Education:

B.S. Natural Resources & Wildlife Science, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), 1992.
V.M.D. University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.
Veterinary Acupuncture Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, 2007.

My Practice Philosophy:

I seek to promote optimal pet health through client education and an emphasis on preventative medicine. I focus on preventing disease through regular exams, prophylactic laboratory screenings such as bloodwork and urinalyses, dental health maintenance, and recommend supplements and nutritional management where appropriate. I endeavor to diagnose and treat the root causes of disease, rather than applying "band-aid" fixes to temporarily alleviate superficial symptoms, and I believe that a well-educated clientele and a well-appreciated support staff are a practice’s most valuable assets.

I favor the American Feline Practitioners vaccine protocol recommendations (now ratified by the AVMA), and I am happy to treat dogs, cats, and companion exotic pets, especially reptiles.

Professional and Academic Experiences:

1999-Present • Dedicated Relief Veterinarian, SF Bay Area and Seattle, WA
  • Provided locum tenens work for over 100 small animal practices as an independent contractor.
  • Washington practice discontinued in 2005.
1997-1998 • Associate Veterinarian, Broadway Pet Hospital, Oakland, CA
  • Worked as an Associate Veterinarian at a high volume 5 doctor small and exotic animal practice.
  • Matched highest grossing associates after 6 months in practice, with average client charge ~20% over the regional average.
1996-1997 • Senior Veterinary Exotics Externships
  • Worked with a wide variety of exotic animals and prominent clinicians at The Bronx Zoo (Bronx, NY), The Philadelphia Zoo (Phila, PA), the Animal Medical Center (NY, NY) and the University of Florida Gainesville School of Veterinary Medicine Exotics Ward.
1988-1994 • Educational Reptile Shows
  • Instructed people of all ages and educational backgrounds in the ecology, biology, behavior, and husbandry of reptiles, using a subset of my extensive reptile collection.
1993-1994 • University of Pennsylvania, Wildlife Society Group Leader
  • Supervised ~15 veterinary students in the care and treatment of ill and injured wildlife as a Student Group Leader during first and second years of vet school.
  • Co-edited Wildlife Service training manual.
1992-1993 • Cornell University, Embryology Research
  • Performed microsurgical neurula to neurula germ cell transfers in Xenopus, Lepidobatrachus, and Ceratophrys frogs.
  • Crafted and utilized microsurgical tools.
1992-1993 • Co-Founder and Co-Presiding Officer, Cornell Herpetological Society
  • Established a new society at Cornell to provide a forum for herpetological studies.
  • Co-authored CHS Constitution and designed CHS Logo.
  • Co-authored and edited care sheets on commonly kept reptiles and amphibians.
  • Organized and led the CHS presentation and wet lab on herpetologic husbandry at the 1993 American Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Convention.

Areas of Professional Interest

* Preventative & Geriatric Medicine *
* Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine *
* Nutrition & Holistic Medicine *
* Exotic Animal Medicine *

Memberships and Licenses

AVMA, CVMA
DEA License Holder

California State License VET 12936
New South Wales Registration Certificate Number 8086
Queensland Registration Certificate Number 4810
Washington State License (inactive) VT00006023

ABN 35 896 723 556

My Personal Animal Collection:

My personal collection of exotic pets has afforded me many years of hands-on experience with a wide variety of animals. Beyond being the basis for the educational reptile shows I produced while in college, it proved an invaluable resource in the development of my veterinary skills relating to non-traditional pets. Over the years, I learned how most appropriately to handle and to care for these animals, and accumulated first hand experience with their most common ailments. Daily intimate interactions lent me a more thorough appreciation for “normal,” and I believe that personally grappling with many of the common problems encountered by collectors left me more able to help clients steer clear of avoidable pitfalls.

Current and Past Pets:

* Boas (Redtail, Rosy, Rubber, Solomon Island)
* Breeding Birds (cockatiels, peachface and fischer's lovebirds)
* Chinese Water Dragons
* Colubrids (King, Corn, Rat, Milk, Garter Snakes)
* Ferrets
* Fish (community tanks, assorted large cichlid species)
* Frogs (ceratophrys, lepidobatricus, xenopus)
* Iguanas
* Monitors (Savanna, Water, Mangrove, Blackthroat)
* Newfoundland, Tibetian Spaniels, Mongrel dogs
* Philadelphian Alley Cat
* Pythons (Burmese, Reticulated, Blood, and Ball)
* Rabbits and Rodents (rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, chinchillas)
* Sugar Gliders
* Turtles and Tortoises (Box, Softshell, Painted, Red-foot, Yellow-foot, Sulcata, Leopard)
* Tarantulas
* Sundry other small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, and amphibians.

Areas of personal interest:

Writing, painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, guitar, songwriting, hiking, skiing and snowboarding, orchid cultivation, gardening, coffee roasting, weightlifting, travel.


References available upon request.