THE VILLAGE ANIMAL CLINIC - Key Persons

Despite once wanting to be an astronaut, Dr. Kristen Bevilacqua wisely chose to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. With her compassionate and gentle pet care philosophy, Dr. Bevilacqua is a perfect fit for The Village Animal Clinic. At three years old, Dr. Bevilacqua voiced her decision to be a veterinarian when she grew up. She stuck with this early goal and earned her bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College in 2008 and then her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. While attending veterinary school, she studied with the preeminent and nationally recognized expert in exotic animal medicine, Dr. James Carpenter. Dr. Kristen absorbed his expertise and now shares her valuable insight and knowledge with our team of exotic pet practitioners. When not at the office, Dr. Bevilacqua can usually be found participating in some type of sport. She enjoys tennis, volleyball, golf, and softball and has encircled herself with friends who share the same interests. She is determined to form a sports team made up of her colleagues. In conjunction with Dr. McCarthy and Dr. Cheever, Dr. Bevilacqua is a sponsor of the local Voorheesville athletic scene and participates in The Village Animal Clinic's sponsorships, including local Kiwanis baseball and soccer teams and an annual run for the Voorheesville School and Community Foundation.

Job Titles:

• Chief of Staff
• Member of the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians

A native of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Dr. Michael P. McCarthy earned his bachelor's degree in business and biology at Lake Superior State University and then went on to earn a degree in veterinary science and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After relocating to New York's Capital District in 2004 with his wife and two sons, Dr. Mike spent six years at a small animal practice in Guilderland. Over the course of his career, Dr. McCarthy has spent a large amount of time training and acquiring professional experience with many types of non-traditional pets, including birds, rabbits, pocket pets, reptiles, chelonians (turtles), ferrets, chinchillas, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, and others. He has a deep professional interest in providing quality health care to traditional companion animals as well as pocket and exotic pets. Dr. McCarthy is a member of the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, Association of Sugar Glider Veterinarians, Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, Hedgehog Welfare Society, and American Ferret Association.

Thanks to this community's enthusiastic support for our growing practice, The Village Animal Clinic has hired a new veterinarian to expand our family. As of June, we welcomed Dr. Kate Storey to join our veterinary team. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (majoring in biochemistry) and Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine (DVM, 2019) with an impressive background in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of species. Most important, she has the high standards for providing optimal care with compassion that are hallmarks of our practice. She finds the study of animal behavior and the specialized care required for exotic animals to be among her areas of greatest interest. Dr, Storey grew up in Simsbury, CT. with a range of species of family pets from the traditional to the unusual: she and her sister cared for "exotics" such as Hermit crabs and frogs, and also for furry "pocket pets," including hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. Since the Village Animal Clinic is the number-one practice for exotic animal care in the Capital region, her familiarity with these species is a valuable attribute. Dr. Storey became drawn to this area by her past seven summers of working for Little Brook Farm in Chatham, which not only provides a welcome retirement for horses with various histories of abandonment and abuse but also offers educational programs to local school children about kindness, proper animal care, and responsibility. Dr. Storey taught many of the classes offered to enthusiastic students. The Village Animal Clinic has served since its inception as an educational opportunity for many audiences (elementary through high school students, pre-veterinary students seeking mentors, Girl Scout groups, library summer programs, etc.). We look forward to Dr. Storey's assisting the Clinic in its mentoring activities. We are sure you will enjoy her as much as we do.

Job Titles:

• Owner and Surgeon for Northeastern Veterinary Surgery

Dr. Stanclift is the owner and surgeon for Northeastern Veterinary Surgery, a practice dedicated to increasing the availability of advanced surgical services for pets by bringing these services to the local veterinary hospital. Dr. Stanclift is a native of the northern Adirondacks. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the John Wiley Jones School of Business at S.U.N.Y. Geneseo in 1992. She went on to complete her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. Following graduation, Dr. Stanclift continued her education with an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Sonora Veterinary Specialists in Phoenix, AZ. She then served as a clinical instructor at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Her formal surgical training includes a one-year surgical internship at Affiliated Veterinary Specialists in Maitland, FL, and a residency in small animal surgery at the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey. She achieved board certification from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2009. Dr. Stanclift has a strong interest in continuing education. In addition to regularly attending CE, she has authored numerous publications and lectured in both local and national forums. She is a member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Veterinary Orthopedic Society, the Eastern Veterinary Orthopedic Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, and the Capital District Veterinary Medical Society. Dr. Stanclift offers a full complement of surgical services that can be provided to patients of The Village Animal Clinic, including TPLOs (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy), anal sacculectomies, tail fold caudectomies, TECABOs (Total Ear Canal Ablations) among many others.

Dr. Coulter was raised in the Capital region and followed her childhood dream to become a veterinarian. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in the field of Animal and Biological Sciences (2012) and her professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ross University (2016,) which included a final year of clinical training at Cornell's prestigious College of Veterinary Medicine. Not only does Dr. Coulter have impressive clinical skills, but also-and every bit as important in our practice-she is a compassionate advocate for animal welfare, and spent hours volunteering with animal rescue groups in her adolescence and educating the residents of the island of St. Kitts, both pet owners and farmers, on proper animal care, the importance of veterinary intervention, and preventive medicine. Her childhood exposed her to a wide range of animal friends, including guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, Great Danes, and horses, giving her invaluable first-hand familiarity with these species. Dr. Coulter looks forward to a long tenure at our practice and in the Albany community. She and her fiancé are planning their dream home on their property and spend their free time camping. Additionally, Dr. Coulter enjoys horseback riding (she was a competitive rider in the hunter-jumper circuit in her high school and college years,) running, and caring for her family's various companion animals.

Dr. Goodfellow joined The Village Animal Clinic in June of 2021. She grew up in Freehold, NY, attended school at Greenville High School, then went on to Union College in Schenectady, graduating with the highest honors. She majored in biology and earned the admiration of her faculty, who felt she would be an ideal candidate for the veterinary medical profession. Her veterinary degree is from Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Goodfellow's informal education included close relationships throughout her childhood with a range of species, including cats, dogs, guinea hens, and horses; she even found time throughout her busy school and college course loads to compete in horse shows. Her other interests include hiking, camping, tennis, and volleyball.