Our digital series, Pride In Our People, features the incredible staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium through written first-person narratives and/or podcast interviews.

Today, we are featuring Christine on the Animal Health team!
This is her story…

I have always had a love for animals, and I found myself working in the animal field as a veterinary assistant about 12 years ago. What started as a fun part-time job during college turned into a passion and a full-time job. I learned so much during my time as a veterinary assistant and knew that I always wanted to be involved in animal healthcare.

Originally from Illinois, my partner and I made the move to Pittsburgh 4 years ago. I chose to step away from a small animal clinic and found a job where I had the opportunity to work with a local animal rescue group to help facilitate adoptions and provide care for adoptable cats. Finding myself eager to learn and challenge myself more, I started looking for another job, and I was lucky enough to find one here at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium as the Animal Health Administrator in July of 2019.

I currently provide administrative support to our veterinarians and veterinary technicians. This ranges from helping them schedule routine preventive medicine procedures for our zoo animals to coordinating our students for our internship/externship programs. I help keep all of the medical records and laboratory results up to date to ensure that the animals get their essential routine care completed. I do my best to keep our department as organized as possible so that the Animal Health team can focus on what their good at: providing great medical care.

Being a part of the Animal Health team is great privilege because I am lucky enough to see animals from all of the different departments at the zoo. One day we’ll be working with Sea Turtles from the Aquarium, and another we’re working with Giant Anteaters from Jungle Odyssey! Coming from a facility that worked mostly with cats and dogs, it’s been so much fun learning about our animal collection and how the medical needs for each animal can be so different.

Thank you for all you do, Christine!