Bridging Gaps In Veterinary Medicine: Texas A&M Gains New Food Animal Faculty Member
Story by Sophie Cela
Photos by Nadya Pichkasova
In his new role as a clinical assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Dr. Jake Trautmann brings a passion for mentorship, a deep appreciation for livestock health, and a philosophy centered on critical thinking and adaptability.
Through teaching, clinical service, and research, the food animal veterinarian hopes to bridge gaps in the field while inspiring future veterinarians to approach every animal and every challenge with confidence.
His Path To Veterinary Care
Trautmann grew up in a family where service was second nature. His parents started a greyhound rescue, and as the youngest of seven, he watched his older siblings pursue careers in healthcare and education.
“We had upwards of several dozen greyhounds over the course of my childhood,” Trautmann said. “We also had family members who owned cattle, so I’ve always wanted to work with animals.”
That early sense of purpose led him to Texas A&M, where he pursued his undergraduate degree in production animal science. During one of his courses, Trautmann met Dr. Chad Paulk, a clinical assistant professor of swine nutrition and production, who introduced him to the field that would define his future career.
Paulk not only became a mentor but also connected Trautmann to a summer job on a pig farm in Indiana — an experience that left a lasting impression.
“I had a great time and, honestly, almost quit undergrad to continue working there,” Trautmann said. “You see these tiny piglets, eight to 12 per litter, and in just a few weeks, right before your eyes, they’re 30 to 40 pounds. You get this sense of accomplishment because you helped them get there.”
While looking for a job after graduation, Trautmann began mowing lawns at Ten West Bird and Animal Hospital — until Dr. Barbara Powers, the hospital’s owner, discovered he had a degree in production animal science and offered him a technician position.
Over the next few years, Powers saw his potential and encouraged him to think bigger.
“She told me, ‘This shouldn’t be your last stop. You should keep pursuing education. I think you’d be a great veterinarian,’” Trautmann said. “After that conversation, almost out of the blue, Ross University sent me a flyer for their veterinary school.”
Pursing His Degree
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, located on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, brought Trautmann both challenges and clarity.
“When my first exam grades came back, I didn’t do that well,” Trautmann said. “But I knew my first priority was vet school, so I buckled down.”
Over time, he found his rhythm and started leaning into his enduring interest in swine medicine — and discovering how few others shared it.
“I assumed there would be a group of students interested in pigs, but that wasn’t the case,” Trautmann said. “I joined the swine club, but most of the people in it didn’t view pigs as their career path.”
At Ross, DVM students complete their fourth-year clinical training at other veterinary schools, and when it was time to rank schools for his final year, Trautmann was told that Iowa State had a large focus on swine.
“Unfortunately, there weren’t a whole lot of people focused on swine at Iowa State either,” Trautmann said. “It was surprising how few people, from my perspective, focus on swine, considering pigs are a major food-producing species. I figured that needed to be my responsibility.”
From Student To Veterinarian
Trautmann’s time at Iowa State coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that his clinical rotations were partially or completely online. As a result, when he graduated and didn’t feel confident in his “practice-readiness,” he was advised by a professor to pursue a veterinary internship.
Texas A&M was at the top of his list — not only because he was familiar with the campus but because he constantly heard of the quality of mentorship and community it offered — and he was accepted for a large animal rotating internship with a food animal emphasis.
The experience marked the beginning of his transition from a student to a practicing veterinarian and helped him gain confidence by working with multiple specialties, assisting senior clinicians with emergency cases, and teaching fourth-year veterinary students.
“It used to make me nervous when we’d get certain emergency calls — like a septic calf — and I’d always question my skills,” Trautmann said. “Over time, I got to the point where I could easily recognize what was making the animal sick, what it needed, and how to help it recover.”
After his internship year, Trautmann remained at Texas A&M for an internal medicine residency, through which he worked more independently, deepened his diagnostic expertise, and took on more professional responsibilities.
Teaching The Next Generation
Now, as a clinical assistant professor, Trautmann devotes much of his time to coordinating and teaching lectures and labs for first- through third-year students, equipping them with the foundational skills they’ll need for their fourth-year clinical rotations. He hopes to encourage students to find value in every area of veterinary medicine, regardless of their intended specialty — a lesson he learned during his own training.
“During my first five semesters in veterinary school, there was a huge focus on small animals,” Trautmann said. “I don’t mind working with small animals, but it definitely wasn’t why I went to vet school. Still, I valued that training and have tried to use it to improve my approach to large animal medicine.
“I want to instill in my students that being a veterinarian isn’t just about working with small or large animals; you have to be prepared to treat a variety of animals,” he said. “Disasters happen — like severe flooding in Texas — and you have to ask yourself, ‘what would I be comfortable doing?’ If you embrace every part of veterinary medicine, there’s little you’ll be uncomfortable with.”
Trautmann will also mentor interns and residents, helping them navigate difficult cases and refine their clinical judgement, and continue providing clinical care, primarily handling emergency and critical care cases for food animals at the Large Animal Teaching Hospital.
Looking Ahead
Although he’s still settling into his new role and awaiting his board-certification exam, Trautmann is excited for the future.
Beyond teaching and clinical duty, he hopes to pursue some of his research interests, including exploring new ways to preserve rumen fluid for microbiome transplants in cattle and pancreatitis’ potential role in unexplained gastrointestinal disease in pigs.
“I think there’s a lot more to learn about digestive health in livestock,” Trautmann said. “If we can better understand what’s going on internally, we can improve care for these animals and outcomes for producers.”
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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 X.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
