Andrea Erickson

From the age of five, Dr. Erickson knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. Her parents didn’t initially put much stock in her declaration but as her passion for animals grew, so did her commitment to the career path of caring for them. She grew up in the beautiful seaside town of Kailua, Hawaii. They always had golden retrievers in the home. They were the best family dogs and beach companions and they taught her just how powerful the human-animal bond can be. With her sights set on a career in veterinary medicine, she came to Colorado State University for her undergraduate studies. She stayed in Fort Collins to attend CSU’s veterinary school. In her third and fourth years of vet school, she rotated through the Flint Animal Cancer Center. It was then that she knew oncology would be a part of her future career path. Following vet school, she completed a one-year rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, a one year surgical internship at the University of Florida, and then a three-year small animal surgical residency at The Ohio State University. She's now an oncology surgical fellow at the Flint Animal Cancer Center. She's ecstatic to be back in Fort Collins, doing what she loves. As a surgical fellow, the best part of her job is providing pet owners with options. Almost everyone has a cancer story. When owners come to the FACC, they find out that we have so much to offer. Decisions on type and treatment choices are different for everyone but having options and support of a multi-disciplinary compassionate cancer team makes all the difference. She loves being able to perform surgeries that give people more time with their animals. When she’s not working, she loves exploring Colorado with her husband, Zak. They love anything outdoors whether it's skiing, snowboarding, hiking 14ers, camping or spending time at breweries with friends. Odell’s is their favorite. They currently have one cat, a perfect calico princess named Mele. When she finishes this one-year training program, she hopes to stay in academia, to help provide cutting edge oncology care to patients, and take part in training future residents and veterinarians to give back to a profession that has given so much to her. She is currently getting her master's in biomedical education.