Meet Our Retired Staff

**Please Note: Dr. Amioka is on leave as of June 2024**
Mari Amioka, DVM, attended Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where she studied landscape architecture, but ultimately graduated with a degree in Animal Science. While at Cornell University, she rode for both the equestrian and polo teams. Following graduation, Dr. Amioka was employed by George Junior Republic, a residential community for troubled teenagers, supervising their equine care program. After leaving George Junior Republic, Dr. Amioka worked as a Humane Officer for the Tompkins County SPCA. She was also employed by Asbury Hill Farm, a hunter/jumper stable, in Freeville, New York. In her spare time, she volunteered for Offender Aid and Restoration, counseling inmates at the county jail.

After deciding to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Amioka attended Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1990. While in veterinary college, she helped to develop and supervise their Equine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and was employed at the Equine Research Park. She also worked on the Colic Crew, Small Animal Crew, and was employed as a technician in the Cornell Small Animal Hospital's Intensive Care Unit throughout her veterinary education.

Following graduation, Dr. Amioka joined the staff at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in July 1990. Dr. Amioka became certified in veterinary acupuncture in February 1999.

Dr. Amioka spends all of her spare time training and showing her three Shetland Sheepdogs (Maui, Leilani, and Kukui) in agility. She also shares her home with one cat, Sophie, and a blue-fronted Amazon parrot, Alex.

Justin was born in Buffalo and raised in Holland with his parents and younger sister and their family Shih Tzu, Pebbles, followed by their cocker spaniel, Cooper. 

Wanting to follow veterinary medicine from high school, he attended WD Ormsby’s Small Animal Science program with Mrs. Maracle and Beats. 

He learned of Medaille College during his time in the small animal science program and toured the university. Justin then later attended Medaille and earned his license in veterinary technology during his junior year and finished his biology degree the following and brought home a new cat, Felix, all in preparation to apply to vet school. 

Justin attended Ross University for preclinical education and attended Cummings school of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University for clinical training. 

While externing at OPVMC as a technician during his time at Medaille, he loved the variety of cases and medicine the hospital would see, and the technicians are all very high skill level and having the opportunity to perfect those skills before vet school was exciting. 

His interests at work include emergency medicine and urgent care, pharmacology and anesthesiology, and preventative care medicine. 

Outside of work he enjoys coming home to Felix and his new addition kitten, Tilly. 

He is very much looking forward to serving the western New York area!

Dr. Brent Carbone was born and raised in Western New York. He is a Lancaster native and completed his bachelor's degree in biology at the newly named Canisius University (where he also dove competitively for the Golden Griffins). After taking some time off and working as a Veterinary assistant to make sure the vet field was the right choice for him, he obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ontario Veterinary College (2023 the Opal Otters). This is where he spent the past 4 years of his life eating delicious poutine and freezing during their many ice storms. But, during that time up north he developed a love for critical care and emergency cases that led him into joining the OPVMC Team.

Some of Dr. Carbone’s professional interests include emergency and critical care medicine, Neurology, and just a dash of internal medicine. He is an avid believer that the human animal bond is such a strong connection, and that human and animal health can be strongly intertwined.

When Dr. Carbone isn't at the clinic; he spends his time in Kenmore where he shares his household with his partner, a toy poodle (Brody), and a sassy kitty (Mrs. Bean). During his time off you can find him outside swimming, running, hiking, or rock climbing. He also takes pride in his 3 nieces and 2 nephews who he loves to run around with and chase when the need arises. Dr. Carbone is an avid traveler and looks forward to exploring the world while also setting up roots in Buffalo.

Dr. Case earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh, during which time she worked in a cancer biology laboratory, sparking her interest in oncology. Dr. Case earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and completed a one-year small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at Colorado State University. She went on to complete her three-year medical oncology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr Case achieved board certification in medical oncology in 2016. She started practicing at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in August of 2016 where she started the medical oncology service. The goal of Dr. Case and the Oncology staff is to provide information and hope to clients whose pets have been recently diagnosed with cancer.

Franca DiFilippo, DVM is originally from Rochester, New York, and attended the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She graduated with honors in 1993 with a BS in biology and a minor in psychology.

After graduating from RIT, Dr. DiFilippo attended the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University as a member of the first class at Cornell to learn veterinary medicine via the Learning Based Curriculum. Upon graduating from Cornell in 1997, Dr. DiFilippo participated in a small animal medicine and surgery internship at the well-known Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where she developed her love of small animal internal medicine and critical care. Angell was featured in Life magazine, on the "Good Morning America" show, and is the subject matter of the book Animal Hospital. After finishing the Angell internship, Dr. DiFilippo returned to upstate New York and began working as an associate veterinarian at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in October 1998.

She was a founding member of the Pre-Veterinary Club at RIT. While attending RIT, Dr. DiFilippo took part in karate classes, where she met her future husband who was a hotel management major at the time. While at Cornell, she developed an interest in exotic animal medicine by volunteering in the Wildlife Clinic there and attending both Aquavet courses in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, focusing on aquatic animal medicine. Aquavet provided some of her favorite memories from veterinary school. She also took part in an externship at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and helped perform many unique tasks, such sonograms on stingrays, collecting blood from green tree anoles, and preparing meals for the cetaceans, among other things. It was during veterinary school that she discovered another passion—white water rafting—while attending an AAZV conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and one of the activities was rafting Class III and IV rapids on the Youghiogheny River. She has loved it since and does not get to enjoy it nearly as much as she would like.

Dr. DiFilippo chose her profession not only for her love of animals, but also due to her love of learning, as there is no shortage of either in veterinary medicine. She hopes to continue to serve animals and their people for many years to come while continuing to develop as both a veterinarian and a person.

Dr. DiFilippo lives with her husband, son, and daughter, along with two cats and two dogs. Dr. DiFilippo cherishes the time with her family, especially while enjoying some of their favorite activities together—hiking/nature walks, rafting, biking, and traveling. Outside of her busy work schedule, Dr. DiFilippo also serves as a Girl Scout troop leader, complete with cookie sales, camping, crafts, and service projects. Her two cats, Mayapapaya, a female orange tabby, and Ponyo, a male grey tabby, and dogs, Buffy, a female Jack Russell terrier/Chihuahua mix, and Spike, a male Jack Russell terrier round out the family. She is thoroughly proud of her "girls," some of who have been with her for going on four years now (her daughter, of course, has been with her a little bit longer than that!).

Stacy Dralle-Rickwald, DVM, is originally from the finger lakes region of New York. She attended the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, before going to veterinary school at The Ohio State University. Immediately after graduation, she completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. As a student, she was inducted into the Phi Zeta honor society and was the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) senior student of the year in her graduating class.

Dr. Dralle decided to go to vet school after a lifelong admiration for pets and appreciation for the human–animal bond. Dr. Dralle's interests include companion animal medicine and emergency medicine. She currently resides in Buffalo, New York, with her cat, Cinderella; her Russian tortoise, Cooper; her two ball pythons, Mumbles and Tonga; her dog, Penny, and her husband. One of her hobbies outside of work is running and staying active, like playing volleyball.

Dr. Dralle is a member of the AVMA, Western New York Veterinary Medical Society, and the Niagara Frontier Medical Society (NFVS).

Dr. Megan Dudek was born and raised in Western New York. An avid violinist, she originally attended SUNY Fredonia where she received a Bachelor’s degree in music business. She spent several years working in the Buffalo music industry before deciding to return to school to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. Megan attended the University at Buffalo for her pre-veterinary studies, and received her doctorate of veterinary medicine from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2024. As a student, she was inducted into the Phi Zeta veterinary honor society Alpha chapter.  She was also a veterinary assistant here at OPVMC prior to attending vet school and during her time in vet school, now returning here in a new capacity.

Dr. Dudek’s professional interests include emergency medicine, management of critical care patients, and sports medicine and rehabilitation. She is BLS and ALS certified through the RECOVER initiative, and is also Fear Free certified.

Dr. Dudek resides in the Southtowns with her husband Josh, as well as their dog Jayd, and their three cats, Tim, Tony, and Nugget. She also has two horses- Sage who is retired, and Cody, with whom she competes in the sport of eventing.

Dr. Rae Friedman is a Texas native and attended Texas Lutheran University where she received a BS in both molecular biology and chemistry. From there she earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine where she met her fiancé, who is also a veterinarian and a Buffalo native. After practicing in the greater Seattle area following graduation, Dr. Friedman and her fiancé made the move to Buffalo in December of 2020 and she began her career at OPVMC working in both emergency medicine and primary care.

Dr. Friedman shares her home with her fiancé, Jeff, along with a menagerie that includes Rottweiler/Pitbull mix-Bumi, Australian Cattle Dog-Apache, two cats-Bilbo and Mac, Sulcata tortoise-Frank, two green cheek conures-Rutabaga and Zucchini, and a yellow collared Macaw-Lucy. They are sure to continue adding to what they affectionately refer to as “the zoo” in the near future.

In her free time Dr. Friedman loves being outdoors hiking and running with Apache, as well as baking, reading, and traveling.

Melanie J. Hall, MS, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM was born and raised in Hannibal, New York, but has been a resident of the Greater Buffalo Region for more than 17 years. She obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in 2010, performed a one-year small animal rotating internship at Cornell University Hospital for Animals the following year, then went on to perform her residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at The Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center. During her residency, she completed a Masters of Science degree in Comparative and Veterinary Medicine, with her research focusing on a potential new form of therapy for diabetic cats.

Dr. Hall entered into veterinary school with the intention of becoming an internist. She has a passion for managing chronic illnesses and multiple concurrent illness, with the ultimate goals of preserving and maintaining her patients’ quality of life and joy in life.

Dr. Hall and her partner live in the City of Buffalo with their three dogs and cat, and enjoy being in the outdoors hiking, snowshoeing, cycling, and golfing, whenever they can. Other favorite activities include walking the dogs, reading with the cat, and experiencing as much Buffalo culture as possible!

Dr. Herberger chose a career in veterinary medicine for the purpose of facilitating the human-animal bond. It was during veterinary school that she developed a passion for the complexity of the nervous system and the vast manifestations of neurologic disease. Originally from WNY, she will be returning to her hometown to join the team at OPVMC in August 2022. This comes after completing a 2 year internship in emergency medicine, and 2 neurology internships followed by a 3 year residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at Pieper Memorial Veterinary Hospital in Connecticut.

Dr. Herberger has developed proficiency in neurosurgical procedures of the spine and brain, along with clinical management of seizures as well as cancerous, developmental and inflammatory conditions of the nervous system. She is enthusiastic to build a practice of veterinary neurology that is collaborative with our community of referring veterinarians. Dr. Herberger will sit for her board exam at the end of May 2022.

Dr. Herberger will be available for patient care beginning in September 2022 however we will begin booking consultations with her starting in July. To learn more about our Neurology & Neurosurgery Department click here.

Dr. Jeff Hess was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for his undergraduate studies and went on to receive his DVM from the University of Illinois. After vet school Dr. Hess moved to Seattle where he completed a one-year internship in exotic animal emergency medicine and surgery. After his internship he continued as an exotic animal emergency veterinarian before moving back to Buffalo in the fall of 2020. Prior to joining the team at Orchard Park, he worked as an overnight emergency veterinarian.

Dr. Hess' professional interests include exotic animal medicine and surgery, pain management, and emergency and critical care. He is a member of the AVMA, Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, Association of Avian Veterinarians, and the Western New York Veterinary Medical Society. He currently helps serve on the board of the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society.

Dr. Hess shares his home with his fiancée Dr. Rae Friedman, who also works as a vet at OPVMC, and a plethora of animals. In his spare time, he enjoys spending his time outdoors with his fiancée and their animals hiking, camping, biking, and fishing.

Dr. Hong was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and moved to Western New York as a youngster. Growing up in Amherst, she was known for her love of animals. After college and many odd jobs later (including a stint as a research assistant at a human cancer hospital), she finally enrolled in veterinary school at Michigan State University. She went on to complete an internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City, and joined OPVMC in 2016. Dr. Hong is especially interested in Emergency, Critical Care, and Internal Medicine and would like to specialize at some point in the future. In the meantime, she is very happy to be working as an emergency veterinarian.

In her spare time Dr. Hong enjoys spending time with her family and her beloved cat, Calvin. She loves traveling and visiting her family in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her hobbies include outdoor running, yoga, and any activity that involves a beach.

Erin Klene, DVM, was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She received her bachelor's degrees in biology and animal science from the University of Delaware. She then received her doctorate from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Klene moved to the western New York area after graduation and joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in 2004.

Klene's love of animals and combining it with veterinary medicine seems to run in her family. Her grandfather and great-grandfather were also practicing veterinarians. Her grandfather was willing to allow her to ride along on farm calls when she was a very young girl, fostering an interest that would lead to a decision to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Dr Klene did forgo the "farm calls" and limits her practice to small animal pets here at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. She enjoys the practice's unique blend of primary care general practice, emergency, and specialty care that we provide. Dr. Klene loves the outdoors and enjoys soccer, running, biking, and hiking, especially when her family and family dogs tag along.

Dr. Kloc grew up in West Seneca, New York, and graduated from St. Francis high school.  He received his undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science in animal science, from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.  Dr. Kloc obtained a master’s degree in biology while working with leatherback sea turtles at the State University College at Buffalo.  He attended and received his doctorate in veterinary medicine at Ross University school of veterinary medicine in St. Kitts, West Indies.  As part of his veterinary medical training, he received his clinical training at Cornell University.  After a year in private practice, he completed his internship and small animal medicine and surgery at Angel Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.  Dr. Kloc then completed a surgical residency at Pennsylvania Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Associates at Hickory Veterinary Hospital in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.  He then moved to the Western New York area and joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, where he consults as a referral veterinarian and performs specialized surgery.

Dr. Kloc has always had a strong interest in learning and working with animals from a young age.  Dr. Kloc said he always knew that he wanted to do something in the sciences (medicine, research, etc.)  but that he did not know exactly what it was going to be until he learned about veterinary medicine from the veterinarian’s that took care of his dogs and horses.  Dr. Kloc reveals that early on the veterinarian’s that took care of his animals were the most influential in his decision to pursue this career.  As he was finishing middle school and entering high school, his interests and abilities and science grew stronger, and it was then that he knew that it was veterinary medicine that he was most interested in.  Dr. Kloc did have an opportunity to pursue a research career working with sea turtles during his master’s degree training.  This further confirmed his desire to work with animals and his resolve to pursue veterinary medicine.  Once in veterinary school, the surgeons that he interacted with guided his decision to pursue and limit his practice to surgery.

Dr. Kloc is proud to have completed the educational training that he pursued, but he is most proud of the care and hope that he is and has provided for the animals and their families for whom he has performed surgical procedures.  His current responsibilities at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center are limited to surgery.  His interests include general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery and some limited laparoscopic surgical procedures.  Dr. Kloc is certified to perform tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), and BioMedtrix total hip replacement procedures.  Dr. Kloc is always looking to expand his surgical capabilities and to provide the best possible surgical care to the patients here at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center.

Dr. Kloc enjoys many activities outside of work.  These include skiing, snowmobiling, sailing, aviation, and camping.  Dr. Kloc is very active in Boy Scouts with his son as well.  He also enjoys watching the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. 

Dr. Victoria Krolczyk was born and raised in Western New York. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Paul Smith’s College of the Adirondacks in 2018. While working on her undergraduate, she played on the women's soccer team and traveled abroad to Russia and Italy for ongoing research projects. After graduation, she took time to work in the veterinary field, joining Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center as a veterinary assistant.

In 2023, Dr. Krolczyk received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from St. George’s University, West Indies, Grenada, where she had spent 3 years receiving her veterinary education. A large portion of that time was dedicated to caring for the stray canine and feline population on the island. During her time in Grenada, she was a member of SVECCS (Student Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society) and participated in One Health One Medicine clinics, providing care to strays and local farm animals around the island.

Dr. Krolczyk loves Buffalo (Go Bills!), but also loves to travel. After returning home from Grenada, she jumped at the opportunity to attend Oregon State University where she completed her year of veterinary clinical training at Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Some of her professional interests include preventative health medicine, emergency medicine, nutrition, and rehabilitation. She is Fear Free certified and Recover Initiative Rescuer certified.

Dr. Krolczyk currently resides in Attica with her high-school sweetheart and their three dogs: two Weimeraners, Onyx and Otis, and a German Shorthaired Pointer, Reagan. Some of her hobbies outside of veterinary medicine include playing recreational soccer, hiking, crocheting, and enjoying a wide range of winter sports. She is a houseplant enthusiast and loves the occasional lazy day at home with the dogs.

Dr. Kumrow’s veterinary career started at age 14 with his first job at Eagle Ridge Kennels in Orchard Park. By 18, he was a hospital assistant at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, eventually becoming director of pharmacy and exam rooms. Dr. Kumrow earned his Veterinary Medical degree from Guelph University’s Ontario Veterinary College in Canada. Following an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Oradell Animal Hospital in New Jersey, he completed his residency at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. He practiced as an emergency veterinarian at Tufts VETS in Massachusetts and as an internal medicine specialist in Colorado and Pennsylvania before rejoining OPVMC as an internist and medical director. He remains actively engaged in research and has been published for his work on respiratory disease. Welcome home, Kevin!

Tiffany A. Kwiatkowski, DVM, is a native of Western New York. At a young age, she worked with rehabilitating wildlife and enjoyed learning from these experiences, which is when she knew her passion was to be a Veterinarian. Dr. Kwiatkowski received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry at Daemen College and received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St, Kitts, West Indies. As part of her veterinary training, she received her clinical training at North Carolina State University. She has practiced veterinary medicine since 2010 before joining Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in 2016. She looks forward to providing the utmost optimal care to your pet through primary care, emergency practice and routine surgical procedures.

. Kwiatkowski has an interest in Internal Medicine, Feline Medicine and Small Animal Behavior. Her great passion is bringing healing to animals and helping the owners through stressful and difficult times. She believes the animal-human bond is very important and strives to integrate this in daily practice.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, exercising, cooking and traveling, but most of all, spending time with her 2 children and two cats.

Dr. Mandy Liesenfeld is a Western New York native, and grew up on Grand Island. She completed her bachelor’s degree in biology at Keuka College in the Finger Lakes, and then obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Mississippi State University. During her studies, she was the Vice President of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and was actively involved in the shelter medicine program. Dr. Liesenfeld spayed and neutered over 100 shelter animals in Mississippi during her final year of veterinary school, and hopes to continue that work during her free time here in Western New York. While living in Mississippi- she fostered several puppies, and she adopted a total of three dogs of her own (including a retired racing greyhound named Stewie-who has since passed over the rainbow bridge).

Some of her professional interests include emergency medicine, soft tissue surgery, and feline medicine. She is Fear Free certified and is passionate about reducing her patient’s stress and anxiety surrounding vet visits.

Dr. Liesenfeld currently shares her home with her high school sweetheart, Kodie, along with their Cattle Dog mix- Skip, Golden Retriever mix- Nora, and tabby cat- Alicia. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, with hobbies including kayaking around the Niagara River, hiking with her dogs, and gardening. She is also a houseplant enthusiast and enjoys yoga and traveling.

Susan Mercer, DVM, obtained her undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science in animal science, from the University of New Hampshire. She received a master's degree in veterinary parasitology from Texas A&M. While working toward her master of science degree in veterinary parasitology, Dr. Mercer explored tick-borne diseases in dogs and this inspired her to seek more structured information than pursuit of her master's degree afforded her in hopes of better understanding the disease processes and how better to help dogs afflicted with tick-borne diseases. Therefore, Dr. Mercer then continued her education and obtained her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University, where she was named to Phi Zeta, a national honor society upon graduation. After a brief stint as a large animal veterinarian, she now exclusively provides emergency care to pets, and has done so since joining Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in 1991. She is a member of the AVMA, VECCS, NYSVMS, and AAHA.

Dr. Mercer always had a large menagerie of pets while growing up, and as she also worked for a veterinarian (who was also her Sunday school teacher) everyone brought her all the strays and injured animals to care for, much to her father's dismay! She is still taking care of sick and injured pets at night and feels this is her true calling and niche. She is honored to work with such a great medical team, especially at night, and is truly thankful to the clients who trust her to care for their pets in their crisis hour. Dr. Mercer says she doesn't know what she would do without emergency medicine that keeps her mind fresh and engaged.

Dr. Mercer is an outdoor enthusiast, and you will find her enjoying the outdoors year round. She loves hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Dr. Mercer also competes internationally as an amateur woman atlatlist. She is proud of her ranking as an atlatlist (a specialized dart thrown with an atlatl), and in 2018 she ranked #1 women world atlatlist. Read more about the World Atlatl Association. This is a great accomplishment, as her father used to say she "couldn't hit the broadside of a barn"! When forced to be inside, she loves to read, stretch with yoga, or relax with tai chi and qigong. Someday she would like to retire to more fully take advantage of the natural outdoors and travel that she loves.

Stacie Minnier-Thomas, DVM, grew up in West Seneca and attended high school at Villa Maria Academy in Cheektowaga, New York. She spent two years as a biology major at the University of Rochester before transferring to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. It was there she completed her bachelor of science in animal science. Dr. Minnier Thomas later received her doctorate from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York.

Active professionally, Dr. Minnier-Thomas has served as the Director for the Avian and Exotic Veterinary Council of Western New York and has participated in the Avian and Exotic Support Network for Greater Buffalo Veterinary Services. She is a member of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, the Buffalo Academy of Veterinary Medicine, and past president of the Western New York Veterinary Medical Society.

Dr. Minnier-Thomas enjoys being a primary care provider, providing preventive health maintenance for all of her patients. Dr. Minnier Thomas also enjoys the study of internal medicine and the practice of ultrasonography.

Dr. Minnier-Thomas lives nearby in Elma. She and her husband, Michael, are most proud of their six beautiful children, Jacob, Isabella, Cordelia, Michaela, Nathan, and Elijah. Their children attend the Iroquois Central School District and are very active in area organizations including the local 4H program (Marilla Lads & Lassies), Performing Arts Dance Academy in Hamburg, the Saint Francis High School Players, and a variety of Iroquois music and sports programs such as band, choir, field hockey, cross country, rifle, track and field and wrestling. The family are parishioners of St John Vianney Parish in Orchard Park.

The Thomas family shares their home with a host of characters: Charlee their dog, three rescue house rabbits, a chinchilla and two guinea pigs.

Dr. Minnier Thomas, when not working, enjoys spending time with her family. Personal hobbies include knitting, cooking, baking, and fitness training. Her personal goal is to have a happy, healthy well-rounded life.

Giovanna Multala, DVM, was born and raised in New York City. She obtained her undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry, from St. John's University, summa cum laude. Dr. Multala received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. She is honored to be a member of the class of 1984 at Cornell and classmate of the Drs. Mary and David Brummer, also of Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. After graduating, Dr. Multala settled in Rochester, New York, and joined a practice there for a number of years.

Dr. Multala has always had a great love for animals dating back to her days when she befriended alley cats behind her apartment in New York City as a girl. In 1988, she committed her career to emergency medicine exclusively, with special interest in ophthalmology and surgery. She is happily now a part of the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center and has been providing emergency and critical care for more than 25 years overnight to her patients. She is very proud to be part of Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, which shares and supports her commitment to excellent and compassionate patient care.

Dr. Multala is happily married and has three children, who keep her very busy, along with her gardens, orchids, pets, and volunteer work at her church.

Dr. Odebralski was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She is a 2014 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. Upon graduation she completed a one year rotating internship at BluePearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Atlanta, GA. After her internship she moved back to Toronto and worked as both an associate general practitioner and part-time emergency veterinarian for several years.

After years in a downtown metropolis she moved to Buffalo with her husband (originally from West Seneca and also a veterinarian and former veterinary assistant at OPVMC prior to going to vet school) and their young daughter to settle down. Dr. Odebralski joined the OPVMC team in 2020. Her professional interests include general wellness, cardiology and surgery. She looks forward to getting to know her patients and understands how important it is to help families through difficult situations with their pets.

Dr. Odebralski has two fur babies - a dog, Abbey, and cat, Spector. She enjoys skiing, camping, hiking, traveling and trying new foods.

Michael Rickwald, DVM, attended the University of California–Davis for his undergraduate bachelor of science in animal science with a minor in statistics and graduated with high honors. He attended the same university for his doctorate degree in veterinary medicine and graduated as a member of the Phi Zeta honor society.

From an early age, he was always eager to help his mother when she cared for the family's animals. As he matured, he remained very interested in animal health and welfare so the field of veterinary medicine seemed like a good fit for a career. While no one experience was the major influence on his decision to become a veterinarian (it’s just something he always wanted to do), his volunteer experiences shaped his future, as well as an internship at a large referral and emergency hospital in New York City. Dr. Rickwald also credits many amazing and knowledgeable teachers that he had along the way for bringing him to where he is now.

Dr. Rickwald comes from a small family in California. He enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and biking and the indoor hobby of playing video games. Dr. Rickwald has volunteered for Rural Area Veterinary Services (a branch of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association) both as a veterinary student and a veterinarian. He has also worked for the SPCA and volunteered in the past for World Spay Day.

Dr. Rickwald and Dr. Dralle met at OPVMC and married in 2015. They have a cat (Cinderella), two ball python snakes (Mumbles and Tonga), a Russian tortoise (Cooper), and a dog (Penny).

Dr. Zoë Rossi grew up in Hanover, NH and stayed in her home town to attend Dartmouth College, where she completed a double major in Biology with a focus in Evolutionary Ecology and Philosophy with a focus in Ethics. After college, she moved to Philadelphia, PA to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. During veterinary school, Dr. Rossi was Vice President of the Special Species Club (a club for those interested in exotic companion animal and zoo medicine) and the Wildlife Disease Association. She also spent much of her time volunteering at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, where she helped to raise and train dogs for a variety of careers including law enforcement, search and rescue, and medical detection research. She fostered a Belgian Malinois, Anna, who is now an explosives detection K9 with the Upper Merion PD. She also completed internships at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Rossi immediately adopted a black Labrador puppy, Paradiddle, who has been the main focus of her free time since. Paradiddle recently completed her Canine Good Citizen and AKC Novice Trick titles and has begun training in agility, dock diving, and scent detection. While raising her puppy, Dr. Rossi completed a Small Animal Rotating Internship at OPVMC as their first intern. During her internship year, she also completed rotations at Specialized Care for Avian & Exotic Pets in Clarence, NY and at The Behavior Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Rossi is passionate about behavior medicine and zoo/conservation medicine. Her professional goals include becoming a boarded specialist in both of these fields in the future and improving the welfare of captive wildlife through the application of behavior medicine to non-domestic species.

Dr. Rossi and her husband Jon share their home with their three dogs, a turtle, a snake, and two gerbils. When not entertaining their puppy, Dr. Rossi and Jon enjoy visiting as many zoos and aquariums as possible. Dr. Rossi is also editor and fact-checker for the Rossifari Podcast, a zoo and conservation podcast produced and hosted by her husband, Jon. Click here to learn more about the podcast and find out where to listen.

Dr. Sarah Schlee was born and raised in Western New York. She has always had a deep love for animals and decided that she was going to be a veterinarian in her teens after rescuing two puppies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She then went on to get her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Schlee's professional interests include emergency medicine, soft tissue surgery, and caring for hospitalized patients. She is also passionate about shelter medicine and hopes to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals here in Buffalo. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music, yoga, and cuddling with her elderly mixed breed dog, Mossy. Dr. Schlee is excited to return to Western New York and work at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center as an emergency veterinarian.

Susan Springer, DVM, is a native western New Yorker growing up and still residing in Tonawanda, New York. Dr. Springer graduated from Kenmore East High School and then completed her undergraduate work with a bachelor of science degree in biology from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, and completed some post-graduate work at the University of Buffalo. She earned a master's degree in anatomy from Michigan State University (MSU) and her doctorate from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Springer completed an internship and gained experience in the field of small animal medicine and surgery at the Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. Springer has devoted herself to caring for small animals of all kinds. She provides primary preventive health care on a regular basis, as well as urgent and emergency care when covering emergency services.

Dr. Toone was born and raised in the Western New York area. She attended Alfred University for her undergraduate degree before going to veterinary school at Purdue University. After graduation she completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Louisiana State University followed by an internship in internal medicine at Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services in Rochester, New York. She completed her residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Auburn University. Dr. Toone sat for her board certification exam in June 2021 and her research paper was published in 2024 making her a board certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog - Ben and hanging out with her cat - Toby. She looks forward to moving back to the area and exploring all the new things that Buffalo has to offer.

L. Scott Tyczka, DVM, is a native western New Yorker who grew up in West Seneca. Dr. Tyczka completed his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Arts at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, where he played on the Canisius soccer team, and graduated summa cum laude. He continued his education and received his doctorate in veterinary medicine and surgery from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Tyczka graduated as a member of Phi Zeta, a national veterinary honor society. He completed a post-graduate internship at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Canada.

Dr. Tyczka became a veterinarian to work with the animals he loved and found the diversity of the work possible as a veterinarian very interesting and compelling. Dr. Tyczka practiced as a veterinarian in Cheektowaga, NY for about 10 years, and then took a sabbatical from full-time veterinary practice to bicycle across the United States. Then he worked part-time as a relief veterinarian and as a professional ski patroller at the Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, during that time. Upon returning back to Western New York in 2003, Dr. Tyczka joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center and is one of our emergency doctors during the day and on weekends. He very much enjoys, and feels lucky, working with such a great team of talented and compassionate people. He takes great pleasure in reuniting once sick pets with their owners—the happy endings!

Besides Veterinary medicine, Dr. Tyczka has been a member of the National Ski Patrol for the past 28 years and patrols at Holimont Ski Resort. He is also an active triathlete/runner and has completed 4 IRONMAN triathlons including IRONMAN World Championships, as well as the famous Boston Marathon.

Dr. Tyczka lives with his wonderful wife, Donna, of many years in Orchard Park.

Photo coming soon!

Dr. Melissa Wajda is a native of Western New York. She received her Bachelor's degree in biology at Canisius College and her Veterinary degree at Cornell University. Dr Wajda began working at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in the year 2000, practicing both general medicine and surgery along with critical/emergency medicine. Her interest in critical care medicine grew over the years and she now practices full time within the hospital's critical care/emergency service.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening and cooking along with spending time with her husband, two children and a menagerie of family pets.

Mary Brummer, DVM, was raised in western New York. She received her undergraduate degree, a bachelor of arts in biology, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She then earned her doctorate from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Brummer spent her final summer before graduation from Cornell working at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center learning animal nursing care and assisting in surgical procedures. After graduation, she joined the team of veterinarians here. She has been practicing at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center since 1988.

Dr. Brummer has been interested in animal health and medicine since her teenage years. She was surrounded by science and art as a child, as were her three older brothers who also sought education and careers as physicians. During her college years, Dr. Brummer was encouraged by supportive veterinarians and professors who mentored her and stayed in touch through her veterinary training. Additionally, she developed strong personal friendships with classmates while at Cornell, including one in particular, David Brummer, now Dr. David Brummer, DVM, ACVIM, and they were later married. She returned to Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center when David completed his internal medicine residency.

Dr. Brummer is proud to be part of the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center because this hospital offers the most advanced, caring veterinary practice in the region. She believes that our excellent reputation is the result of many years of hard work, good service, and high standards of care. Major advantages for patients at our hospital include having veterinary specialists on staff, our stellar support staff, and our 24-hour emergency service available for all. The new hospital building is welcoming, bright, and clean—a very comfortable place for a pet to visit. Dr. Brummer sees sick and well patients for preventive care, annual checkups, vaccinations, surgery, and emergency treatment.

She enjoys gardening, music, playing flute, cooking, and floral design. She and Dr. David Brummer have two adult children-one recently graduated with his PhD and the other; she recently completed medical school and started a residency program.

Dr. Mary retired from OPVMC in May 2017 after 33 great years at the hospital. She is thoroughly enjoying all the riches of life including family, friends, food, travel and gardening.

David G. Brummer, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, knew he wanted to be a veterinarian since the third grade. After graduating from Amherst College, he entered the New State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1980. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, with distinction, in 1984. After completing an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, he returned to Cornell for a residency in small animal medicine. In 1991, he became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Medicine (ACVIM).

Dr. Brummer and his wife, Mary, are both veterinarians and both practice at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. They met while classmates at Cornell. The Drs. Brummer have two children and one granddaughter. Gordon (father of Clarke) is an engineer and Hannah is a pediatrician; all reside in Boston.

Dr. Brummer joined the staff of the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in 1993 and became a partner in 1995. As a board-certified internist, he specializes in internal medicine. This specialty includes diseases of the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, liver, hormonal organs, and nervous system. The average day might find him performing ultrasound examinations, performing minimally invasive biopsy procedures, and performing a neurologic examination.

When not at work, Dr. Brummer enjoys oil painting, reading, gardening, and spending time with his family. He is an active member and elder of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, where he regularly leads adult Christian education classes.

James Fingeroth, DVM, Diplomate ACVS, hails originally from New York City, but spent his college years in upstate New York, earning his bachelor of science degree (summa cum laude) at Hobart College in Geneva, and then his doctorate from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca.

After graduation from veterinary medical school, Dr. Fingeroth was selected as an intern/first-year resident at New York City's prestigious and world famous Animal Medical Center (AMC). He was then asked to stay on at the AMC for his surgery residency and completed his second year of training at the AMC. Dr. Fingeroth then had the opportunity to expand his horizons by completing the final years of residency training in small animal surgery at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Upon completing his formal residency, Dr. Fingeroth remained two more years at Ohio State, joining the faculty as an adjunct assistant professor of surgery. In 1988, Dr. Fingeroth passed the rigorous American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) certifying examination in veterinary surgery, making him at that time one of only 350 board-certified veterinary surgeons in the world. Only veterinarians who have completed a residency in surgery and passed the certifying examination are qualified to be called specialists in veterinary surgery. That same year, he relocated to Rochester, New York, where he helped found and establish Veterinary Specialists of Rochester.

Over the next 20 years, he helped recruit numerous other specialists to upstate New York and also helped train dozens of graduate veterinarians through internship and residency programs. He is proud to count a number of board-certified specialists in surgery, neurology, internal medicine, oncology, emergency medicine, pathology, dentistry, and ophthalmology among those he helped to train early in their post-graduate careers.

Dr. Fingeroth decided to pursue veterinary medicine as an ideal way to combine his compassion for and wanting in general to help animals, with his interest in science and medicine. He believes that the pursuit of post-graduate education and training through internship, formal residency, and time spent in a faculty position had the greatest influence on his career. These experiences not only provided him with skills and knowledge well beyond the basic veterinary degree, but also ingrained lifelong habits of keeping up with state of the art and seeking better solutions to problems encountered in the daily practice of veterinary medicine. The post-graduate experience also helped him to forge close relationships with leading specialists from around the globe, providing ongoing intellectual stimulation and camaraderie that carries on even decades later.

Dr. Fingeroth joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in 2009 as the senior staff surgeon three days a week. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in various surgical fields, including orthopedics, neurosurgery, endocrine, and oncological (cancer) surgery. In addition to his work at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, Dr. Fingeroth is a senior consultant to the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), which is an online consulting service for veterinarians around the world. He serves as reviewer for several major scientific journals, contributes chapters to a large number of widely read veterinary textbooks, is the author or co-author of numerous publications in scientific journals, consults with various industry partners in developing new surgical techniques and devices, and is the author/editor of the first ever veterinary textbook focused on intervertebral disc disease in dogs and cats.

In addition to his own clinical duties at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, Dr. Fingeroth provides ongoing mentoring to Dr. Paul Kloc, and Dr. Flesher our two residency-trained veterinarians who also limit their practice to surgery, as well as providing consultations on surgical issues to our associate staff veterinarians in the community portion of our practice. He works closely with Drs. David Brummer and Kevin Kumrow, both board-certified internists here at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, and Dr. Ashley Case, medical oncologist, in providing state-of-the-art specialty services to our referral and community practice, as well as consulting on emergency cases. Dr. Fingeroth prides himself on his ability to help his patients through his surgical skills but he takes equal pride in assisting his clients by providing candid, easy-to-understand advice involving surgery, as well as finding ways to help pets without resorting to surgery.

His surgical expertise includes joint replacement (he has been performing total hip replacements since 1984), knee surgery, fracture repair, spinal and brain surgery, and a wide variety of thoracic and abdominal surgeries. He is also respected as an oncologic surgeon, including major tumor resections and reconstructions for maxillofacial and oral tumors, chest tumors, and other complex cases. Dr. Fingeroth's continuing goals are to provide the best service he can to his referred clients and to try to improve the overall level of quality of veterinary services offered at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center and to the western New York community.

On a personal note, Dr. Fingeroth lives in Mendon, New York, with his wife, Robbie, and a menagerie that includes a large number of canines, cats, horses, and an assortment of rodents and fish. He is an avid Native American horseman and has been a licensed pilot since 1973. He enjoys flying for pleasure, business, and also provides charity flights for people through Angel Flight/Patient Airlift Services and for animals through Animal Rescue Flights and People N Paws. In his spare time when not flying or horseback riding/training, Dr. Fingeroth enjoys reading, music, native craftwork, hiking, and solitude.

L. Mark Hedges, DVM, grew up in central Ohio. He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University in 1982. Dr. Hedges joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center after graduation to work with Dr. Jack Laurie, DVM. In 1995, Dr. Hedges, along with his partners Dr. David Brummer DVM, ACVIM, and Dr. Susan Metzger DVM, purchased the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center from Dr. Laurie. Dr. Hedges was blessed to play a small part in an amazing team that worked together to help the practice grow in size and reputation. In 2017, after 22 years Dr. Hedges and his partners sold the practice to the current owners. Dr. Hedges has an interest in surgery and enjoys treating and providing health care for his patients.

Dr. Hedges is proud to say that his family is his greatest personal accomplishment. He and his wife, Grace have four wonderful daughters, and to date, six beautiful grandchildren. In his spare time, Dr. Hedges loves to visit his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, who are scattered between New York, Ohio and Michigan. Since the sale of the practice, Dr. Hedges has had the time and pleasure to join his wife Grace in serving with Joni & Friends Wheels For the World. This is a ministry dedicated to distributing and donating refurbished wheel chairs to people with disabilities around the world. Since 2016, Dr. Hedges and Grace have worked in India three times and have also done training for wheelchair distributions in Peru. They hope to be able to continue serving those with disabilities with Wheels for the World for many years to come.

Since the death of “Buddy”, Dr. Hedges’ beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Hedges household has been without a pet. This unfortunately is due to severe allergies that several of the new family members have towards cats and dogs. However, his love for animals continues to be satisfied by providing care for his clients and their pets.

Susan Metzger, DVM, was raised in the western New York area. She received her bachelor of science from Cornell in 1977 and her doctorate from the NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell in 1983. Upon graduation, she joined the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. She, along with Dr. Mark Hedges and Dr. David Brummer, purchased the practice from Dr. John Laurie in 1995. In 2017 they sold the practice to a group of their young, enthusiastic, talented and hard working associates.

Dr. Metzger decided to become a veterinarian when she was about 10 years old. Her mother is a great animal lover, and their home was always a place where the neighborhood kids brought sick, injured, or orphaned animals. While in high school, she developed a strong interest in science, so a career in veterinary medicine just seemed to make sense.

When not working, Dr. Metzger loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and gardening. Her family consists of her husband, Jay; their two sons, Jon and Matthew; her beloved dog, Kiko and her lovable but challenging cat, Bandit.