BVNS: What was your first job in the veterinary industry?

LL: I was a nurse’s assistant and volunteered my time in the Emergency Service at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. This experience was key in developing my passion for veterinary medicine. I was promoted to a veterinary technician and worked in the Emergency Service for 4 years until I started veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

BVNS:Why did you get into veterinary neurology?

LL:This field requires excelling in both medical and surgical skills, which is a unique combination that I greatly enjoy. Also, it is still amazing to me that with the neurological exam alone, a veterinary neurologist is able to localize an abnormality anywhere in the central or peripheral nervous system. It is a specialty that challenges my intellect on a daily basis and I learn something new from every patient.

BVNS:Where did you study?

My veterinary school training was at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. I then completed a small animal rotating medical and surgical internship at the veterinary school at Tufts University. Following this academic training, I worked as an emergency veterinarian for three years at a private practice in Pennsylvania. I then went on to complete my residency in neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. I worked in private practice for 2.5 years as a veterinary neurologist in Florida prior to joining the BVNS team.

BVNS:If you weren’t a neurologist, what would you be doing?

LL:I love to travel and I have always enjoyed writing. So combining these two fields to become a travel writer or an author of some kind would be an amazing field to pursue!

BVNS:What has been your most interesting/unique/memorable case?

LL:Since joining BVNS, I treated a Golden Retriever named Brandy who had a brain tumor causing seizures. Her family was very dedicated to her care. We surgically removed the brain tumor and it was identified as a type of mass which had never been previously identified on biopsy exam. Brandy is doing very well in the months following surgery and because of the unusual nature of her tumor, there is a chance it may not recur and that the surgery was curative. It was my pleasure to care for Brandy and support her owners during her treatment at BVNS.