Rachel Brady, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
PhD Student
A gift from my grandmother set my career in motion. She gave me the James Herriot books when I was just a young child. Reading them convinced me I wanted to have some kind of career that involved animals.
I grew up in Nanuet, New York – a suburb just North of the city. As early as I can remember, I frequently tried to convince my parents to let me keep snails, bugs, and eventually small animals. I had varying successes but that didn’t stop me from asking about every creature I found.
After high school, I majored in philosophy at a small college in Pennsylvania, then joined the United States Peace Corps. After a couple of years abroad, I returned to the United States. In need of a job, I found one cleaning kennels at a veterinary hospital. I was reminded of my desire to have a career with animals. I eventually became a licensed veterinary technician, and then completed my prerequisites at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY. I attended vet school at UC Davis and then completed a rotating internship at NC State. After my internship, I returned to UC Davis where I finished a medical oncology residency.
A deep desire to discover better therapies led me to Colorado State University to pursue oncology research. I am a PhD student in Dr. Doug Thamm’s Cancer Biology and Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory. The majority of my time here is spent between research and classes.
In the lab, we’re largely focused on novel therapeutics for cancer. I am working on therapies that target macrophages in cancer. I’m invested in this project because of my clinical background. I am committed to finding new mechanisms for treatment and therapy options for our patients. My research is an amazing intersection between what I see in the clinic and the ideas I have for treatments.
Nearly all species get cancer if they live long enough, and unfortunately, so many of us have lost someone to cancer. I’m drawn to this work because it’s such a universal experience. Here at the FACC, I’m learning from people at the forefront of veterinary oncology research, and together, we’re working toward many new and improved treatments.
When I’m not in school or the lab, I enjoy spending time with my partner and kids. We’re new to Colorado, and we’re enjoying exploring this beautiful state. We have one old lab, Harriet, and two cats – Zeddicus and Aspen.
I also work one day a week at Four Seasons Veterinary Specialists as a medical oncologist to keep my clinical skills sharp and remind myself why I do this research.