Our caring and compassionate veterinary care team!

Meet the veterinarians and medical staff at North Shore Animal League America’s Pet Health Centers! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens! Please call us at 516-883-2000 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!

Dr. Mark Verdino

Senior Vice President and Chief of Veterinary Staff

Dr. Verdino joined our medical team as Senior Staff Veterinarian and his passion, and commitment to improving animal health and welfare has been evident from the start. In 2011, Dr. Verdino assumed the role of Chief of Veterinary Staff. In this role he has focused on expanding the capabilities and scope of medical care at the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Veterinary Medical Center.

Dr. Verdino holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fairfield University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from New York University, and earned his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to joining NSALA, he worked in private practice at both Caring Hands Animal Hospital and Old Dominion Animal Health Center in Virginia. During that time, he worked closely with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington on medical cases.

Prior to achieving his veterinary degree, Dr. Verdino worked in investment management for the Goldman Sachs Group. Ultimately, his love of animals drove him to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and animal welfare.

His professional interests include soft-tissue and orthopedic surgery, pain management, rehabilitation, and alternative medicine. Dr. Verdino attended the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is certified in veterinary acupuncture. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, skiing/snowboarding and spending time with his wife and two children. He also has two lovable yet not-so-smart pugs.

Dr. Marina Tejada

Supervising Veterinarian – Medical Center

Dr. Tejada graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. A Queens native, her family adopted their first dog from North Shore Animal League America when she was 7, she told her mother she was going to work here one day. She has been at North Shore Animal League America since 2012, serving as a Supervising Veterinarian since 2014. She is a certified Human-Animal Bond practitioner (HABc). Her special interests include shelter medicine, surgery, emergency response, and mentoring veterinary students. She is currently on the Alumni Association Executive Board at the Cornell Veterinary College and is Outreach Director for the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA).  She was a Maddie’s Fund Shelter Medicine Fellow at Cornell University in 2017. In her free time, Dr. Tejada enjoys traveling, yoga, and spending quality time with her adopted rescues- three cats and one dog.

Dr. Erin Carney

Supervising Veterinarian

Dr Carney graduated from the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College in 2012. Upon her return to New York, she began her career at North Shore Animal League America as part of the internship program for new graduates. Dr Carney has always had a strong interest in surgery, particularly spay/neuter. One of Dr Carney’s favorite things about working at NSALA is the chance to provide affordable high quality spay/neuter services with an amazing team. Dr Carney has recently expanded her special interests to include physical therapy and is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. She is looking forward to spending more quality time with her patients and their families in this new role. 

If you cannot find Dr Carney at NSALA, she is likely at the beach or spending time with her husband, stepson and ridiculously awesome dogs, Toby and Millie. 

Dr. Juliette de Venoge

Senior Veterinarian

Dr. Juliette de Venoge, a Manhasset, NY native, is proud to work at North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), a place she had always enjoyed visiting with her family as a young girl. Her passion for animals from an early age ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Dr. de Venoge graduated from Binghamton University in 2015, and quickly hopped on a plane to St. Kitts, West Indies to attend Ross University. There she earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine with Highest Honors and then completed her clinical studies at Cornell University in 2019.

Shortly after graduating, Dr. de Venoge was eager to join the medical team at NSALA. She enjoys being part of the endless success stories of our rescued and client-owned pets. She looks forward to meeting you and your furry friends!

Dr. Gerard Laheney

Senior Veterinarian – Shelter Medicine

Like many others, Gerard wanted to be a vet since the young age of 9. Having grown up in Port Washington, he learned from an early age of the North Shore Animal League as his family adopted their first of many animals in 1978. At the age of 15, and just recently having spoken with a friend of the need for a job, Gerard received a letter from North Shore recruiting local high school students. Gerard spent all of his high school years working as a kennel associate and later on the rescue team, and developed a passion for fostering neonate puppies. He went on to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received his BS in Animal Science (Pre Vet) and attended veterinary school at the University of Liverpool, UK graduating with a BVSC/MRCVS in 2001. He spent a year in private practice and found the most fulfilling aspect of this job was his contracted work with a local municipal shelter. In 2003, Gerard decided to ‘return to his roots’ and pursue a career at North Shore in Shelter Medicine. In 2007, Gerard was named a Senior Veterinarian and is primarily responsible for the intake of hundreds of animals weekly and managing the health of the 300-400 adoptable animals at North Shore.

Gerard currently shares his home with a rescued Catahoula, “Finn”, and a one-eyed cat, “Frisbee”.

Dr. Gamal A. Yousry

Senior Veterinarian

Dr. Gamal A. Yousry, DVM, is a graduate of Cairo University in Egypt and holds a Master Degree in Microbiology from Long Island University Brooklyn. Dr. Yousry attended Tufts University for a duration of a year to obtain the A.C.F.V.G degree to finalize the ability for Veterinary practice in the United States. He then went on to serve an externship at the University of Tennessee training in internal medicine and surgery of small animals.

Dr. Yousry has been practicing Veterinary Medicine since 1978, the last 8 years at the renowned North Shore Animal League America located in Port Washington, after serving 20 years of practice and ownership at Lawrence Animal Hospital, the oldest acclaimed veterinary hospital in Queens. Dr. Yousry’s practice centralizes around Vaccination against diseases, medication against suffering from infections or illnesses, performance of minor to complex surgery and conduction of diagnostic tests such as X-ray, EKG, ultrasound, and laboratory work. Yousry is also a worker at the City of New York in Veterinary public health services.

Dr. Yousry recently received the Veterinary Merit Award at the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City, presented to members in recognition of their significant contributions to the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City and the advancement of the veterinary profession.

Dr. Jessica Ferrara

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Jessica Ferrara knew she wanted to be a vet for as long as she could remember. She grew up in Suffolk County and got her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology at Seton Hall University. She then headed to the Caribbean and attended veterinary school at Ross University on the tiny island of St. Kitts. She then completed her clinical year at the University of Florida. She decided to move back home to Long Island to start her veterinary career. Her professional interests include shelter medicine, diagnostic imaging, oncology, and integrative medicine. 

Dr. Ferrara loves to watch movies, read, and spend time with friends and family, along with her two orange cats and Pitbull mix. Her two childhood dogs were adopted from North Shore, so she is happy to be part of the North Shore team.

Dr. Julie Fithian, CertAqV

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Julie Fithian was born and raised on Long Island. She received her bachelor’s in marine vertebrate biology from Stony Brook University in 2016. After graduating she worked for the Southampton Town Board of Trustees monitoring endangered species like piping plovers. After the season ended, she got a job as a veterinary receptionist at a practice in East Hampton. In 2018, she was accepted to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.

While at Ross, Dr. Fithian explored her love of aquatic medicine and became involved with the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network. As a research assistant, she worked with wild sea turtle species and helped collect population data for future studies. Dr. Fithian’s interests include wildlife, aquatic and exotic animal medicine, but she also loves working with dogs and cats.

Dr. Fithian is a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. When she is not working, Dr. Fithian volunteers with a local marine rescue helping with sea turtle rehabilitation and seal/large whale response. She also enjoys spending time outside and camping with her dog Watson. Eventually, she plans on pursuing board certification in zoologic and aquatic medicine, but until then she is excited to be a part of the NSALA team!

Dr. Angeline Gano

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Angeline Gano grew up in New Jersey, where her passion for shelter medicine began at a young age. From age 11, Dr. Gano volunteered with her local shelters and rescues, and fostered countless animals until they found their forever home. After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in veterinary and biomedical sciences, Dr. Gano moved to Philadelphia, and studied at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine where she earned her VMD.

Dr. Gano is excited to work with the team at NSALA and contribute to the outstanding care of rescued and client-owned animals. When she is not at work, Dr. Gano can be found at home with her chiweenie, Fievel, and her 3 cats, Bean, Sal and Penelope.

Dr. Laura Oliva

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Laura Oliva attended Molloy College for her undergraduate Biology degree with the aim of becoming a Marine Biologist. While hoping to land a job at the local fish store, which luckily had not been hiring at the time, she found herself at the veterinary hospital next door and filled out an application there instead! As a veterinary assistant, Dr. Oliva fell in love with the problem solving and collaboration veterinary medicine required, as well as the incomparable connections between humans and their pets. This prompted her to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University.

Dr. Oliva is exceptionally passionate about shelter medicine, spay/neuter, community outreach, and behavior. She is excited to start her career here at NSALA and hopes to help a lot of animals find the loving homes they deserve.

Dr. Kellyn Tramposch

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Tramposch grew up on the eastern south shore of Long Island, NY and received her undergraduate BS in Biology from Binghamton University in 2014. After graduating she worked in a general practice specializing in small animal care for two years, prior to starting veterinary school. Dr. Tramposch completed her MVB degree in Ireland at University College Dublin in 2020.  Dr. Tramposch completed a rotating emergency and specialty small animal internship in 2021 at the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island.

She lives with her senior chow-golden retriever mix rescue dog Penny, who enjoys lots of treats and specializes in nap time.

Dr. Katarina Valen

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Valen received her DVM degree from The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. Upon graduation she completed two year long specialized internship training programs, one in small animal medicine and surgery at the ASPCA Animal Hospital in NYC and one in shelter medicine as the recipient of the Petring Grant at the North Shore Animal League America. Following the completion of these programs, she entered into nearly a decade of private practice focusing on small animal medicine and surgery. While she enjoyed being part of the beauty that is the human-animal bond, she ultimately missed the global impact shelter like North Shore Animal League America offer and is glad to have returned.

Dr. Lyndsey Williams

Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Lyndsey Williams always knew during her time growing up on Long Island that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University in 2018. During her undergraduate degree, Dr. Williams spent most of her free time volunteering at the SPCA of Tompkins County and was eventually hired onto the veterinary staff there. Working alongside the amazing veterinarians of the Cornell Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program inspired her to pursue a career in shelter medicine. She has recently received her MVB from University College Dublin in 2023 and is excited to join the NSALA team! Her professional interests include shelter medicine, community outreach, animal behavior, and the human-animal bond.

Dr. Williams shares her home with her partner and their two cats, Baba Ganoush and Lunchbox, who she hand raised from 2 days old after their mother passed away. They are two of the hundreds of animals she has fostered over the years, and they will certainly not be the last!