Coming from a medical family, Valerie Rosborough ’21 wanted to carry on the tradition of helping people. Her first love though, has always been science.

“I want to know how the body ticks and the why behind it,” said Rosborough, whose father is a retired nephrologist (kidney specialist) and mother is a nurse. “Addressing illness is often solving a puzzle, and part of that problem solving is knowing how the body works.”

That passion for science and her empathy made medicine the perfect career choice. Viterbo University and its early acceptance partnership with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) put her on her way.

Today, Rosborough is in the first year of residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA, after earning a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from LECOM. She is working to become a rheumatologist, a doctor of internal medicine who diagnoses and treats autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones.

“It’s a complex and challenging specialty that allows me to solve mysteries while keeping the bread and butter of internal medicine,” said Rosborough, who will finish her residency in 2028.

Rosborough chose to attend Viterbo University because of its proximity to her family and the fact that her older siblings had good experiences at similarly-sized colleges. She quickly “fell in love with the people and the campus” and was very happy with the education she received.

“The science faculty at Viterbo did a really good job teaching us. The classes were rigorous, but they knew us well and were always there to help. I had a great foundation coming out of college,” said Rosborough, who graduated from Viterbo with a degree in biopsychology (now called neuroscience).

In addition to the sciences, Rosborough said she also benefitted from mission seminars and other classes that improved her communication and people skills. As a doctor, she uses these skills daily as she meets and talks with patients and colleagues from all walks of life and circumstances.

Viterbo science faculty member Chris Mayne praised Rosborough for her “kind and caring attitude, strong leadership skills, and insightful curiosity and love of learning” during her time as a student. “I have no doubt that her engaging personality, work ethic, and dedication to helping others will make her an exemplary physician,” he said.

Mayne also shared a story about from Rosborough’s volunteer and service efforts during her time at Viterbo.

“Val’s dedication to helping others is best exemplified by her work as a crisis advocate with the New Horizons Shelter and Outreach Center, which assists domestic violence survivors and their families,” Mayne said. “Her dedication to this work, and health care in general, was most impressively shown during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when she sent me an email that was unlike anything I had ever received from a student before. She let me know that during our state’s month-long shelter-in-place order, she was going to be moving out of her home to live full-time at the New Horizons shelter. Quite simply, this dedication by Val to sacrifice her own comfort and take on additional hardship, during rigorous pre-med coursework, all to provide pandemic-safe care to her clients in need is among the most impressive and selfless acts I have seen by a student during my time as a college professor.”

Rosborough offered some advice for high school students considering a career as a physician.

“My recommendation would be to really look into an articulation agreement like the one Viterbo and LECOM have,” she said. “It saves so much time and stress. Also, get to know your professors and talk with them about your education, your career prospects, and your life. It really was the people who made Viterbo special.”

Explore the Program

Build a strong foundation in brain and behavior with Viterbo’s neuroscience (BS) program. Through lab work, research, and interdisciplinary study, you’ll prepare for careers in healthcare, mental health, or biomedical research.