The Road Less Traveled

Jeff Studer, DACVO

Dr. Jeff Studer, DACVO

Less than 3 months ago, I was named Hospital Director of the Boren Veterinary Medical Hospital at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. This move surprised many people, including myself at times. You see, May 6, 2006 - the day I received my DVM from Oklahoma State - was the last day of my academic career prior to this move. Following graduation, I performed a small animal rotating internship at Florida Veterinary Specialists prior to my 3 year private-practice ophthalmology residency at The Animal Ophthalmology Clinic (AOC) in Dallas, Texas. Following residency, I stayed on board at AOC for another 5 years. In 2015, my family and I were led to Oklahoma City for me to become the second ophthalmologist at BluePearl Veterinary Partners, one of a group of many corporately-owned multi-specialty and emergency practices. Little did I know, 6 months later, I would become the Medical Director of that practice. The leadership and administrative experience that I gained over the next two and a half years opened the door for my current position.

The most common question I receive about the jump into my current role is, “Aren’t you going to miss seeing eye cases”? To be honest, probably. The good news is that I do still get to see a few cases. The most difficult part is thinking about the twenty-five years of education and training it took to become a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. However, that training and experience is not lost. Every bit of it was necessary to prepare me for this position. While I may not directly treat pets and interact with clients every day, I feel that this role allows me to enhance even more lives on a daily basis. Veterinary ophthalmology paved the way for this incredible adventure!