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.

Ashley’s hobbies include blogging, crafting, being an apologetic coffee snob, and leaving rap voicemails.

Kyle was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and lived around the South and Midwest before settling in Chicago a few years ago. He volunteered with rescue groups in high school and his first pet care job was cleaning kennels in a rescue. He then moved to a daycare/boarding/vet facility and worked up from Daycare Attendant to Manager. Kyle also learned a ton about pet nutrition through a job at a small pet food chain. He doesn’t currently have any pets at home but grew up with dogs. His parents currently have 2 dogs, Biscuit & Rain, that he loves to send treats to. In Kyle’s free time he enjoys singing and songwriting.

In her free time, she enjoys drawing, reading books/comics, going for walks, and is an avid moviegoer with her partner Adam. They also have 2 cat kids named Drake & Bowie, and a basset named Sully, who bring them endless amounts of love and joy!

Carley has 2 cats, Meow Meow & Frankie, and a dog named Sadie. Her hobbies include hanging out with friends & family, going to concerts, running, playing PC games, and watching movies.

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.

Cassandra studied at Morton College in the Veterinary Assistant program through ML Education in 2019. She worked for a cat rescue and has experience with sweet (and not so sweet!) cats. Cassandra was born in California and had animals growing up (cats, dogs, and fish). She has 3 young daughters as well a 2 male cats – Jack-Jack is a tuxedo kitty & Meeko is a Maine Coon mix. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her daughters and loves to read.

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.

Jessie has been in the Veterinary world for almost 2 years and never plans on leaving. She is working towards getting certified as a Veterinary Technician. She has a passion for animals and has volunteered at almost all of the animal shelters in Chicago since she was 18 years old.

Jessie was a nanny for 10 years but always wanted a career working with animals. She has owned all types of pets including reptiles, bunnies, and dogs. She is currently the Mom of 4 furry dogs – a Chihuahua, Frenchie, Pomeranian, and a Yorkie. In her spare time, Jessie loves to travel, and when not in Chicago you can find her in Miami, Florida.

Brenda grew up in New York, Virginia, and Los Angeles, but lived in San Diego for most of her childhood, moving to Chicago in 1998. Her background is in administration, but spending time with animals has always been an important part of her life. While working as a Vet’s Assistant at Tree House Humane Society for 5 years, she also ran a small business in animal care, which remained in operation until 2019. Though she hasn’t met animals of every species, of those she has met, she feels she understands horses, dogs, and cats the very best, and she doesn’t understand ferrets at all.

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.