By: Vivian Lee
During March of 2022, I had the immense pleasure of travelling to Santiago Atitlán,
Guatemala, a small mountain city located near Lake Atitlán, a massive volcanic crater in
Guatemala’s southwestern highlands, as part of the FARVets Program. FARVets is a non-profit
organization dedicated to planning, organizing, and implementing sterilization clinics to assist
animal welfare groups abroad. As part of this program, I worked closely with Fantasma Animal
Rescue, a local organization in Lake Atitlán that focuses on animal rescue, spay and neuter
clinics, and vaccinations. There is a historically high number of stray animals in Atitlán,
Guatemala with animals having a few familiar faces in their lives but not being provided the
proper nutrition and veterinary care needed to thrive. Many of these animals will go from
restaurant to restaurant in search of food, and at the end of the day they have no home to go
to.
Due to the overpopulation of animals, many of them are susceptible to disease, injuries,
and malnutrition. During the clinic, I performed multiple wellness procedures such as physical
exams, vaccinations, dewormings, topical parasite control, and other medical procedures as
necessary as possible. In addition, I performed my first ovariohysterectomies and castrations
with veterinary supervision, as well as assist with anesthesia and the recovery of the patients.
By offering these free veterinary services, our team was able to help hundred dogs in getting
the veterinary care and attention they need to ensure that the population is left healthier and
happier. Since I have limited amount of small animal clinical experience, being able to improve
on my surgical skills in addition to animal restraint, drawing blood, giving IV medications, and
placing catheters made me significantly more confident in my abilities and will surely help my
future career as a clinician.
I was lucky enough to attend this location in Guatemala, which has more than 20 Mayan
ethnic groups and is most notably home to the Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel people. This town is rich
in Mayan culture and is known for textiles, ceramics, holistic therapies, and other handmade
crafts made by the locals. As an advanced Spanish speaker, it was an honor to be able to speak
to the local people in Spanish and help translate many of the veterinary medical terms so that
they could understand what procedures we were performing and answer any questions they
had. As a second-generation Cuban Chinese American, it was invaluable to experience their
culture and see how open they were to helping their animals and giving them a better chance
at life. Being that this was the first time I had travelled internationally since COVID, it was a very
eye-opening experience and really helped bring perspective into my life that I still take along
with me today.
One of the most important missions of this trip for me was to help educate the local
citizens and pet owners of common canine and feline health issues. This ensures that we not
only leave the animals we treated in good condition, but by making locals aware of common
health issues and the importance of veterinary care, we will indirectly help other animals in the
future. A wonderful opportunity I was given as part of FARVets was to visit a local children’s
school about a 5-minute walk from the clinic location, and we spoke to the kids about the basic
needs of animals, what the clinical signs of rabies are and what to do when they see a dog with
rabies, and what a veterinarian’s role is. Many of them were eager to learn more, ask
questions, and engage with us. I left feeling like we had made a very positive impact on the
community and sparked better relationships for the next time the program visits Santiago.
Finally, not only did I gain many skills, but also I gained a family. Although we had only
spent one week together, we spent the entirety of our long days working hard in the clinic and
learning a lot about one another. I had the pleasure of working with three incredible
veterinarians who put a lot into making it an unforgettable experience, and were extremely
patient and enthusiastic to teach us veterinary students. It really demonstrated to me what a
positive and healthy work culture is, and how much the time flies by when you are having fun.
The other Cornell veterinary students who were part of the trip, some of which whom I had
never spoken to, were so supportive, encouraging, and had a lot to teach me as well. I still hold
many of these people close to my heart, and look forward to hopefully working with them again
in the future.
I am forever grateful for my experience with FARVets and would highly recommend it to
anyone who is interested in pursuing an opportunity abroad that will change your life. I would
like to thank SAVMA’s Public Health and Community Outreach Committee (PHCOC) for
awarding me the Underserved Areas Grant to help offset the costs of this program. I would also
like to thank the following people for making my FARVets experience possible: Dr. Jesse
Navatta, Dr. Mark Fealey, Dr. Mariana Prado, Claudia Guinansaca-Aguilar, Emmy Luo, Stacy
Kaneko, Kaela Toback, Sandra Pinto, Sara Dutra, and Dr. Paul Maza.
About Vivian:
Vivian Lee (she/her) is a third-year veterinary student at Cornell University’s College of
Veterinary Medicine with a keen interest in conservation medicine and aquatics. She
has had various experiences at institutions including Mystic Aquarium, Mote Marine
Laboratory and Aquarium, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, University of Florida’s Tropical
Aquaculture Laboratory, and The Marine Mammal Center.
She currently serves as the SAVMA Delegate for Cornell University and the
International Exchange Officer-Elect for National SAVMA, representing veterinary
students on a national and international level. In her spare time, Vivian enjoys going on
hikes with her guide dog in-training, Siggy, as well as dancing and travelling.
Vivian is happy to speak with everyone (pre-vet students, vet students, and current
veterinarians), and you can connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-
marie-lee/
Monday, March 25, 2024 at 12:00PM 
Attending the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) Conference 2023 was one of the most impactful events that has shaped my career thus far. As an aspiring aquatic veterinarian, I have spent 6+ years dedicating myself to setting up a successful career path and partaking in as many opportunities possible. However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected many of the programs I participated in such as AQUAVET, externships, and especially, conferences. The 2023 IAAAM Conference was the first in-person conference held since COVID-19 and my first in-person IAAAM conference presentation. This conference hosts the most important people in this field and “founders” of marine mammal medicine, many of whom I made connections with at this event. In addition, I was able to network with prospective employers for internship and residency programs as well as meet interns/residents to discuss their experiences. By presenting my research, I shared knowledge with the community and discussed future research collaborations with other organizations. Attending the many research presentations and a “Marine Mammal Anesthesia” workshop taught by the founders of the specialty made for an unforgettable learning experience that I will certainly apply to my future career. Overall, attending this conference provided invaluable networking and learning opportunities but most importantly, it helped me confirm that this is the specialty I want to pursue and a community that I would like to remain a part of. Reminiscing on this experience continues to motivate and inspire me to pursue this career during difficult times. Thank you to SAVMA’s Education and Professional Development Committee for providing me with the Retrospective Conference Travel Grant so that I could partake in this memorable event!
