Graduating Texas A&M Student Pursues Passion For Science Through Veterinary Medicine, Public Health

Story by Courtney Price, VMBS Marketing & Communications

April 29, 2025

Growing up in Corpus Christi around his family’s many chickens and fish tanks, fourth-year veterinary student Luke Gibson has always been fascinated by the relationship that people have with their animals. 

Now in the final semester of his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, Gibson is preparing for a career that combines veterinary medicine and public health — a path inspired by his experiences in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology (VPHE) dual degree program, which allows DVM students to simultaneously gain a master’s degree in public health.

“My interests were always in science and understanding how things work,” said Gibson, who was part of the dual program’s inaugural cohort. “To me, the biggest mystery of all was biological things and understanding how bodies function. But I’m also very passionate about science having a practical application that helps someone, which is what led me to veterinary medicine.”

Thanks to opportunities like the DVM-VPHE dual degree program, Gibson has found a way to combine his love for helping people and animals with a passion for science.

“After spending some time honing my clinical skills, I plan to transition to a career in zoonotic disease control. What appeals to me the most is outbreak investigation, where you try to trace an outbreak back to its source,” he said. 

Combining Science And Service

Gibson’s interest in veterinary medicine was partly inspired by his family, who have spent a decade raising chickens for 4-H programs.

“Even from a young age, I saw the connections that people have with their animals, and I knew I wanted to do something that could help people through their animals,” he said. “Taking care of an animal — something that is separate from us but needs our care and attention — is a beautiful thing.”

Gibson began pursuing his interest in veterinary medicine at Texas State University, where he majored in animal science as part of a pre-vet program. He shadowed veterinarians at clinics, where one thing that stood out to him was Texas A&M’s reputation within the veterinary community.

“Having lived in Texas all my life, I knew the academic reputation of the Texas A&M veterinary program,” he said. “But what made a difference was the amount of joy that people had when talking to me about going there. Seeing the amount of care that these people had for their jobs and for taking care of people and animals, I could trust that Texas A&M really cared about their students.”

Discovering A Passion For Public Health Medicine

Not long after being accepted to the VMBS’ DVM program, Gibson received an email letting him know about the brand new dual degree VPHE program.

“When I saw that email, I realized that public health was really an extension of why I was coming to vet school in the first place,” he said. “As soon as I took my first statistics course, everything connected for me, because it’s math but with an application that means something and helps people. I realized that this would be a way to reach even more people.”

Gibson is now among the first of only four DVM students to graduate from the DVM-VPHE dual degree program, giving him a unique perspective on the veterinary school experience.

“Everyone who goes into veterinary medicine has a different interest, and it was unique to spend time with three other people who were also interested in public health,” he said. “We all worked really closely together and with our professors to help figure out what the program would look like. I appreciate how much feedback the professors asked for, because it was clear that they really wanted to make sure we got the best experience possible.

“I learned more than I ever thought I would through the VPHE program,” he said. “From mathematical modeling, to parasites and wildlife, to learning how to set up a bird net in the courtyard with Dr. Sarah Hamer, it opened my eyes to a lot of different things.”

An Appreciation For The Details

While working in public health may be his ultimate goal, Gibson is still passionate about helping people and animals in a clinical setting.

“Even if I do go into the policymaking or regulation side of medicine, it’s critical that I understand what it looks like on the front lines,” he said. “Local veterinarians are the ones out there seeing patients, so they play a big role in how disease outbreaks get reported. I also just really enjoy talking to clients, and I think I’ll always want to keep doing some kind of medical practice.”

While completing his fourth year in the DVM program, Gibson was able to transfer his scientific precision to things like surgery, where attention to detail is vital for success.

“One of my most prized experiences was being involved with a case where a patient had an arterio-venous malformation (AVM). He essentially had extra vessels coming from his aorta and feeding into other veins. After a seven-hour procedure, we were able to close off the extra vessels and restore normal blood function,” Gibson said.

“What was so exciting was the rarity of the condition, which I don’t believe had previously been treated at Texas A&M,” he said. “In fact, the patient was initially recommended to the Animal Medical Center in New York, where they are more familiar with AVMs. I got to work alongside an incredibly skilled and knowledgeable team at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital as they navigated an unfamiliar condition. I’ve even continued to follow the patient’s progress, and they are doing very well.”

Gibson’s eye for detail has even helped him discover new hobbies, like assembling and painting model ships.

“I really enjoy getting to practice precision work with my hands,” he said. “Assembling model ships involves a lot of intricate work, including the gluing and painting.”

He’s also found ways to build teamwork with fellow veterinary students thanks to a shared love for collaborative video games and table-top games like Dungeons & Dragons.

“There’s something satisfying about setting a goal, researching how to get there, and then discussing it as a group,” he said.

Charting A Course Forward

With graduation just around the corner, Gibson is preparing to take the first steps into his new career. After graduation, he plans to work in small animal medicine for at least a few years to continue building his medical skills before transitioning to a role more directly tied to veterinary public health.

For Gibson, each experience from the last four years has only solidified that the path of veterinary medicine is the one he’s meant to be on.

“I go in every day and thoroughly enjoy what I do,” he said. “I’ve always told myself that if this is what I plan on doing for the rest of my life, it has to be something that I’m passionate about, some kind of work that I know will help animals and people other than myself. It’s about being their voice and advocating for them.”

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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216

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