September 2022 ABI Alum Spotlight: Kimberly Aguirre

Hello ABI Majors! My name is Kimberly Aguirre, I graduated from UCD in spring 2022 as an Animal Biology major with a minor in Public Health Sciences. As part of my practicum, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Alda Pires in her Food Safety and Urban Agriculture lab, under the Department of Population Health & Reproduction at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. My project was on comparing fecal microbiomes in grazed and ungrazed sheep, and seeing if there were any associated changes in food-borne pathogen-shedding. Since this was my first time engaging with research, I was glad that the ABI Major provided lots of resources for structuring my project, setting expectations with my mentor, and creating my practicum report.This positive experience has motivated me to pursue research in the future, particularly through the Master's in Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) program at UC Davis.

I applied to veterinary schools during my junior year, and am excited to share that I was accepted to and will be joining the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine class of 2026 as a dual-degree DVM/ MPVM student. I plan to pursue livestock medicine, and my overall goal is to eventually become a public health veterinarian/ veterinary epidemiologist working with major public health and agriculture agencies, such as the USDA, WHO, and CDC. My experience with research during my practicum, as well as the ABI curriculum, have provided me with foundational knowledge and wide-ranging skills that I can utilize to address complex issues that impact human, animal, and environmental health. I am truly grateful to have received support from Dr. Pires, Dr. Kimsey, Elvira, and the rest of the ABI advising team.