Dr. Tracey Maione hails from the University of Illinois earning both her Bachelor’s degree of pre-veterinary science and her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana-Champaign.  She grew up in Chicago and the near north suburbs, but has claimed the north side of Chicago as her beloved home base for the last 9 years.  Dr. Maione has had 9 years of clinical experience in 3 veterinary practices before transitioning to her recent ownership and medical directorship of Oz Animal Hospital.  One practice was the University of Illinois’ teaching hospital and referral center which tasked her with training future graduates in the field on the most progressive medical practices while working side by side with boarded specialists in internal medicine, behavior, oncology, rehabilitation, and surgery, to afford her patients the latest and best the field has to offer.  She brings her passions of medical care that is thorough and holistic in approach, up to date, and affordable for the families of her furry patients.

She is well known in Chicago for her outreach efforts in encouraging and mentoring youths of all ages to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.  Dr. Maione also believes in public education and outreach and routinely gives educational seminars on various health topics from community events, to radio shows, blogs, journals and television.

Dr. Maione is an active member of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association because she believes in supporting the profession on the bigger picture levels such as local politics and legislation that involves animals, animal welfare issues facing the Chicago-land area, and enhancing public understanding of the value of veterinarians to their communities.  She is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association.

At home with the help of her loving husband Paul, she takes care of 3 dogs: A rambunctious 3-legged Boxer named Ramona, a suspect Pit Bull/Shar-Pei or Chow mix named Loza, and smokey grey and sometimes moody minature poodle named Fredo. Outside of the field her favorite hobby is international travel.

Dr. Ana Valbuena is a recent graduate and new Chicago resident. She received her Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from Florida International University and left the sunshine state to pursue her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

Having been born in Cuba and spending years in Nicaragua before moving to Florida, Dr. Valbuena is no stranger to new environments and change. She understands that veterinary visits can prove to be stressful for not only our furry companions but their human counterparts, as well. Dr. Valbuena is passionate about the human-animal bond and wishes to enhance it through good preventative medicine and comprehensive medical care, working together with pet parents to achieve the best quality of life and least stress for all involved.

In her spare time, Dr. Valbuena enjoys hand embroidering and spending time with her partner, Diego, and their two cats, Ziggy and Weasley.

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La Dra. Ana Valbuena es recién graduada y una nueva residente de Chicago. Recibió su Bachillerato en Ciencias Biológicas atraves de la Universidad Internacional de Florida y dejó el estado de la Florida para continuar su doctorado en Medicina Veterinaria atraves de la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign.

Habiendo nacido en Cuba y pasado años en Nicaragua antes de mudarse a la Florida, la Dra. Valbuena no es ajena a los nuevos ambientes y al cambio. Ella entiende que las visitas veterinarias pueden resultar estresantes no solo para nuestras mascotas, sino también para sus padres. La Dra. Valbuena es apasionada por la conexion humana-animal y desea mejorarla a través de medicina preventiva y atención médica integral, trabajando junto con los padres de mascotas para lograr una mejor calidad de vida y menos estrés para todos los involucrados.

En su tiempo libre, la Dra. Valbuena disfruta bordar a mano y pasar tiempo con su pareja, Diego, y sus dos gatos, Ziggy y Weasley.

Paul Maione, Practice Manager, has been in the Customer Service Industry for 29 years, but his favorite stint by far has been working at Oz for the last 1.5 years.

He finds himself thoroughly engaged with the staff and rewarded by witnessing patients and clients receiving the highest level of care. Paul’s dog Fredo, aka “Oscar The Grouch”, insists on accompanying him daily to work. Besides his passion for working at Oz he loves spending time with his wife Dr. Tracey Hlede, and weekend golf outings with his friends and family.

Sam shares her household with her husband, 3 boys and 3 dogs – Fiona, Marlee, and Boo. When she’s not at sports events she enjoys baking, traveling, attending dog events and exploring the city- especially around the holidays!

On his free days he loves to watch standup comedy, play sports, travel with friends, and watch tons of movies.

Maya graduated from Fox College as a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) in 2014 and is an aspiring Veterinarian. She is the Mother of 2- and 4-legged children alike – she has 2 biological children, 8 step-children, plus an American Bully (Vixen) and a Shorty Bull (Bane). Maya is family and goal-oriented and wants to be someone her children can look up to.

Dexter has been in the Veterinary industry for 10 years now and has worked at a cat shelter and a few other clinics. They have a soft spot for working with special needs cats and used to foster/socialize feral kittens. Dexter currently has 4 rescue cats of their own and their roommates have another 4!

In Dexter’s spare time they enjoy running marathons, rock climbing, karaoke, and changing the lyrics of songs to be about cats. Jurassic Park is their favorite movie and they love to go to Disney World! You can expect Dexter’s hair to be a different color each time you see them.

In her spare time, Kimberli runs a cat retirement home in her small apartment with three residents: Bert (12), Vinnie (14), and Mishka (15). She also volunteers with Precious Pets Almost Home, a foster-based rescue for cats.

In his free time, Rolando enjoys going to the movies, playing video games, and going to the museums here in Chicago. He has a pretty big family here in Chicago and really enjoys spending time with them & going out with his amazing friends.

Jacky was born and raised in Chicago and has a Puerto Rican/Mexican background. She has 2 fur babies – Princess (A 10-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier who’s a total “Momma’s girl”) and Casper (an independent 2-year-old cat). Jacky enjoys spending time with her pets going on car rides, listening to music, snacking, being outdoors, and of course vegging out at home/cuddling on the couch. In her spare time, Jacky loves to cook/bake, and reading/writing poetry.

Cecilia was born and raised in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has 4 years’ experience working in the Veterinary field in under-served communities. She has volunteered in many animal rescue shelters and has a soft spot for feral cats and rescue kittens!

In her free time, Cecilia enjoys dressing up her cat, Monkey, trying new restaurants, and watching food traveling shows.

At home, Ingrid spends time with her husband, and cat Maggie. In her free time, she enjoys watching series, playing video games, and traveling.

During school, Dr. Katie King was very active in extracurricular events, weekend classes, post-graduate classes, and additional training. She joined several groups to help gain a working knowledge and experience so that she can offer premium care to her patients. To further her qualifications, she served those groups as club officers.

Dr. Katie has been awarded academic achievement recognitions by the Dean of Academics several times including the “Post Doctorate Education” award and the “Clinical Excellence” award. She has also earned several other awards which recognized her academic excellence and dedication to the profession.