Chris is from Upton, Massachusetts. He has always known he wanted to go to veterinary school. He was looking at schools and he knew UVM was a great spot for for an education leading up to veterinary school. UVM also drew Chris in because he loves to snowboard and he was able to do that here, as well as, join the club lacrosse team. Burlington as a whole really sold him.

 

As he went through his undergrad his career path vision changed a lot. Chris gained exposure to different areas by joining CREAM. He knew he wanted to work with large animals and he was able to have experience in CREAM. Ophthalmology was extremely intriguing to him due to the cool surgeries/microsurgeries that were performed. He was surprised by this because it captured his attention and it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Cataract surgery in dogs is something Chris is really passionate about. He loves how people get reunited with their dog after the procedure and they can see again.

 

In Vet School Chris had the chance to go to Ecuador a few times, they did some spay/ neuter clinics in more rural communities that didn’t have vet access. He went into the countryside and worked with cattle. Chris minored in Spanish at UVM, so He felt lucky to have experienced this. He worked on a lot of the client communication while in Ecuador, this helped him work on his Spanish! Chris ended up becoming very close with the people he worked with on the trip, some of them are his best friends now!

 

Right now, Chris is applying to residences. His career aspiration start with getting a residency then within the residency program, there are a few places that want him to do research as part of that. These include, ocular pain management and ocular cancers. As well, he would like to avoid any serious medication for animals that don’t absolutely require it. A dream of Chris’s would be to one day end up back in Burlington, if spots opens up for an Ophthalmologist.

 

On an average day Chris will get to the hospital around 8am. Depending on the day surgical appointments begin around 9am, and will end about 4pm. His main clients are dogs and cats; however, Chris also works with horse, deer, birds, even sea lions! During breaks Chris works with students, going over various topics; teaching them how to examine patients, perform eye exams, etc. As well he is constantly documenting meticulous notes, keeping his patients records updated!