When we look back on 2023, it was an eventful year at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, with many joyful moments and happy tears. As we move into 2024, we are grateful to have you joining us and are excited to share more stories in the upcoming year.
We want to take this opportunity to spotlight one of our previous clinic directors, Dr. Julia Whittington. She has recently retired from the College of Veterinary Medicine, where her most recent position was Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Assistant Dean for Clinical Services. However, Dr. Whittington established many milestones and made significant contributions as the Wildlife Medical Clinic Director from 2001 to 2017. To help us get more insights into Dr. Whittington’s influence on students and the clinic, we reached out to Dr. Nicki Rosenhagen, one of her former students and previous student manager of the Wildlife Medical Clinic.
Dr. Rosenhagen received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or DVM, in 2015 from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently the wildlife veterinarian at PAWS Wildlife Center, which is in Lynwood, Washington. While at the University of Illinois, she worked closely with Dr. Whittington first as a clinic co-manager during her time in vet school and then as an intern after completing her DVM. During our talk, she shared some heartwarming and uplifting stories that showcase Dr. Whittington’s lasting impact on her students.
One of the heartfelt memories that Dr. Rosenhagen shared is a surgery case of a Barred owl with a humeral fracture (broken wing). Under Dr. Whittington’s guidance, she practiced surgical and suturing techniques, a rare opportunity for students to experience. Dr. Whittington was a veterinarian, but she was also a great teacher that loved to involve students in these complicated cases. She guided her students through every step, pushing them to become independent and gain clinical confidence. For Dr. Rosenhagen, Dr. Whittington was also the person who helped pave her career path and was very interested in setting her up for success. “She is an amazing mentor: a present, great teacher, and interested in making students learn,” said Dr. Rosenhagen. Inspired by the mentorship from Dr. Whittington, she is now a great mentor herself.
Dr. Whittington’s inspiration goes beyond the clinical setting; she also has had a huge impact on the growth of the College of Veterinary Medicine, especially the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Without her efforts, the clinic wouldn’t be what it is today. Her efforts in advocating wildlife medicine and her outstanding leadership have put our Wildlife Medical Clinic on the map. The community began to recognize the services and responded well in helping to provide support to our local wildlife. Dr. Rosenhagen shared that “… she (Dr. Whittington) sped up the process of making the clinic what it is today.”
Through Dr. Rosenhagen, we see Dr. Whittington’s work ethic, burning passion, and compassion. She set the example of “when you set your mind to do something, you show up.” She made a lasting impact on the students she worked with, and those students will continue to influence other students with the lessons they learned from Dr. Whittington.
While we are sad to see Dr. Whittington leave, we also want to congratulate her on her retirement and give one last THANKS for everything she did for the Wildlife Medical Clinic and for the College of Veterinary Medicine!
Interviewed and Written by YiYing, Class of 2026
