Member Spotlight: Flavia Vaduva, MS, DVM, MBA, DACVIM (Nutrition)

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Member Spotlight: Flavia Vaduva, MS, DVM, MBA, DACVIM (Nutrition)

Sep 15, 2025, 00:00 AM by The ACVIM

Flavia Vaduva is a 2015 graduate of the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida and a 2016 graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her MBA at West Texas A&M university in 2019 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Business Management through Northcentral University. She completed her clinical nutrition residency through University of Tennessee and Kansas State University in 2024. She worked as a general practitioner and in various industry roles for six years prior to pursuing a nutrition residency and enjoys discussing nutrition and business topics with veterinary professionals.

What inspired you to become a Board-certified veterinary specialist?
After being a general practitioner for a number of years, I realized that I wanted to be able to focus on one specific area of veterinary medicine. I wanted to pursue nutrition specifically because I think it is a field that affects every single pet and is a crucial component of pet health. It also plays a significant and important role in the human-animal bond and I wanted to be a part of supporting that bond through nutrition care.

Are there any resources or pieces of advice that helped you along the way?

I used medical school online boot camps to prepare for Board exams – I found them very helpful to review general physiology and biochemistry concepts! A piece of advice I held onto was from one of my former coaches who said “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” I pursued residency training because I wanted my future to look different than my past and I knew I had to be challenged in order to change and continue my professional development.

Is there a story or experience that stands out in your mind that reaffirmed your decision to work in specialty veterinary medicine?

I once had a client say “You saved her life thus far with this nutrition plan. I just wanted you to know she is thriving and that we are grateful.” That reaffirmed both my decision to specialize and showed me how important nutrition can be, especially for pets with health conditions.

What is something you wish the general public knew about veterinary specialists?
I wish the general public knew the level of detail that goes in most treatment plans developed by specialists.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I work in industry so each day can be very different from the last. From attending meetings, or workshops to reviewing documents and completing independent work, hosting webinars and presenting at meetings, conferences and other events – each day is unique!

What do you consider one of your career successes? How did you achieve it?

One of my career successes was getting the opportunity to join Hill’s Pet Nutrition as Scientific Communications Specialist in 2024. I believe I achieved it by having the good fortune of having wonderful mentors and connections during my residency. I have learned so much and I have gotten so many opportunities to develop professionally since joining the company and am very grateful for this.

What do you consider a challenge you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?

A challenge I have faced in my career is trying to balance my business studies (including MBA, and PhD) with working either full time or being in an internship or residency program. I overcame this by following the quote from Sheryl Sandberg, “Done is better than perfect.” Some of the MBA work was completed during lunch breaks; most of my PhD is currently being completed evenings and weekends and sometimes on airplanes and in hotel rooms if I am traveling for work events during those times. My assignments oftentimes aren’t perfect, but at least they are completed!

What is something unique about your career, or career path?
I think the blend of clinical and business/industry experience and the eventual merger of these skills into my current role is unique. Looking back on my professional development, I am so glad I heard and followed the advice of Steve Jobs who said “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”