliforniaPolytechnic StateUniversity, San LuisObispo, and started inthe CVM in August2005. The next summer, she had the opportunity to visit SouthAfrica to interact with their wildlife. She also has worked withanimals and people in Native American tribes and rural areas ofMexico. While at WesternU, she served as the CVM’s studentrepresentative to the California Veterinary Medical Association in2006-2007. She also co-founded the university’s Disaster AnimalResponse Team, which aided victims of the 2007 SouthernCalifornia wildfires. She was recognized for her leadership byWestern Veterinary Conference and California Veterinary MedicalFoundation as a scholarship recipient. She completed externshipsat the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and the American VeterinaryMedical Association’s Washington, D.C., office.Dr. Andersen talks about the human-animal bond in this shot from her audition tape for theOprah Winfrey Network.After graduation, Dr. Andersen worked in small animal generalpractice and was offered a unique role developing the animalservices program for The Annenberg Foundation’s proposed publiceducation center in Los Angeles, a job she enjoys today.Amber Andersen, DVMClass of 2009To view Dr. Amber Andersen’s audition tape for “Animal Dr. Amber” or to find out more about her, log on to:www.facebook.com/animaldramberwww.youtube.com/user/AnimalDrAmber15