Twin Passions

Dr. Lisa Uhl
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
DVM ’18

Over the years, the Gentle Doctor has portrayed the many unusual paths Iowa State DVM graduates have made to the profession.

Lisa Uhl’s may be one of the more unusual ones.

“As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Uhl says. “I was the kid who brought home stray cats, constantly asked questions about how the body worked, and was fascinated by medicine and biology from a young age.”

On the surface pretty normal.

But in addition to her desire to be a veterinarian was also the desire to be one of the best female long-distance runners in the world.

Lisa Uhl achieved both at a young age, hence being named the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Outstanding Young Alumni in 2026.

Uhl was on a path to achieving both goals as an Iowa State undergraduate. She started veterinary school in 2008 with plans to carry a full veterinary curriculum while competing as a top-level collegiate distance runner.

But it quickly became clear that even high-performing students and athletes like Lisa Uhl couldn’t do both at the same time.

“Iowa State’s veterinary college administration was incredibly supportive and worked with me to create a plan where I could remain a full-time graduate student while taking a reduced course load,” Uhl said. “The idea was simple… if my final year of collegiate running went well, I would defer veterinary school.”

Going well was an understatement. Uhl won three NCAA titles, setting a collegiate record in the 10,000 meters along the way. She spent the next five years competing as a professional runner, ultimately qualifying for both the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic teams.

But an injury ultimately made her realize it was time to refocus her life on her other passion – veterinary medicine.

“Stepping away from professional running was difficult, but I was lucky to have something else that excited me just as much,” Uhl said.

After graduating with a DVM in 2018, Uhl continued her veterinary medicine passion first with a small animal rotating internship and completing a year of a comparative ophthalmology residency at Colorado State University.

But Iowa State, and in particular, the Department of Veterinary Pathology, pulled her back to Ames.

“I enjoyed pathology in veterinary school, although I like to joke that some of my pathology courses were actually among my lower grades,” Uhl said. “What I really enjoy is figuring out what happened.

“You get a history, gross findings, microscope slides, lab results, and you’re trying to put all the pieces together into a story that makes sense.”

Today, Uhl is a clinical assistant professor in anatomic pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She also serves as residency training coordinator for six anatomic pathology residents and has excelled in front of the classroom where she was recently named the college’s recipient of the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teaching Award.

“Teaching feels like you can make a difference on a much larger scale,” she said. “I’ll never personally treat as many animals as the student I teach will over the course of their careers.

“Each year I help teach 130 veterinary students and they will go on to care for thousands of animals and work with countless clients throughout their careers. The impact is exponential.”

Running still never strays far from Uhl, even in the classroom.

“Running and veterinary medicine both require patience, involve a lot of failure and problem-solving, while rewarding persistence over time,” she says. “My experiences as an athlete undoubtedly shaped the way I approach my work as a veterinarian, pathologist, teacher and mentor.

September 2026