Our Team | Veterinarians & Technicians

Dr. Amara Osei

Medical Director & Veterinarian

Licensed veterinarian, New York State · with us since 2009

Amara opened the 61st Street practice in 2009 after eight years in a busy multi-vet hospital, largely because she wanted to run a diary that had room in it for people who needed to be seen today. She still keeps a clinical caseload alongside running the practice, and she still calls clients herself when the news is difficult.

Internal medicine
Complex and chronic cases
Second opinions

English, French

Dr. Nikhil Raman

Head of Surgery

Licensed veterinarian, New York State · with us since 2013

Nikhil leads the surgical service and has a standing rule that no animal goes to theatre without its owner having a written estimate and an honest answer about what happens if they do nothing. He is the person most likely to talk you out of a procedure your animal does not need.

Soft tissue surgery
Orthopaedics
Wound reconstruction

English, Hindi, Tamil

Dr. Sofia Vargas

Veterinarian, Dentistry & Oral Surgery

Licensed veterinarian, New York State · with us since 2016

Sofia built the dental suite and the full-mouth radiography service, on the grounds that dentistry done without x-rays is guesswork with better lighting. She is unusually good at explaining to a sceptical owner why a mouth that looks fine from the front is not fine.

Dental radiography
Extractions and oral surgery
Feline resorptive lesions

English, Spanish

Dr. Grace Lim

Veterinarian, Feline & Senior Medicine

Licensed veterinarian, New York State · with us since 2018

Grace designed the cat wing and the handling protocols that go with it. Her clinics run slower than everybody else's on purpose, because a cat that is not rushed is a cat that can actually be examined, and one examination you can complete is worth more than four you cannot.

Feline medicine
Kidney and thyroid disease
Senior quality-of-life assessment

English, Mandarin, Cantonese

Marisol Reyes

Lead Veterinary Technician

Registered veterinary technician · with us since 2011

Marisol runs the treatment floor and the technician clinics, which means she is the person most clients see most often. Nail trims, weight checks, post-operative checks and the difficult conversations about a diet that is not working all happen with her.

Nursing clinics
Nutrition and weight
Client education

English, Spanish, Tagalog

Tomas Brennan

Anaesthesia & Surgical Technician

Registered veterinary technician · with us since 2014

Tomas monitors anaesthetics, and on any day he is doing that it is the only thing he is doing. He keeps a paper chart as well as the machine trace, on the grounds that a machine that stops working is not a reason to stop knowing what an animal is doing.

Anaesthesia monitoring
Surgical nursing
Pain assessment

English, Polish

Priya Shah

Practice Manager

Practice management · with us since 2017

Priya runs the front of the practice and the diary, which makes her the person who decides whether you are seen today. She also writes the estimates, and has a standing rule that any line on one she cannot explain in plain English does not get sent.

Estimates and payment plans
Insurance claims
Scheduling

English, Gujarati, Hindi

How the floor is staffed

Salaried pay, in a trade that runs on commission almost everywhere else

A number of practices pay a veterinarian or a technician a share of what they sell that day. It is a legal and ordinary way to run a business, and it also means every recommendation you hear carries a direct financial interest in your answer being yes.

Nobody on this floor is paid that way. Everyone is salaried, and the coverage itself is written into how the day is built rather than left to chance: a registered veterinary technician is on the floor during every hour the practice is open, and any animal under a general anaesthetic is watched continuously by one named technician whose only responsibility for that hour is that animal.

Salaried pay, with no commission on procedures, diagnostics or add-ons.
A registered veterinary technician on the floor every hour we are open.
One named technician monitoring anaesthesia, continuously, for the whole procedure.

The surgical team monitoring anaesthesia at Woodside Vet & Care in Woodside, Queens, NY

Credentials

What these credentials actually mean

Worth knowing wherever you take an animal, not only here.

Licensed veterinarian, New York State
A veterinarian must hold a current licence to practise issued to them individually before they may diagnose, prescribe or operate on an animal in this state, renewed on a set schedule. It is a credential a person earns and keeps, not a claim the practice makes about itself.
Registered veterinary technician
A separate credential from a veterinary licence, requiring a technician to complete a recognised technician training programme and pass a national examination before they may perform delegated clinical tasks — placing catheters, monitoring anaesthesia, running in-house laboratory work — under a veterinarian's supervision.
Practice management
Not a licensed profession, but a real discipline: reading an estimate the way a client will read it, knowing which insurers pay quickly and which do not, and building a diary that holds same-day slots without leaving the whole afternoon empty. Priya Shah runs this side of the practice and writes every estimate that leaves the building.

Continuity

Asking for a specific veterinarian is normal here, not an imposition

Most of what makes a second or third visit better than the first is a person who already knows your animal's normal — the heart murmur that has sounded the same for six years, the ear that flares every August, the cat who is fine once you stop looking directly at her.

Say the name at booking, whether it is the veterinarian who saw your animal last time or one you were recommended by a neighbour. We will match you wherever the diary allows it, and if that means waiting two extra days for an appointment that is not urgent, most clients tell us that is the trade they would rather make.

A client booking an appointment at the desk of Woodside Vet & Care in Woodside, Queens, NY

Questions

The team — what people ask most

How do I request a specific veterinarian?

Say the name when you call or in the contact form, and the desk will book you with that person wherever the diary allows it. If your usual veterinarian is away or fully booked on the day you need, you will be offered the next available appointment with them or a same-day slot with someone else — your choice, not ours.

Are your veterinary technicians registered?

Yes. Every technician on the floor holds a registered veterinary technician credential, which requires completing a recognised technician training programme and passing a national examination before it is issued to that individual. It is a licence held by the person, renewed on a schedule, not a description we apply to the building.

Is anyone here paid on commission?

No. Every veterinarian, technician and member of staff is salaried. Nobody earns more for recommending a procedure, and nobody's month improves because you said yes to a longer estimate. We hire and review people on whether they find the right answer, not on how much of the estimate gets approved.

Who actually watches my animal under anaesthetic?

A named registered veterinary technician, continuously, for the whole procedure. Tomas Brennan runs anaesthesia most days and keeps a paper chart alongside the monitor, on the reasoning that a machine that stops working is not a reason to stop knowing what your animal is doing. You can ask, before you consent to anything, who that person will be.

How long has the team actually been together?

Marisol Reyes joined in 2011, Dr. Nikhil Raman in 2013, Tomas Brennan in 2014, Dr. Sofia Vargas in 2016, Priya Shah in 2017 and Dr. Grace Lim in 2018. Dr. Osei has been here since she opened the doors. Nobody currently on staff has been here less than eight years.

What languages does the team speak?

Between the seven of us: English, French, Hindi, Tamil, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Polish and Gujarati, spread across different members of the team. Tell the desk which language you would prefer when you book and, where the diary allows it, we will match you with someone who speaks it.

A written estimate before anything is booked

Book an appointment

We hold same-day appointments back on every single day of the week for animals that were well yesterday. Call the practice and describe what you have noticed, and the desk will book you at the right speed rather than the soonest one.

Book an appointment Call 000-000-0000

The veterinarians and technicians who will actually see your animal