Staff

Dr. Kim L. Cronin

Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology)

Dr. Kim L. Cronin, co-founder of New England Veterinary Oncology Group, counts among her credentials an internship at New York’s pioneering Animal Medical Center - where she admittedly “fell in love with oncology” - and three years as a clinical instructor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. A passionate and dedicated veterinary oncologist, she’s been drawn to science as far back as she can recall.

“I’ve always been science oriented when it comes to what makes things tick,” she says, noting that her father taught biology and her sister is also a veterinarian on Long Island. As a child, and at her mother’s encouragement, the house was routinely filled with all manner of life: guinea pigs, chameleons, rabbits, cats, dogs, and more. “It was as natural for us as breathing,” she explains, noting that she wrote in her 6th grade yearbook that she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up.

Her proclivity for science and commitment to animals eventually propelled Dr. Cronin in the direction of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she affirmed her belief that veterinary, as opposed to human, medicine requires a “different level of communication. It can be more challenging with animals,” she says.

What’s more, for Dr. Cronin, specializing in oncology is about the relationship with clients and patients, whom she calls friends and family. “I take care of everyone, animal and human, the way I would my own extended family,” she says, acknowledging it is not unusual for her to care for 24 patients on a single Saturday. Dr. Cronin considers it a privilege to make herself available on the only day when many people can bring their pets in for treatment because of their own work schedules.

Drawing from the collaborative well that is NEVOG’s mainstay, Dr. Cronin also participates in the staff’s efforts to provide educational resources about cancer to local veterinarians, who are generally the first to diagnose and deliver critical information about the disease to concerned family members.

Dr. Jeffrey C. Philibert

Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology)

Dr. Jeffrey Philibert is one of the original co-founders of NEVOG. We are fortunate and grateful to have him as one of the dedicated leaders of our team.

Inspired by one of the original veterinary oncologists, Dr. Robert Rosenthal at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester, New York where Dr. Philibert interned, he warmly says, “I immediately fell in love with the types of cases we saw and the dedication that clients of pets with cancer have.”

This fits with our highest goals at NEVOG; to have staff on board who care equally about pet owners as the pets they are treating. When co-founding NEVOG, he had a dream “…for building an oncology service that offers top notch care for the patient but also a quality, supportive level of care for the owners going through this process.”

Away from work, Dr. Philibert shares his life with his three cats, Avon, Cricket and Hannah, one dog, Penny, and of course, what everybody needs, a gerbil named Goldie. He quips that he also has “three two legged animals at home” - his children - Bridgette, Alex and Natale.

Along with many outdoor activities, including mountain bike riding and bike building, he describes himself as a “fledgling fly fisherman.”

Dr. Philibert graduated from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995, and completed his residency in medical oncology at Purdue University. He received his diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology) in 2002.

Dr. Erin M. Romansik

Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology)

The Weather Channel’s loss is NEVOG’s gain. Dr. Erin Romansik, married to another veterinarian, reveals that his family consists of youngsters in a 3:2 ratio (three children; two pets). He concedes that while his primary interest as an undergraduate was meteorology, the idea of veterinary school was uncharted territory for him until somewhat late in the game. Yet today, despite all of veterinary oncology’s challenges and complexities, he can’t imagine doing anything else.

At the top of his class, and ultimately concentrating in biology, he was accepted at one of the nation’s most prestigious veterinary schools, Colorado State University, where he was inducted into its veterinary honor society: Phi Zeta. When the concept of surgery piqued his interest, he was paired for study with a surgical oncologist: someone who specializes in cancer but from a surgical perspective, at which point fate took a hand. “I realized I very much preferred the science behind oncology, versus the science behind surgery,” he explains. “I also liked learning about a discipline that had an impact on human health care as well.”

Later, when completing a rotating internship at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, he received the “Intern of the Year” award from his peers. He also received an award for “Best Resident Research Project” for his publication on canine mast cell tumors while completing his medical oncology residency at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He received diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology) in 2007.

Dr. Romansik reveals he’d wanted to practice at NEVOG because of its high level of care. As an integral part of the NEVOG team, he affirms that while their patients have cancer, still they are “often dragging their owners around our waiting room.” He acknowledges cancer may eventually take their lives, but there are usually many avenues to pursue in terms of improving the quality of life during their illness, regardless of its duration.

“It’s about providing hope,” he says. “It’s seeing these dogs and cats continue to live an excellent quality of life” that makes veterinary oncology the only job in the world for him.

Dr. Sheri Siegel

Diplomate ACVR (Radiation Oncology)

Excelling at science and inspired by medicine since she was a child, and certain that she wanted to help save lives, Dr. Sheri Siegel, New England Veterinary Oncology Group co-founder, was uncertain for a time about which road to take: working with animals or humans. In the end, she says recognizing that “animals have no voice, and perhaps they needed me more than humans,” precipitated her decision to attend Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1989.

With radiology in a nascent stage, from 1991-92, Dr. Siegel worked in a California veterinary practice with an orthovoltage unit. Orthovoltage, a precursor to current radiation, had been available for more than 60 years to address small, superficial tumors. In time she realized no one at the facility understood radiation’s full capacity, and how best to use it for cancer treatment in companion animals. Buoyed by its potential, Dr. Siegel exploited her own curiosity and vision to the fullest extent, traveling to UCLA to learn more about radiation in human medicine. “Chemo was not as accessible as it is today,” she recalls, “and there was also no specialty in (veterinary) radiation oncology.”

Undaunted by the challenges of an emerging field, Dr. Siegel continued her pursuits at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, training under one of veterinary radiation’s founders, Dr. Donald Thrall, as the field became a formal specialty in 1993-94.

In 1995, Dr. Siegel received her diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Radiology, followed by a term overseeing the development of a radiation oncology program at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. A cancer survivor herself, she co-founded NEVOG in 2001.

Dr. Kari Rosen

Fellow in Radiation Oncology

According to Dr. Kari Rosen, an innate desire to help animals was expressed almost in the first sentence she spoke as a child. Inspired by her father, an M.D. who encouraged her, while growing up, to accompany him to the hospital, her propensity for veterinary medicine was a true confluence of her love for animals and the profound lessons in healing she learned from her greatest influence.

A graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Rosen admits while surgery was first and foremost in her mind, for a long time she realized she wanted more of a personal connection and bonding with her animal patients.

“One day I was sitting in a waiting room at the Tufts veterinary teaching hospital,” she recalls, “and observed the happiest patients were all cancer patients, most of whom were in remission.” She explains that because radiation can be a daily or weekly treatment, for weeks or months, patients come to believe they’re just taking a trip to visit friends: the technicians and doctors they’ve come to know. “With my rotation in oncology, I got more and more excited to come to work in the field. I am constantly excited about my work,” she says, something she hopes translates to all of her animal patients and their families.

Dr. Rosen says veterinary oncologists have the privilege of “inspiring a lot of hope” that isn’t always there in the beginning. A diagnosis of cancer for a beloved pet can be frightening and daunting; clients often arrive at NEVOG for the first time with insufficient information, or having navigated a confusing Internet on their own. Taking the time to get to know each patient, explore every available option with their families, and develop a very personal treatment plan is among the reasons Dr. Rosen’s life’s work is in radiation oncology.

Dr. Michelle L. Silver

Chief Resident in Medical Oncology

Dr. Michelle Silver has known she wanted to practice veterinary medicine since the age of eight. With her dog, Tucker, a cat, Tyson, and two turtles she rescued in vet school currently rounding out her own home menagerie, NEVOG’s medical oncology resident says she chose to focus on oncology after her childhood dog was diagnosed with and treated for cancer. “I loved the way she was treated by the oncology staff - it’s unlike any other relationship in veterinary medicine in regard to the close relationship you develop with your clients and patients,” she says.

Growing up in New Jersey, Dr. Silver graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, interned in Virginia, and worked in research for a year at Washington, D.C.’s renowned Friendship Hospital for Animals. In this environment, she participated in clinical trials learning about new treatments to combat cancer.

“I thought I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon going into vet school,” says Dr. Silver, who anticipates board certification in 2010, “but fell in love with the challenge of oncology. We get to give our clients more quality time with their pets” in this special relationship between the patient, the doctor, and the patient’s family.

Kerrin Corrieri

Director of Human Resources

With strong credentials that include a masters degree and 15 years in her profession, human resources director Kerrin Corrieri brings her own brand of leadership and support to New England Veterinary Oncology Group.

Described as “totally hands-on” and committed to recruiting and managing NEVOG’s exceptional staff, and maintaining the practice’s philosophy of teamwork, Ms. Corrieri began her HR career supporting 500 and 1200-plus employee Boston-based global organizations. Her responsibilities included recruitment, employee coaching, compensation analysis and management, benefits administration, designing and maintaining HR intranet sites, and creating programs and practices to support and drive business objectives.

The mother of two young children and a humanitarian at heart, Ms. Corrieri is dedicated to building and maintaining a practice that anticipates and addresses the issues and challenges of an evolving veterinary field, with a primary focus on NEVOG’s human element. In conjunction with NEVOG’s managing partners, Ms. Corrieri seeks to foster an environment where employees are acknowledged and valued for their contribution, at all levels, and in all facets of the practice.

“The way in which we treat our staff works in direct relation to what we get in return,” she maintains.

NEVOG Teams

Radiation Therapy

Whether you interact with a member of our Medical Oncology, Radiation Therapy or Receptionist team we are confident you will find them to be a compassionate, concerned and knowledgeable group. Teammates within NEVOG work collaboratively priding themselves on strong communication, efficiency and client/patient focus. Their expertise is vast - many possess college degrees with several focused in Veterinary Technology or Animal Science. Additionally, a number of our employees have fulfilled certification requirements and are recognized as Certified Veterinary Technicians (CVT) or Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVT).

Medical Oncology

Reception Team