Hello, I am Dr. Lucia Botero Espinoza, I am a Colombian born in the city of Bogotá, I speak two
languages apart from my native language, which are English and French, I am a veterinary doctor
graduated from the National University of Colombia, I have a master's degree in pathology, a
doctorate in biomedical sciences and master's degree in animal health. Today I dedicate myself to
my passion, veterinary pathology, and I am also the dean of the same faculty that saw me grow as
a woman and professional. I am very reserved with my personal information, that is why you will
not find personal data on any social network, for me music and sports are my medicine, I studied
classical guitar and was part of a female llanero group where I played the cuatro, in one of my trips
to Argentina where I did a doctorate, when I returned I brought a bandoneon with me, and I was
part of the Bogotá tango orchestra. Another of my hobbies is swimming, I consider it to be one of
the sports that most benefits the brain and mental health.
I'm going to tell you a little about my story throughout my profession.
I am from Bogotá, I knew since school that I wanted to be a veterinary doctor, however, at an
early age, life tested my resilience. My goal was clear, to enter the national university of Colombia.
My first attempt to go to the national team was unsuccessful, then a second attempt came and
that didn't happen either. Anyone would have given up, but I was convinced that this was my
destiny, so I studied a lot of mathematics, I applied for the third time and literally “the third time
was the charm” I entered to study veterinary medicine and zootechnics in the glorious country of
Colombia. When I graduated I had the idea of starting my own veterinary clinic, but things didn't
work out for me and this project was put on hold. By then my pathology professor, Dr. Carlos
Iregui, with whom I did my thesis, told me: “well, you have graduated with me” and so it was,
almost 6 months after graduating from the undergraduate degree, I began to do a master's degree
in the area of pathology. I fondly remember that: “at that time the pathology unit was not as
important as it is today. There were two teachers, including Dr. Iregui with a few students.” In
parallel, during the second year of the master's degree, the university published a competition to
be a full-time teacher, I applied and as a change of life if I passed on the first attempt, this is how I
began my life as a pathology teacher. There have been 25 gratifying years in which I have trained
young professionals in which I have been the alma mater of veterinary doctors who, through
different approaches, have changed the lives of not only large species and companion animals, but
also multispecies families.
