Mitch Kornet, DVM I came to work at Mid Island Animal Hospital in 1981, and became its director in 1983. I am a 1979 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. I also earned an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree at Cornell University. In 1993 I helped field test a new drug for Addison's disease, which is an adrenal gland disorder. The results were published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, and in Current Veterinary Therapy. I became a veterinarian because of my love of animals and the challenge of making the quality of their lives better. When I was 13 years old, my pet hamster became sick, and my visit to our local veterinarian transformed my life. From that time on, I did everything in my power to be admitted to veterinary college. I worked on dairy farms during my summer vacations, and went to a high school that had special programs in agriculture. My college years were marked with intense studying. My hard work paid off. After only 3 years of undergraduate work, I was admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Cornell gave me the foundation to become a complete veterinarian. I enjoy all facets of veterinary medicine from internal medicine, surgery, to dentistry. I strive to provide the highest quality of medicine for my patients through persistent hard work. Mid Island Animal Hospital has a comprehensive continuing education program that allows its doctors to stay on the cutting edge of veterinary medicine. After practicing for over 20 years, I am as excited and enthusiastic about veterinary medicine as ever. In fact, I am never on time for work: I always get there early. It is my privilege to be a veterinarian. Anne Zeifman, DVM Associate Veterinarian, Cornell University, 1986 Animals have always been an important part of my life. As a child, I enjoyed the usual assortment of pet turtle, newts, lizard, hamsters, rabbits, and finally cats.  I loved zoos, drawing and painting animals and above all, observing wildlife in their natural habitats (whale and dolphin watching, snorkeling in coral reefs, finding marmots and mountain goats in the Western mountains, prairie dogs and coyotes in New Mexico). All kinds of creatures have always fascinated me. The idea of being a veterinarian, however, did not come to me until halfway through college.  I was waffling between anthropology, oceanography, and comparative literature, when I went to stay at my uncle's farm.  He and his wife, both doctors, told me if they had to do it over again, they would have been veterinarians.  The idea quickly took hold and in no time, I was immersed in pre-vet courses. I spent the next few years studying extremely hard, working for veterinarians, and volunteering on a dairy farm.  My first job was at a practice where Dr. Kornet was an associate veterinarian in Queens.  I admired his diagnostic skills and energy and we stayed in touch after that. My hard work paid off.  I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and was admitted to Cornell Veterinary School. During vet school, I did externships at the Bronx Zoo and the Oklahoma City Zoo and volunteered at the Avian Clinic treating wild owls and hawks.  After graduation from vet school in 1986, I completed a one-year internship at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.  I rotated through many specialty areas including cardiology, neurology, nephrology, exotic animal medicine, and surgery.  It was a year of intense learning and honing of skills through many long days and nights.   Being Night Doctor—the sole veterinarian on duty all night for all of Manhattan—as a first year intern, was a trial by fire but taught me many invaluable lessons. Soon after my internship I got back in touch with Dr. Kornet and was pleased to be able to come to work at Mid Island Animal Hospital in 1987 where I stayed until 1990.  I then worked in Westchester until 1996.  At that point I was happy to return to Mid Island and have been here ever since. Mid Island Animal Hospital is a terrific practice because all the veterinarians and staff care deeply about the health and welfare of the patients. The doctors use a team approach, working together on all hospitalized cases and frequently sharing ideas on outpatient cases as well. This constant exchange ensures that many minds tackle any given medical problem and solutions are found even for the toughest cases.  In addition, Mid Island is a hospital with state of the art equipment and facilities. It is a privilege to be able to help this community's pets stay healthy and to strive to overcome illnesses.  Few things are as rewarding as seeing a joyful reunion between an owner and their beloved pet after its recovery from an illness. Mary Raciti, DVM Associate Veterinarian, Cornell University, 1995 They say that the purpose of life is to have a life with purpose.  I knew from a very young age that my purpose was to help animals through a career as a veterinarian. My love of animals prompted me to attend John Bowne High School as an agriculture major.  During this time I devoted my summers to working on dairy farms and volunteering at animal hospitals. I received my Associate Degree in Agriculture at Farmingdale University and a Bachelor of Science Degree at Cornell University.  In 1995, I proudly received my Doctorate Degree at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. To further enhance my knowledge and skills as a veterinarian, I also completed a comprehensive one year internship program in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City.  During this time I worked on specialty services including oncology, dentistry, exotics, gastrointestinal and respiratory medicine. In July of 1996, I started working at Mid Island Animal Hospital and have been here ever since.  My attraction to this particular hospital is the wonderful and caring staff, and the common goal of striving to achieve the highest quality of medicine, surgery, and dentistry.  We all take pride in our work and it shows through the eyes of the animals we care for. Kathleen Wieman, DVM My name is Kathleen Wieman. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a veterinarian.  I was born on Long Island,  and my family moved to Northern California, Illinois, then to Southern California, and eventually back to Long Island.  Throughout my travel throught  the country, my dream to become a veterinarian remained steadfast. In 1992, I graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and have been happily practicing as a small animal veterinarian on Long Island ever since.  Upon accepting a position at Mid Island Animal Hospital in 2002, I have enjoyed meeting a wide range of people and pets, whose lives I have hopefully improved in the process. At home I have a husband, cat, and rabbit anxiously waiting for me.  My cat, Cassie, was a stray kitten found on the Farmingdale College campus.   Now she is a large, well-fed tabbycat.  My rabbit, Sasha (aka BunBun) was brought into the hospital with a broken leg.  After repairing it, I took her home where she now runs around without a problem. I met my husband, Karl,  on the volleyball court when we ran into each other while going after a ball. Eventually we figured out we should get married. That's my life in a nutshell.  I look forward to meeting you and your pets in the future.