The College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Awards honor outstanding alumni for their significant contributions to biomedical research, medicine, public health, education, and veterinary medicine. Each year, recipients are selected by a college committee from nominations submitted by classmates, colleagues, peers, and family.
This year, the event will take place at 6 p.m. March 28, 2026, at the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center, celebrating the achievements of those who continue to make a lasting impact in their fields.
Distinguished Alumni Awardees
- Dr. Rena Carlson (’86 BS, ’89 DVM), former clinician, practice owner, and researcher; served as AVMA president
- Dr. Robert Olds (’64 BS, ’67 DVM), board certified orthopedic veterinary surgeon and veterinary professor
- Dr. Julia Oxford (’85 MS, ’86 PhD), biomedical researcher, distinguished professor and the Duane and Lori Steuckle Endowed Chair in Biology at Boise State University
- Dr. Pamela Tuomi (’70 DVM), veterinarian specializing in small animal practice, wildlife, exotics, and marine medicine; founder of College Village Animal Clinic
Dr. Rena Carlson (’86 BS, ’89 DVM)
Soon after graduating from WSU with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1989, Dr. Carlson’s veterinary career began in Pocatello, Idaho, at Alpine Animal Hospital, where she quickly became a co-owner and provided care to countless clients and animals over more than 30 years in practice.
Dr. Carlson also served as the attending veterinarian at Idaho State University’s (ISU) Animal Care Facility for 28 years and was recognized with the ISU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004.
Early in her career, she held leadership positions within the Idaho Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA), including president and board chair. She was recognized by the IVMA with the Veterinarian of the Year award in 2006.
She was also selected as Idaho’s delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) House of Delegates, a role she held for 10 years. She was later elected to the AVMA Board of Directors, eventually serving as vice chair and chair. She served as AVMA president July 2023 to July 2024.
After transitioning Alpine Animal Hospital to her associate veterinarians, Dr. Carlson provided relief veterinary services across southeast Idaho. She currently works for National Veterinary Associates as a general practice mentor and field medical partner supporting veterinary practices in Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
Dr. Carlson and her husband, Brad, raised two sons and are now proud grandparents who spend as much time as possible with grandson, Parker, and granddaughter, Hollis.
Dr. Robert Olds (’64 BS, ’67 DVM)
Dr. Olds earned his undergraduate degree from WSU and followed with his veterinary degree in 1967. He represented WSU in gymnastics and for three years was undefeated on the pommel horse in dual-meet competition and was twice Pacific Northwest champion. Dr. Olds and his wife, Janice, have created a small scholarship for first-year veterinary students.
Upon graduation, Dr. Olds completed an internship and residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York City before accepting a surgical staff position and teaching orthopedics to interns and residents for four years. In 1975 he became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and moved to Los Angeles to join a small animal general practice and shortly became a partner. He accepted a faculty position at Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 and was twice voted preceptor of the year by students. He maintained this position until his partial retirement in 2019.
He was an orthopedic editor for Dr. Joseph Bojrab’s surgical textbook, published a book and journal articles, and presented orthopedic seminars in 11 states. He was awarded the Don Mahn Award, the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association’s highest honor for achievements in veterinary medicine, and the Cortes/Lippincott Award for exceptional service to animals, humans, community service, and education. He served as president of the Association for Veterinary Orthopedic Research and Education, California Board of Governors, as a regent, and on the Examination Committee for the College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Dr. Julia Oxford (’85 MS, ’86 PhD)
Dr. Julia Oxford is a University Distinguished Professor and the Duane and Lori Steuckle Endowed Chair in Biology at Boise State University. She received her PhD from WSU in 1986 from the Biochemistry/Biophysics Program, with Dr. Lin Randall as her dissertation advisor. After postdoctoral fellowships in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Portland, Oregon, she was a visiting clinical professor in equine orthopedics at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
During her 26-year tenure at Boise State University, she has focused on skeletal development and rare disease research, funded by NIH, NASA, and NSF. Most recently, she has dedicated her efforts to establishing the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Matrix Biology to support workforce development, student success, career development for early-stage investigators, and research infrastructure growth for biomedical research.
Dr. Pamela Tuomi (’70 DVM)
Dr. Tuomi, who graduated from WSU with her DVM in 1970, developed her interest in wildlife and exotic animal medicine while working as a veterinary student and continued as a small animal practitioner and clinic owner in Anchorage, Alaska. During the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Wildlife Rehabilitation effort, Dr. Tuomi worked at Otter Rehabilitation Centers in Alaska as staff veterinarian responsible for medical care and monitoring of oil contaminated sea otters from capture through release.
Returning to companion animal practice, she remained active in ongoing marine mammal and bird research as a veterinary consultant for state and federal wildlife projects in Alaska and Canada and in development and publication of information related to marine animal medicine and oil spill rehabilitation. In 1977 she began full-time work as the staff veterinarian at the Alaska SeaLife Center supporting animal health and research projects until she transitioned in 2018 to her current emeritus position at ASLC.
She served on the executive board of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine from 2009 to 2018, including as president. Her fieldwork and publications have included sea otter, harbor and Weddell seal, Steller sea lion, and sea duck capture, surgery, health, and disease assessment and necropsy projects in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Antarctica.