Dr. Leila Marcucci is an experienced avian veterinarian certified in Avian Practice with an interest in rabbit and rodent (guinea pigs, chinchillas, hamsters, rats...) medicine. Dr. Marcucci graduated from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. She is currently the owner of Bay Area Bird Hospital and serves as Vice President of the SF Veterinary Medical Association. Click to read more about Dr. Marcucci and her work with avian/exotics!
Q: What factors influenced your decision to pursue veterinary medicine as a career?
A: I didn't decide to pursue veterinary medicine until after I graduated from college. My undergraduate degree is in Marine Biology and although I loved learning about it I was never interested in research or becoming a professor. I spoke to several of my teachers about how they had found themselves in science at a university. One of them had decided against pursuing vet med and I realized how much that career appealed to me. After spending some time volunteering with local clinics I was convinced.
Q: What advice would you offer a pre-veterinary student interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine or in your specific specialty?
A: Get experience. Make sure this is the right career for you by working with a veterinarian. Right now there are a lot of veterinarians, the school debt is high and the salaries are comparatively low. So make sure this is the right choice for you.
Q How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
A: I wish I knew! I was a re-entry student who had a career in tech. I spent nights and weekends volunteering which may have showed my dedication. I came from a school that didn't provide grades so perhaps they enjoyed my 3 inch thick transcript? If I had to guess I would think that having a diverse background helped - that this wasn't a whim for me and I wasn't a starry-eyed youth who "had always wanted to be a vet".
Q: What are you passionate about in terms of your specialty in avian and exotic medicine?
A: I actually have a speciality in Avian Medicine (ABVP). I really enjoy working with these guys because it brings me a lot of joy. I can help them out on a basic level with diet, housing and environmental enrichment education. At the same time our medicine and surgery knowledge is expanding. Being able to treat or understand disease that previously was a mystery is a great feeling.
Q: What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
I hope they get out of it what they are hoping to…perhaps a better understanding that exotic medicine is their path - or not. Some of the best encounters I have had include learning that I really don't want to pursue career X or Y.
A: I didn't decide to pursue veterinary medicine until after I graduated from college. My undergraduate degree is in Marine Biology and although I loved learning about it I was never interested in research or becoming a professor. I spoke to several of my teachers about how they had found themselves in science at a university. One of them had decided against pursuing vet med and I realized how much that career appealed to me. After spending some time volunteering with local clinics I was convinced.
Q: What advice would you offer a pre-veterinary student interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine or in your specific specialty?
A: Get experience. Make sure this is the right career for you by working with a veterinarian. Right now there are a lot of veterinarians, the school debt is high and the salaries are comparatively low. So make sure this is the right choice for you.
Q How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
A: I wish I knew! I was a re-entry student who had a career in tech. I spent nights and weekends volunteering which may have showed my dedication. I came from a school that didn't provide grades so perhaps they enjoyed my 3 inch thick transcript? If I had to guess I would think that having a diverse background helped - that this wasn't a whim for me and I wasn't a starry-eyed youth who "had always wanted to be a vet".
Q: What are you passionate about in terms of your specialty in avian and exotic medicine?
A: I actually have a speciality in Avian Medicine (ABVP). I really enjoy working with these guys because it brings me a lot of joy. I can help them out on a basic level with diet, housing and environmental enrichment education. At the same time our medicine and surgery knowledge is expanding. Being able to treat or understand disease that previously was a mystery is a great feeling.
Q: What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
I hope they get out of it what they are hoping to…perhaps a better understanding that exotic medicine is their path - or not. Some of the best encounters I have had include learning that I really don't want to pursue career X or Y.