By day Dr. Pam Erdman (’05) is a small animal veterinarian practicing in Ankeny, Iowa.
But she has another interest that takes her far from her Iowa home.
First in 2023 and then again this year, Erdman has volunteered for Mission Rabies Project, which not only seeks to improve animal welfare around the world but to protect people and animals living in areas affected by rabies.
“I have always had a special interest in the public health aspect of veterinary medicine,” said Erdman, who also holds a Masters of Public Health.
That interest led Erdman to Mission Rabies.
“I heard about the project through social media and listening to podcasts of previous volunteers describing their experience,” Erdman said. “Rabies is such an aggressive and violent disease and the idea of this disease impacting dogs and spreading to people, especially children, in Africa was heartbreaking to me.
“Vaccinating dogs for rabies seemed like such a simple thing I could do to be part of the solution.”
Mission Rabies works in many different countries and for her first volunteer gig, Erdman was assigned to Tanzania. Her journeys have included 10 workdays and two rest days in the middle of the trip.
Erdman says each day is slightly different. It could include establishing a “clinic” in a parking lot for owners to bring their dogs in to receive the rabies vaccine. Other days Erdman and her colleagues work door to door to find dogs that need vaccination.
The experience is exhausting but gratifying.
“The days are long, hot and physically demanding,” Erdman says. “Most of the dogs I’ve interacted with are unhealthy in appearance and can be quite fearful.
“Yet there is something that tends to draw me back in each time.”
Maybe it’s the fact that 70 percent of the dogs in the area she has been responsible for have been vaccinated. Maybe it’s the longstanding friendships Erdman has developed with volunteers and the people of Tanzania. It’s probably these and much more.
“The local population of Tanzania is extremely thankful for the work Mission Rabies performs,” Erdman said. “They have seen the horrible effects of rabies in their community, and many fear dogs due to the risk of such a deadly disease.
“People on the streets thank us and dog owners have hugged me and offered me gifts for the work.”
One such experience stands out though. Erdman was working in a small, rural community when she came across a family that had lost their 9-year-old son to rabies.
“This will forever leave an impact on me,” Erdman said. “They thanked me and our team I was working with profusely for our work.
“Because of these type of experiences, I will likely go back for another campaign.”
October 2025