NASA Veterinarian Gives Advice on Veterinary
Career
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Pet Column for the week of March 8, 1999
Office of Public Engagement
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
Urbana, Illinois 61802
Phone: 217/333-2907
By Sarah Probst
Information Specialist
University of Illinois
College of Veterinary Medicine
"I went into veterinary medicine because I loved biology. I still do. I have an utter
fascination with things that are alive," says Dr. Joseph Bielitzki, a 1976 graduate of the
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana and chief veterinary officer
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
"The cell, as simple as it may seem, is so wonderfully complex. The idea that cells are
packaged into a multicellular organism capable of movement, directed activity,
reproduction, and growth continues to be an inspiration."
Dr. Bielitzki will be in Urbana on April 10 to speak at the "Animals Among Us" symposium,
held this year in conjunction with annual Veterinary Medicine Open House to celebration
the 50th anniversary of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The public is invited to this free
event at 2 pm in Foellinger Auditorium. Dr. Bielitzki and Mr. Roger Caras, president
emeritus of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, will speak about
the human-animal bond and other ways people and animals interact.
"I thought about being a physician," says Dr. Bielitzki, "but the feeling among medical
students was different, and I finally decided that an equal societal contribution comes from
caring for animals, since they help make people truly happy and contented. Veterinary
medicine is a significant and special way to work."
Dr. Bielitzki originally intended to be a companion animal veterinarian, but he kept an open
mind about his career. En route to his present position, he worked as a zoo veterinarian and
later as a laboratory animal veterinarian specializing in primates.
Dr. Bielitzki has had some amazing experiences associated with his present position-chief
veterinary officer at NASA. He coordinated the development of NASA's bio-ethical
principles for using animals in research; visited secret Russian military installations; traveled
across remote frozen tundra to help recover the Bion XI capsule that carried two Rhesus
macaques in space for 14 days; and worked with the space shuttle crew that took 192
rodents, 229 swordtails, 4 toadfish, assorted snails and crickets, and a veterinarian into
orbit for 17 days last spring.
Dr. Bielitzki believes that future veterinary students should consider certain principles and
values before jumping into the four-year program. "There are a lot of unpleasant activities
associated with being a veterinarian: death, disease, grief, failure, seeing people make poor
decisions for their pet, cruelty-which is more often stupidity-and lots of work with
compensation that is not on par with other health professionals with terminal degrees."
When Dr. Bielitzki decided to enter veterinary medicine, he admits that he didn't consider
any of the above. "I went into school with optimism and blind faith that everything would
work out. It did. I also would not quit pursuing my objectives. Veterinary school is
competitive, and I did not get in the first time-or the second. But now, 23 years after
graduation, I love the profession and have fond memories of my classmates, faculty, and
school."
He encourages present and future veterinary students to keep an open mind about their
career. "I don't know if careers, or life for that matter, can ever really be planned.
Veterinary medicine offers so much variety in work and professional activities. Probably the
single most important thing is not to close any doors or think it is too late to change. I keep
changing direction. It broadens your knowledge and understanding of the profession."
Anyone interested in learning more about the veterinary profession-or simply interested in
animals-will enjoy the April 10 Open House. The free activities run from 9 am until 4 pm at
the College of Veterinary Medicine, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue in Urbana.
Second-year veterinary student Steve Haase, of Gilman, Illinois, went to Open House with
his family when he was in eighth grade. "I was already confident that I wanted to be a
veterinarian at that time, and I went away from Open House with enthusiasm and with no
doubt left in my mind that the veterinary profession was the right one for me. I saw many
exciting opportunities and soaked up a wealth of information from the exhibits at Open
House."
Lisa DeYoung, a veterinary student from Lansing, Illinois, always looked forward to the
Open House when she was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois. "I'd go with a
bunch of friends. I loved being able to milk a cow and a goat and see the fistulated cow.
Those hands-on experiences were great. It was fun to look in the labs and try to figure out
where my classes would be. Open House made me think that vet school would be pretty
awesome," she recalls.
For more information about Open House or admission to the College of Veterinary
Medicine, visit the College's web site at www.cvm.uiuc.edu.