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 has been a Care Coordinator here since 2014 and has brought with her years of experience in the veterinary industry. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale and a diverse work background that includes Drafting, Project Management, Art Supplies Sales, and even being a Barista. Amongst her many talents, she finds interacting with pets and their owners most rewarding of all. Her pets at home include 2 cats and 1 dog – ranging in age from 2 to 17 years old. She is also currently fostering an additional cat and hopes to continue helping out foster pets in the future.

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

Marley is a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) and graduated from the Vet Tech Institute at Fox College with an Associate’s Degree. She was a Cosmetologist for several years before making the decision in 2017 to switch to the veterinary field in search of a career that would bring her a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Since she was a little girl, she has always had a deep love and empathy for all animals and has found the purpose she was looking for as a CVT providing quality animal care. Her career change has been the best decision she’s ever made!

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 wanted to work in the Veterinary field ever since she was a little girl. She graduated from a Veterinary Technician program in August of 2019 and will be taking the VTNE to become certified in March 2020. She is from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and will be moving into the city at the beginning of March!

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.

Coming soon!

Kimberli is originally from Michigan, but she has spent the last 15 years living in lovely Chicago. She has worked at a variety of interesting places in the city, like Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Goodman Theatre, and The Anti-Cruelty Society, as well as a variety of veterinary clinics. She is happy to begin her third year at Oz Animal Hospital.

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.

Rolando was born and raised here in Chicago. He has worked in the vet world for 18 years now as a receptionist, kennel assistant, and technician. He typically does receptionist and technician work at the hospitals he has worked at and really enjoys doing both. He doesn’t currently have any pets of his own, but his family has a dog (Zeus Shih Tzu) and a cat (Raven DSH black) that he helps take care of.

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.

Prior to moving to Chicago in 2019, Shelby was born and raised in a small town in Minnesota. Her educational background is in Sales and Marketing, while her prior career experience is primarily in human medicine. She entered the veterinary world upon her move to Chicago and fell in love with the relationship to patients and owners alike.

In Shelby’s free time you can find her buying produce for Franklin, her pet turtle, playing with her cat Squeaks, or cooking for her and her partner.

Dr. Katie King attended undergraduate classes at the University of Illinois where she learned about the human body, chemistry, physiology, and other general health topics. She left the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree. She continued her education by enrolling in the doctorate program at Logan College of Chiropractic where she was introduced to further strenuous coursework in the basic sciences, human diagnostics, clinical sciences, and chiropractic practice. Dr. Katie excelled in all of her national board certification examinations for chiropractic and physical therapy. She took a postgraduate course in Acupuncture and received her certification in Acupuncture. Dr. Katie received her Doctor of Chiropractic degree upon her completion of her coursework at Logan College of Chiropractic.

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.