Anya Pamplona
Research Associate
Biorepository
I have loved animals for as long as I can remember. I grew up across the street from a dairy, and my grandma had horses, cats, and dogs. I was always happiest when I was out playing with them.
During college, I worked at a vet hospita and began volunteering with a local animal rescue..Spending my free hours caring for animals and connecting with their owners, further cemented my love for animals. After graduating from college, I taught history to high school students in the Bay Area for several years.
I loved teaching but it didn’t take long for me to realize I wanted to get back into a role that involved animals. I found a way to combine my two loveswhen I began working in environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation.. .
During this time, with a new found passion for nonprofit work, I pursued a Master’s in Public Administration. After finishing the program, I started a job working at the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. My role revolved around building an outreach program to help keep pets with their families. We did this by providing a myriad of services, one of which was affordable veterinarian care.
A move to Washington State brought me to a job at an animal shelter and wildlife rehab organization. In this role, I managed the companion animal adoption program and assisted with shelter operations. Working at the animal shelter was a good way to combine all my skills and passions.
When the pandemic hit, we decided to move to Colorado for a change of pace. Once settled in Fort Collins, I started working in the service excellence department as a clinical coordinator for the Dentistry and Oral Surgery service at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
When an opportunity to work in the biorepository opened, I knew it would be a good way for me to combine my experience in both nonprofit administration and veterinary care. In this role, I use my people skills, mixed with my program coordination skills, and my desire to help animals, at the same time.
As a research associate, my work involves interfacing with clients to help them understand the benefits of allowing their pet’s samples to be entered into the biorepository. As soon as they see the impact their pet can have on cancer research around the world, most are thrilled to participate.
I also help manage the database entry for each collected sample and follow up with patient outcomes. Another task I manage is organizing the internal and external requests for biorepository samples so that researchers can obtain the samples they need to study and develop new treatments for this deadly disease.
So many people, myself included, have had cancer touch their life. This role helps me be part of the solution in my own small way. I love that my job allows me the opportunity to work with andfor animals while playinga role in the fight against cancer.
When I’m not working, I love to hike, read, and bake. I share my home with my husband and four pets – Colby and Mango, both orange tabbies, Porter, a Pittie mix, and Kona, a Corgi.