Pulse - October 2023 - 8

SCVMA PROFILE
JIM BELL
JIM BELL
Robin Brogdon's Animal Health
Career 'Right Out of Nowhere'
W
hen Robin Brogdon finished
her education with
a BA degree in cultural anthropology
at the University of
Michigan and an MA degree in
organizational communication
and marketing from Eastern
Michigan U., she did not envision
a career in veterinary medicine.
" I had no idea there were careers in veterinary
medicine unless you were a veterinarian, "
she said. " The first part of my career was in
sports marketing. I worked for a professional
basketball team. I worked for a Big 10 athletic
department. And when I came to California, I
worked in the action sports industry. "
She and husband Tim loved rescuing dogs.
And not long after they were married, they
took their ailing " first adopted mutt " to their
primary care veterinarian, who diagnosed the
dog with lymphoma and referred them to an
oncology specialist.
" That was 25 years ago, right about the time
specialty medicine was starting to pop up in
major cities, " Robin said. " Our dog passed away
not long after he began treatment. But after he
died, the oncologist hired me. I landed in veterinary
medicine by accident. It came right out
of nowhere. "
Robin stepped into an interesting situation
to say the least. " I was the oncologist's first
administrator. She already had a multilocation,
multimillion-dollar practice. And yet she
was so busy providing cancer care for patients
across Los Angeles and Orange counties that
much of the administrative part of the business
was not established.
" So I created employee files, established a
more formal legal structure, separating the offices,
reconciling bank accounts and ensuring
all appropriate processes and protections were
in place. So I essentially built the foundation
of her business while she was providing care to
her patients. "
The move, she said, " changed the whole
trajectory of my career and life. And I am so
grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this
incredible profession. "
8
Robin Brogdon
Robin spent several years working for the oncologist
but her life changed again when one of
the veterinarian's locations needed more space.
" That culminated in me being the driving
force [as executive director] behind putting
a group of specialty practices into a
35,000-square-foot facility. At the time the
City of Angels Veterinary Specialty Center
opened in Culver City in 2005, it was the largest
of its kind in the Los Angeles area. (There
are larger such facilities now.)
" One of the things I did quite a bit while I
was at City of Angels, " Robin said, " was get out
in the field and talk to primary-care veterinarians
across the region about what they needed
in terms of specialist collaboration, cutting red
tape with referrals and the types of cases they
need help with.
" But my commute from my home in Huntington
Beach was three to four hours a day.
Once City of Angels was up and going and
had a solid presence in the area, it was time for
me to stop being friends with the 405 Freeway
and find my next adventure.
" I knew that specialty medicine in general
was fairly new and most of their practices were
OCTOBER 2023
PULSE
Pulse - October 2023

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