Dr. Mike Huber performs surgery on a horse in 2025. Photo by Jens Odegaard.
Sept. 25, 2026
As a board-certified surgeon, Dr. Michael “Mike” Huber cared for thousands of patients and their owners. Recently retired after 40 years at Oregon State University, he taught hundreds of veterinary students, trained numerous residents and interns and was a trusted colleague to fellow faculty members and referring veterinarians.
Huber joined the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986 as a large animal surgical resident after six years in private practice, mostly in Australia.
Those 46 years come back to him as a collection of recollections.
The Boss
Huber grew up in Pasadena, California and graduated in 1980 with his doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of California, Davis. “In my senior year, I had instructors that were from Australia. John and David Pascoe, they were brothers, and their dad owned a big practice in Australia. And they said, ‘Come work for the old man,’” said Huber.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Reginald Roland Roessler "RRRP" Pascoe, an Australian equine surgeon and founder of Oakey Veterinary Hospital, Huber spent most of his time in Australia caring for small animals, cattle and racehorses in Queensland’s Darling Downs region.
“We called Reg ‘The Boss,’ and that was before Springsteen was given that distinction,” Huber said. “Reg would start on the first breeding farm at five in the morning, palpate 120-140 horses daily in the peak of the breeding season, be back at the clinic at 12:30 in the afternoon, have a sandwich, come down to the practice and perform two major equine surgeries and be back in the house by 5 pm.
“He was just amazing. He taught me veterinary medicine, care for the owner and patient, and professionalism. He had 3,000 breeding mares that he dealt with. When I left Australia, I had 1,000 mares, but I only went to the farms Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He went six days a week because he had that many farms.”
According to Huber, “the country and people of Australia and Queensland were magical,” and he credits his experience there with leading him into large animal surgery.
Dressed like Milkmen
Back in northern California practicing mixed-animal medicine, Huber started looking into surgical residencies.
An opening popped up at Oregon State University. “I got the residency here at Oregon State in 1986,” said Huber. “It rained every day in February the first year, every day, all 28 days. And my wife said, ‘When are we going back to Northern California?’ I said, ‘Two and a half years.’ Exactly one year later she said to me, ‘This is where I want to raise a family.’ ... So, we've stayed here for 40 years.”
When Huber started at Oregon State, the veterinary teaching hospital was large animal only; small animal was added in 2006.
“We did a lot of emergency, so we'd work all day and a lot of times we’d work all night. All the clinicians wore white: white pants, white shirts and the guys wore ties. White, not the right color for large animal,” said Huber with a chuckle. “If you thought about it, you'd throw on coveralls if you were working with cattle. If not, you'd get really dirty.
“We looked like ice cream men or milkmen walking around.”
Huber credits early mentors Dr. Pam Wagner (now VonMatthiessen), Dr. Andris Kaneps Dr. Wayne Schmotzer and Dr. Edward Scott (and later mentor Dr. John Arnold) with providing guidance while giving him responsibility because of his private-practice experience.
Huber, who became board-certified in both large and small animal surgery in 1994, tried to cultivate similar responsibility in the surgical residents he trained throughout the years. “I tell the residents that come in: the first year they’re not going to like me because I don’t know them well enough to give them a lot of responsibility. But depending on what they show me, their second year will be based on what their capabilities are … And then in your final year, you get to develop your own independence.”
Dr. Julia Gaida, who recently completed her large animal surgical residency, was among dozens of residents mentored by Huber. “Dr. Huber has had an enormous impact on my training and development — not only as a teacher, but also as a mentor I could always turn to for advice, both at work and in my personal life. ... He always manages to make learning enjoyable, often with a funny joke or a story to share,” she said. “I hope that one day I can become even half the surgeon he is.”
A Good Surgeon
A good surgeon according to Huber: “Decision making is the most important thing. Decisions regarding anesthesia, how you're going to do the surgery and how you are going to manage it is based on the patient and all the circumstances. Aftercare is critically important. ... I've got a couple of T-shirts that I wear around once in a while, but one of them has a statement, ‘Complications dictate the outcome.’ In other words, we’re trained to do surgery correctly, but the outcome may not always be positive or as expected. Patients, especially large animals, have more potential for complications during each phase of the process. If a horse develops laminitis or injures itself in the recovery stall, the surgical procedure was a success, but the outcome was unfavorable.”
Fellow large animal surgeon, Dr. Lacy Kamm, trusts Huber’s judgment. “As a newer faculty, Mike was always super supportive of me, and I often asked him questions as to how to handle cases and deal with the tougher surgeries.”
Existing for This Place
Asked what he’s most proud of in his Oregon State career, Huber gave what he called a “boring” answer.
“I think it's the services that I provide to the college, referring vets, my patients and their owners. It's a basic answer. I'm sorry it's boring, but I existed for this place,” Huber said, emphasizing existed.
But existing to serve animals and those entrusted with their care isn’t basic or boring. Done day after day for four decades, it builds a legacy.
“I think he's been extremely dedicated to the referring veterinarians in the area and the clientele since I've known him,” said fellow faculty member Dr. Stacy Semevolos, who first met Huber in 1993. “He's had a huge impact.”
Kamm added: “His legacy will be in those vets, like myself, that he has helped along the way as much as in those animals who were helped.”
High-kicking and $2.50 Breakfast
Dr. Marc Kinsley, an Oregon State large animal surgeon, completed his residency under Huber from 2010-2014 and has turned to him throughout his career for advice.
Kinsley doesn’t call Huber ‘The Boss,’ but describes his influence much as Huber described Pascoe’s.
“He always picked up his phone when I called him for advice after leaving Oregon State,” said Kinsley, who, after residency, held faculty positions at Michigan State University and Iowa State University before returning to OSU in 2024. “Now, I have been fortunate to work with him as a fellow faculty member.”
Much of what Kinsley learned from Huber sticks through Huber’s sayings.
“Mike is a man of many sayings:
- ‘My baby! My baby!’ when removing any tissue from a tight space.
- ‘Power to the surgeons’ after a long day and night of cases.
- ‘When you can sit down, lie down, when you can have a snack, have a meal’ — to the students because it is unpredictable how busy we will get.
- ‘Get your fingies out of my incision.’
- ‘Kinsley, what separates us from monkeys?’ I don’t know Huber, what? ‘Instruments Kinsley — don’t use your fingers in surgery.’
“These sayings, his work ethic, and his ability to interact with the referring veterinary community were formative to my education,” said Kinsley.
Huber’s love for simple joys also resonates with Kinsley. “One of the most vivid memories (of residency) is when Mike wanted to take me and my now wife to the Peacock (a downtown Corvallis dive bar) for breakfast: ‘Steak and eggs, $2.50 Kinsley, you can’t beat it. I’ll take you one day.’ And he sure did, steak and eggs at the Peacock at 9 a.m.,” said Kinsley.
Another memory often pops into Kinsley’s head. “At nighttime on emergency, we would be outside the recovery stall, and he would do a high kick to his hand and say, ‘This is how you know you are alive, Kinsley.’ Still makes no sense, but I do find myself repeating these things to the residents myself.
“Overall, I would not be where I am without him. He helped form me and continues to. ... His voice is still in my head and will be.”
Good Vet
In his years at Oregon State, Huber trained hundreds of veterinary students. Every student rotates through each service area of the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital in their final year. Though teaching them large animal surgery, Huber's focus was always on helping make them the best veterinarian they could be, regardless of what area of the profession they chose to pursue after graduation.
Huber's philosophy can be summed up in a few simple sentences. "I try to emphasize the professionalism of our practice, taking care of referring vets and taking care of owners. And first and foremost, taking care of the animal.
“That has always been my model, ‘do the right thing.’"
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