Donna Solomon, DVM

Veterinarian
Michigan State University, ’86

I always knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. In first grade, I would bring home dogs and cats that I believed to be homeless. Fortunately, my older sister would later return them to their appropriate homes. As a teenager, I spent my summers following a large animal veterinarian on his farm rounds in Petoskey, Michigan. In the winters, I would volunteer at a local animal shelter and give baths to pets waiting for their forever home. In high school, I was a veterinarian’s assistant at a local veterinary clinic in Southfield, Michigan. Luckily, during my third year of undergraduate education I was accepted to Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After a grueling four years of schooling, I graduated in 1986 and have loved practicing veterinary medicine every day ever since.

My first job as a veterinarian was in Huntington, New York where I practiced for one year in a small animal hospital. I loved New York, but I knew that I would never be able to afford to open my own veterinary clinic. So I moved to Chicago, which is a more affordable, but equally exciting city. After practicing a few years in a fast paced high quality clinic, I finally realized my dream and opened my own practice in May 1990 – the Animal Medical Center of Chicago. I renovated a beautiful Victorian house in the pleasant Lakeview neighborhood and turned it into a state of the art veterinary clinic.

It’s been almost twenty-eight years since I graduated from veterinary school, and I still love talking to clients, the challenge of the diagnosis, designing a treatment plan, and watching my patients improve. My practice caters to those pet owners that treat their pets like family members. What makes my practice special is that we treat our clients like we would want to be treated – with respect, understanding, and empathy. If you ask my clients what makes me special as a veterinarian, I believe that they would say I have great intuition and diagnostic skills. My practice has a strong emphasis on pain management, dental care, preventative and internal medicine.

Client education is a top focus of mine, which does not end in the examination room. I make myself available to my clients for telephone updates and consultations. In addition, I write a reoccurring blog for The Huffington Post on timely pet care issues. It is an opportunity for me to share my veterinary knowledge and experience with many pet lovers across the country. Educating my audience, as well as my clients, is an issue that I am passionate about. I believe an educated pet client is the best pet owner.

I am married to Brad Ginn, an Ombuds at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. We are the proud parents of two sons, Jacob and Sam. Jacob is a film student at the University of Michigan, and Sam is a junior at Oak Park River Forest High School. We share our home with two cats, Lemon and Oreo, and a golden retriever, named Zack.

I have been exceedingly fortunate that my childhood dream came true and I can practice as a veterinarian in the Chicago area. I have a wonderful clientele who have entrusted me in the care of their pets and have an amazingly talented staff that is a pleasure to work with. I am proud to be a Chicago veterinarian and love caring for dogs and cats every day.

Pamela Janik, DVM

Veterinarian
University of Illinois, ’91

Dr. Janik was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and has been involved in veterinary medicine her entire life. Her father is a retired veterinarian so she has always been surrounded by a variety of animals and their caregivers.

She graduated from Miami University before attending veterinary school at the University of Illinois. She worked at a small animal hospital in the suburbs prior to moving into the city and beginning work at Animal Medical Center of Chicago. Dr. Janik enjoys working with senior and geriatric patients and is very interested in pain management. She has been at Animal Medical Center since 1999.

When not working, she enjoys trying new restaurants, reading and outdoor activities. She explores Chicago’s neighborhoods with her dog Tesla whose hobbies include barking at people and taking over the bed.

Meg Ogishi, DVM

Veterinarian
University of Wisconsin-Madison, ’90

From a very young age Dr. Meg Ogishi knew she wanted to work with animals and become a veterinarian. Growing up in Greendale, Wisconsin, she would find baby bunnies to care for, and was always searching for toads and snakes to play with. She also had a parakeet, fish, rabbit, and an ill behaved Cocker Spaniel named Don. She has no idea why she chose that name! Meg truly enjoyed taking AP biology her senior year in high school, and this experience made her dream of becoming a veterinarian seem realistic.

Meg obtained a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996. During her undergraduate studies she was a ski instructor for the ski club, volunteered in the wildlife department of the Milwaukee humane society and also cleaned kennels and large animal stalls at the UW Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She even kept a hamster in her dorm room closet her freshman year of college, much to the chagrin of her roommate. During veterinary school, she worked as an operating room assistant/technician in both large and small animal surgery. She graduated from University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine with Phi Zeta honors in May of 2000. Meg worked at Carlson Animal Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois immediately after graduation, and continued to work there until September of 2012, when she joined the Animal Medical Center of Chicago team. She loves working in the city, and being a part of such a talented and caring team.

When she’s not at work, Meg enjoys hiking, snowboarding, running, reading and has recently taken up sprint distance triathlons. Meg and her husband Ryan live in the Andersonville neighborhood. They have a 5 year old daughter named Naomi, who loves cats and plans to become a cat doctor. Meg and Naomi volunteer together at Tree House cat shelter. Their household also includes Abigail a 14 year old red Doberman, Sheneh an 8 year old Pitbull mix, Pig a 9 year old cat, Sophie a 1 year old aquatic turtle, a beta fish and 2 chickens.

Tim England, DVM

Veterinarian
Michigan State University, ’87

I was born in a rural area outside of a very small town in southern Michigan. My parents still live in the same home near Parma where I was raised. We had dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, rabbits, geese, ducks and assorted chickens during my childhood. I have always been fascinated by animals and loved learning everything I could about pets and wildlife. I can remember watching Wild Kingdom and documentaries on animals from a very young age. The idea of becoming a veterinarian was very appealing to me as a young child, but was tempered by my aversion to blood and body secretions. Luckily, I outgrew that by high school when I decided to attend Michigan State University with the goal to attend veterinary school.

During my pre-veterinary coursework at MSU, I majored in Physiology and Fisheries & Wildlife. Through hard work and study, I was accepted into the veterinary program in my third year of undergrad. I received a bachelor degree in Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University in 1987 and my doctorate degree in 1989. During my time at MSU, I realized that exotic pets were not receiving the same level of medical care as conventional pets like dogs and cats. I was lucky enough to participate in an externship in Miami, Florida which allowed me to learn skills in the care of unconventional pets and zoo animals. I had patients there which included leopards, monkeys, crocodiles, and many species of parrots.

My first years of practice were spent in Jackson, Michigan. Initially, I worked at a small animal practice which allowed me to continue to see exotic pets, as well as, dogs and cats. In 1992, I started my own practice in Jackson and three years later designed and oversaw the construction of a new veterinary hospital. Our success allowed the hospital to quickly expand to a three doctor practice to care for our growing number of patients. In 2008, I sold the practice and joined the team at Animal Medical Center of Chicago.

Since joining this practice I have continued to enjoy treating dogs, cats and some exotic pets. I have a developed an interest in veterinary dentistry after having the opportunity to learn from Dr. Cindy Charlier, a board certified veterinary dentist. I also have an interest in nutrition and prevention of pet obesity. I am a member of many veterinary associations, both locally and nationally. I currently serve on the Animal Welfare Committee of the Association of Avian Veterinarians.

Outside of work I have multiple interests, including international travel, photography, and eating good food. My partner and I have a small farm in Southwest Michigan where we grow fruits, vegetables, and bees for honey production. We share our home with a French bulldog named Gladys, as well as, two senior citizen parrots, Griffin & Gator. We also have a cat, Sprout and a koi pond at our home in Michigan. I enjoy working at AMC because of the commitment to quality and the expectation of our clients to provide the best care for their pets.

Elaine Simpson, DVM

Veterinarian
The Ohio State University, ’14

Since childhood, Dr. Elaine Simpson has had a passion for animals. Growing up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, she spent time at Busse Wood: canoeing, fishing, and searching for wildlife. She even created a small pond in her backyard for the fish she caught – ultimately deciding it was best for them to go back and live in the wild.

Dr. Simpson obtained a Bachelor of Art in Biology from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) in 2010. Not only focused on her studies, Dr. Simpson ran cross country and track. She ultimately achieved All-American status at the national cross country meet in 2009. Dr. Simpson went on to study Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University, graduating magna cum laude in 2014. After graduation, she participated in a veterinary internship at Colorado State University which furthered her knowledge in internal medicine and emergency medicine. During this internship, she rescued and adopted a homeless pitbull-mix with fractured hindlegs. Lentil, who is now 3 years old, has become a wonderful city dog!

After Colorado State University, Dr. Simpson returned to the Chicagoland area where she worked at Countryside Veterinary Center, as both a general practice and an emergency medicine veterinarian. Her favorite parts of veterinary medicine are internal medicine, feline medicine, and cardiology. She also loves developing long term relationships with owners and their pets.

During her free time, Dr. Simpson loves to spend time outdoors, gardening, and with her family and friends. She also loves eating at new restaurants! In addition to Lentil, Dr. Simpson shares her home with a 7-year-old orange tabby cat, named Finn, who can be quite sassy!

Dr. Simpson joined the AMC team in 2017 and is excited to be practicing with such a dedicated and caring group.