Animals have always been an important part of my life. As a child, I enjoyed the usual assortment of pet turtle, newts, lizard, hamsters, rabbits, and finally cats.  I loved zoos, drawing and painting animals and above all, observing wildlife in their natural habitats (whale and dolphin watching, snorkeling in coral reefs, finding marmots and mountain goats in the Western mountains, prairie dogs and coyotes in New Mexico). All kinds of creatures have always fascinated me.
    The idea of being a veterinarian, however, did not come to me until halfway through college.  I was waffling between anthropology, oceanography, and comparative literature, when I went to stay at my uncle's farm.  He and his wife, both doctors, told me if they had to do it over again, they would have been veterinarians.  The idea quickly took hold and in no time, I was immersed in pre-vet courses.
     I spent the next few years studying extremely hard, working for veterinarians, and volunteering on a dairy farm.  My first job was at a practice where Dr. Kornet was an associate veterinarian in Queens.  I admired his diagnostic skills and energy and we stayed in touch after that. My hard work paid off.  I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and was admitted to Cornell Veterinary School.
     During vet school, I did externships at the Bronx Zoo and the Oklahoma City Zoo and volunteered at the Avian Clinic treating wild owls and hawks.  After graduation from vet school in 1986, I completed a one-year internship at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.  I rotated through many specialty areas including cardiology, neurology, nephrology, exotic animal medicine, and surgery.  It was a year of intense learning and honing of skills through many long days and nights.   Being Night Doctor?the sole veterinarian on duty all night for all of Manhattan?as a first year intern, was a trial by fire but taught me many invaluable lessons.
    Soon after my internship I got back in touch with Dr. Kornet and was pleased to be able to come to work at Mid Island Animal Hospital in 1987 where I stayed until 1990.  I then worked in Westchester until 1996.  At that point I was happy to return to Mid Island and have been here ever since.
    Mid Island Animal Hospital is a terrific practice because all the veterinarians and staff care deeply about the health and welfare of the patients. The doctors use a team approach, working together on all hospitalized cases and frequently sharing ideas on outpatient cases as well. This constant exchange ensures that many minds tackle any given medical problem and solutions are found even for the toughest cases.  In addition, Mid Island is a hospital with state of the art equipment and facilities. 
    It is a privilege to be able to help this community's pets stay healthy and to strive to overcome illnesses.  Few things are as rewarding as seeing a joyful reunion between