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Alumni Spotlight: Yasmeen Prud'homme ’12, Zoo Veterinarian

French Canadian Yasmeen Prud’homme ’12 spends her days with rhinos, parrots, and gorillas. As a veterinary resident at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, she specializes in the medical care of wild animals. In 2008, Yasmeen arrived at Graded after having lived in Canada and the United Kingdom. After high school, she enrolled at the University of Montreal, where she earned a doctorate and master’s degree in veterinary medicine. 

In this month’s "Alumni Spotlight," Yasmeen discusses examining macaw chicks in the Peruvian Amazon, the role soccer has played in her life since Graded, and her upcoming backpacking trips. 


Why did you decide to become a veterinarian? 

Working with animals has always been my dream. I grew up absolutely enamored with them. As a child, I would spend hours catching frogs near my grandpa’s lake house in Canada. Upon moving to Brazil, I was thrilled to see marmosets [small primates] in my backyard. 

Veterinary medicine appeals to my nerdy side! I love puzzles and challenges, so I enjoy interpreting bloodwork and coming up with treatment plans. And because the medical field is constantly evolving due to advances in technology, drug development, and the discovery of new diseases, I am continuously learning. 

Veterinarians have to be very active, which also appeals to me. As a vet, I am on my feet a lot and am constantly using my hands to draw blood, conduct physical exams, and perform surgery. I am also drawn by the ever-changing nature of the job. In veterinary medicine (and especially in zoo medicine), every day is unlike every other, and clinicians work with an incredible variety of species. During high school, I had the opportunity to shadow several veterinarians in various fields, which convinced me that my childhood dream was a great career option for me. 


Before vet school, you worked at a research center for wild parrots in the Peruvian Amazon. Tell us more about that. 

I had the incredible opportunity of volunteering at the Tambopata Research Center in the Peruvian Amazon. The center is a long-standing field laboratory where scientists convene to study wild macaw species in the jungle. It’s a remote building, an eight-hour boat ride from the closest city. While I was there, I was tasked with examining macaw chicks to study their development and evaluate their health. To reach the nests, I had to ascend 30-40 m trees by hoisting myself up the trunks with a rope and clamp. Once level with a nest, I would help descend the chick to solid ground to measure each bird, listen to its lungs and heartbeat, examine its mouth and eyes, and check it for parasites before returning it to its nest. I also spent a lot of time observing the adult macaw population and recording the amount of time they spent on different activities. The whole experience taught me that I really enjoy fieldwork and value conservation efforts! 

Yasmeen ascending a tree in the Amazon


Much of the information gathered from animals in the wild is essential to provide adequate care for animals in captivity. It is especially important for the care of endangered animals. That knowledge can help improve zoo animals’ nutrition and health. 

Currently, as a zoo vet, I work with organizations like the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which aims to help zoos maintain healthy and genetically diverse animal populations to help ensure their long-term sustainability in captivity and potentially in the wild. 


What does a residency in zoo medicine entail?

In vet school, the curriculum mostly focuses on the care of domestic animals like cats, dogs, and horses, and there are very few classes pertaining to the care of exotic species. So vets interested in working with wild animals—of which there are thousands of species, each with their own anatomy, physiology, and set of diseases—need to gain experience beyond university. To become a specialist in zoological medicine, I am completing a three-year residency program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. My residency also includes some rotations at other zoos around the world so I can gain experience working with specific animal groups, such as marsupials and marine mammals. 


What is a typical day like for you? 

There are no typical days in zoo medicine, which is one of the reasons I love it so much! A day can start off with a routine examination of a geriatric monkey and end with emergency surgery on an injured flamingo. My work includes a lot of preventative care as well as the diagnosis and treatment of sick individuals. The other day, I did a full examination on a stingray that was being transferred to another facility; soon after that, I checked up on a langur [primate] that was recovering from tumor-removal surgery. It’s impossible to predict what each day will be like for me!

Being a zoo veterinarian also involves establishing diagnostic and quarantine procedures for animals that are being transferred to my zoo, keeping up with new research, teaching visiting veterinary students, and writing lots of medical records.


What do you enjoy most about zoo medicine, and what do you find most challenging? 

I adore so many things about my job! I love working through the challenges of caring for diverse animals with distinct needs. In different species, the efficacy of a medication may vary greatly, a single disease may present with dissimilar symptoms, and the same procedure may need to be conducted differently. For example, anesthetizing a rhino is very different from anesthetizing a parrot. (When treating a rhino, you need to think about how to prevent nerve and muscle damage that can occur in such a heavy animal after lying down for an extended period, and you have to ensure that the rhino is at a plane of sedation that is safe for both itself and the people around it. And when treating a bird, you must consider its unique respiratory anatomy and fast metabolism.)

There is also some guesswork involved in the care of wild animals. For instance, you might have to base your treatment of a gazelle on published information about domestic ruminants like cows, which might not apply so well. But, because the scientific literature is insufficient, there is a rewarding opportunity to contribute to research and improve medical care for a species.

Yasmeen drawing blood from a caiman


When you're not working, how do you spend your free time? 

I love to hike! Whenever I can get some time off, I travel to a new hiking destination. I recently visited the Huayhuash mountain range in Peru, and I am currently planning backpacking trips to Colorado and Tasmania. I’m also on a recreational soccer team and enjoy cooking. I regularly shop at a nearby farmers' market for seasonal produce and love trying out new recipes. 


In 2008, you moved to Brazil for high school. What are your best memories of Graded?

Being a student at Graded was a phenomenal experience! I enjoyed all of my amazing extracurricular activities, especially the sports. I was on the varsity soccer and futsal teams, and the practices, games, and tournaments are some of my fondest memories of my time in Brazil. I also really enjoyed the CWW (Classroom without Walls) trips. Exploring a new region in Brazil for a whole week every year was tremendous. But the best thing about Graded was the people, some of whom are still in touch. 

Yasmeen at the Big 8 soccer tournament


Which Graded teacher(s) influenced you the most?

One who really stood out was Ms. Bree, my soccer coach. She taught me so much about perseverance and teamwork, and her passion for soccer was infectious! I have never been a great soccer player, but because of Ms. Bree’s influence, soccer has remained a constant in my life since Graded. I continued playing throughout college and graduate school, and I still play recreational soccer here in Chicago. Soccer has helped me feel at home in every city where I've lived.

My chemistry teacher, Mr. Stevens, gave me tremendous support when I expressed an interest in taking an advanced chemistry course. He helped me find and enroll in a good online class that fit my school schedule. That kind of care and commitment from teachers is what makes Graded such an incredible place. 

Yasmeen’s Graded soccer team at the Big 8 tournament


How did your experiences in England and Brazil affect your perspective when you moved back to Canada? 

Living abroad definitely broadened my horizons and made me more adaptable. Because of my international experiences, I’m not afraid of moving to new places and making new friends. I am much more willing to take risks and step outside my comfort zone than I would have been had I not lived abroad, and that willingness has really helped me professionally. For example, because of my previous experiences, I was eager to participate in externships in different states and countries, which allowed me to learn from different specialists with wildly different backgrounds. Over the years, my studies have taken me to Quebec, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, California, Peru, and Guatemala. Oh, and my time in Brazil also helped me develop a knack for picking up new languages!


 

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