According to Lisa Bradley, DVM, "Veterinary medicine allowed me to earn a terminal degree in a field that I was most interested in. The doctoral degree opened for me endless career opportunities in higher education." Dr. Bradley's work as Assistant Dean in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) touches the lives of literally thousands of college students on a daily basis, guiding them in their academic development and career decisions.
Since 1999, Dr. Bradley has been responsible for Student Affairs in the college, a unit with more than 2,000 undergraduate students. Her office is responsible for orientation, advising, graduation and several types of academic support services. She teaches the University 101 class, which introduces first year students to university life and prepares them for a successful four years. Dr. Bradley is also responsible for the college's Peer Mentors Program and serves as the colleges' contact point for all student programs on campus, including the College Park Scholars Program and the Premedical Advising Program.
Dr. Bradley's life in university administration, advising and teaching began when she received her undergraduate degree in physiology from the University of California at Davis in 1978. Entering college gave her the first sense of what she would do with her life. "I really enjoyed my college experience, the University and all the things that were happening there."
In 1982 she completed her veterinary medicine studies at UC-Davis. "I realized the possibility of a career in academia when I took a work-study position in Dr. Richard Yamamoto's research lab at the vet school," she remembers. Immediately after graduating from vet school, Dr. Bradley went to work for the California Department of Food and Agriculture as a Veterinary Medical Officer. Her interest in academia was satisfied two years later when, in 1984, she accepted an offer to move across the country to begin work at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, UMCP.
For six years, Dr. Bradley taught undergraduate anatomy courses and a graduate course in parasitology, conducted research on avian respiratory pathologies, and advised pre-veterinary medicine students. Dr. Bradley was also responsible for the college's recruitment of both high school and college students.
"I liked teaching and advising the best," remembers Dr. Bradley. This interest led her to her next challenge, in 1990, as a Premedical Advisor for the Health Professions Advising Office at UMCP. In 1995, she became the Assistant Director of the Law and Health Professions Advising Program, directing advising activities for all UMCP students contemplating applying to medical and dental school. She also served as faculty advisor for the Premedical Society, the Charles Drew Minority Premedical Society, and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society.
Her contributions to the fields of teaching and advising at the University of Maryland have been recognized over the years. In 1986, Dr. Bradley received the UMCP Innovative Teaching Award; in 1995, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs honored her with the Outstanding Contributions to Seniors Award; and in 2004 she was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. From 1996 through 1998, Dr. Bradley was the President of the Northeastern Association of the Advisors for the Health Professions, and she continues to serve as a National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions Liaison to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.
Working in academia was a natural fit for this veterinary professional. "Helping young people achieve their career and life goals," she says, "is what I appreciate the most about my career."