Timothy Julien brings two decades of veterinary practice to veterinary college teaching labs
Timothy Julien did not set out to become a veterinarian. As an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, he was a cross-country and track athlete studying biology with plans to pursue microbiology research. A spot in a medical school lab working on the Human Genome Project seemed like the perfect fit, until the reality of his schedule set in.
“I had about an hour, an hour and a half at a time, which was enough time to learn how to clean petri dishes,” Julien said. A summer job working with animals through his father’s wildlife business sparked a new direction. “I like animals. I love biology. Maybe I will dig into veterinary medicine.”
That decision launched a career spanning more than 20 years in companion animal medicine across Central Texas. Now, Julien is channeling that experience into a new role as a collegiate assistant professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, where he teaches in the college’s multidisciplinary experience laboratories.
After earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 2004, Julien spent a decade as an associate veterinarian at Central Texas Animal Hospital in Austin. In 2017, following a year living in Italy during his wife’s academic sabbatical, he cold-emailed clinics that caught his eye and landed a role as chief medical officer at PAZ Veterinary, a growing companion animal practice in Austin.
Over the next eight years, Julien helped grow PAZ from a single location to four clinics. But it was the mentoring side of the job that proved most fulfilling. Much of his time as chief medical officer was spent guiding new graduates through their first years in practice, helping them bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and the real-world demands of veterinary medicine.
“When you come out of school, you do not know what it means to be a professional, to be a practicing veterinarian, until somebody points out you are not a student anymore,” Julien said. “It is not trivia anymore. This is a problem. This is how you look at the problem.”
He saw firsthand how new graduates often struggled with impostor syndrome, feeling overwhelmed even when they were well prepared. His approach was less about teaching new information and more about shifting perspective, showing young veterinarians that they already had the skills they needed and helping them apply that knowledge with confidence.
Failure, Julien said, is a necessary part of learning. “The mentorship is just making that failure a little bit safer.”
That mentoring philosophy is what drew him to academia. When his wife, Christine Julien, was named head of Virginia Tech’s Department of Computer Science after 20 years at the University of Texas at Austin, Julien explored his options. He didn’t know a position like his existed until he saw it, but it immediately clicked.
“It takes a lot of that skill and joy from mentoring new grads,” Julien said of his new role. “And it is what I do now with younger students.”
In the MDL labs, Julien works with veterinary students across their first three years of training, including the second-year spay program. His position is almost entirely teaching-focused, and his perspective is shaped by two decades of daily clinical practice, most recently running a four-clinic operation in Austin.
“Students need the perspective and expertise of academics and specialists who are pushing the frontiers of medicine,” Julien said. “That builds the knowledge base for whatever facet of the profession they tackle after graduation. But I am hoping that the flavor I am bringing enhances the soup a little bit.”
His answers to student questions are grounded in what awaits them after graduation. When students ask how a concept applies in private practice, Julien draws on real experience to connect the classroom to the clinic.
Outside of work, Julien is settling into Blacksburg with his family. A native of rural Missouri, he appreciates the tall trees and rolling topography, even if he does miss Austin’s restaurant scene. He is also hoping to get back into running. He was a 5,000-meter specialist in college, though a recent snowfall has delayed that plan. His daughter, now in middle school, just started track, and the two bought new running shoes together.
The Julien household also includes three pets: Loki, a 68-pound Labrador retriever-pit bull-chow mix found on the side of a road as a puppy (named “Loki” for being low-key those first few days, a trait that did not last); Thor, a 12-pound Chihuahua-pug who earned the name to stay on theme; and Wry Rye Toast, a rescue cat.
