Source: Lisa Freeman, 785-532-4542, freeman@vet.k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/freemanbio.html
Prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
Monday, August 20, 2007
K-STATE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE PROFESSOR, ADMINISTRATOR GIVES CAREER TIPS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEW COLLEGE GUIDE
MANHATTAN -- A successful career in veterinary medicine has earned a Kansas State University professor and college administrator a spot in a new guide for high school students seeking information and advice on career paths.
K-State's Lisa Freeman, professor of pharmacology and associate dean of research and graduate programs at the College of Veterinary Medicine, is one of the individuals interviewed in Kaplan Publishing's 2008 edition of "You Are Here: A Guide to Over 380 Colleges & Unlimited Paths to Your Future."
The guide, to be released in September, names K-State as one of 25 "cutting-edge schools" in the nation because the university offers programs in many of the 50 hottest career choices today, as determined by surveys with prospective undergraduates across the country. K-State offers 250 majors and career options, including veterinary medicine, architecture, aviation, engineering, landscape architecture, chemistry, journalism, anthropology and education -- just some of today's most popular career choices, according to the guide.
The guide includes profiles on the 50 hottest career choices, with information on areas of specialty in each career, educational requirements, salary and more. Each career choice also includes interviews with five successful people in that career field.
Freeman said she was profiled in the guide to inform students about veterinary careers in biomedical sciences.
"Students who are interested in being veterinarians don't always realize that the profession offers many career opportunities outside of companion animal practice, in areas such as biomedical research, food supply medicine and public health," Freeman said. "K-State is a great place for veterinary students interested in these career pathways because of strong faculty mentors and student-centered professional development programs."
In her interview, Freeman also discusses what classes were most valuable in preparing her for her career, when she decided to become a veterinarian, what she finds most challenging about her job and gives some advice for young people considering becoming a veterinarian.
Freeman earned her doctor of veterinary medicine from Cornell University and a doctorate in pharmacology from Ohio State University. She has been an award-winning faculty member since joining K-State in 1994, including being named the Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of 2002 by the Association for Women Veterinarians, an award that recognizes special effort and achievement by a woman veterinarian in any area of veterinary medicine. She also participated in the American Council on Education Fellows Program in 2004, the most comprehensive leadership development program in American higher education today.
Along with her teaching and administrative duties, Freeman has served as a research mentor and role model for countless postdoctoral students, clinical residents and young faculty members. She became the director of mentored training for the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She was named to her current post in 2005, where she is responsible for supporting independent and collaborative research efforts of college faculty and trainees and advancing the research capabilities and reputation of the college through interactions with industry, government and commodity groups. Part of her responsibilities is coordinating the Veterinary Research Scholars Program. The annual summer training program provides 10 to 15 veterinary students from the U.S. and the world with biomedical research experience. Freeman also on the steering committee for K-State's Girls Researching Our World program, an initiative to enhance the interest of sixth- through eighth-grade girls in science, math, engineering and technology.