Our family caring for your family.

At Animal Medical Center of Chicago, our team mission is to compassionately deliver excellent medical and surgical care to every patient every day in a fear-free, friendly environment.

Our family caring for your family.

At Animal Medical Center of Chicago, our team mission is to compassionately deliver excellent medical and surgical care to every patient every day in a fear-free, friendly environment.

As a Fear Free Certified Practice, our entire team is committed to preventing and alleviating fear, anxiety, and stress in pets. Learn more at fearfreepets.com.

Veterinarians

Donna Solomon, DVM

Pamela Janik, DVM

Meg Ogishi, DVM

Tim England, DVM

Elaine Simpson, DVM

Dr. Claire Behnke, DVM

Practice Manager

Eric

Practice Financial Manager

Debbie

Certified Veterinary Technicians

Frances

Sarah

Emily, CVT

Jessica, CVT

Erin, CVT

Natalie, CVT

Melissa, CVT

Veterinary Assistants

Amanda

Forest

Jesus

Jo

Jennifer

Kaitlyn

Fabi

Care Coordinators

Olivia

Kayla

Tiffany

Oriana

William

Tiffany

Sandra

Experience the difference… schedule your appointment today!

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 dogs waiting for their forever home. In high school, I was a veterinarian’s assistant at a local veterinary clinic in Southfield, Michigan. Fortunately, during my third year of undergraduate education, I was accepted to Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1986, I graduated and have loved practicing veterinary medicine every day since.

My first job as a small animal veterinarian was in Farmingdale, New York. I loved living in New York, but I knew in my heart that it would never be a place I’d call home. In 1997, I moved to Chicago and knew instantly that I would make this city my home. I joined a fast paced, high quality clinic and polished my skills. In May 1990, I realized my second dream and opened my own practice – the Animal Medical Center of Chicago. I renovated a Victorian home in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and turned it into a state- of-the-art veterinary clinic. In 2004, I added a minimalist addition to the rear of the home to meet our expanding practice needs. This included the addition of four examination rooms, a large treatment room, a new dental and surgical suite, and an elevator to help pets and clients who need assistance.

Although it’s been thirty-seven years since I graduated from veterinary school, I continue to enjoy learning daily, caring for pets, and interacting with clients. If you ask my clients what makes me special as a veterinarian, I believe that they would say I have great intuition and am their pet’s best advocate for good health. I believe what makes me special is my ability to listen closely to my clients, gather important findings from a comprehensive physical examination, and then, strategically formulate a diagnostic and treatment plan. If I have any questions or unsure of what to do, I do not hesitate to ask or involve specialist. I’m a great captain of your pet’s health team.

My professional areas of interest include preventative care, pain management, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and dentistry. Client education is also a passion of mine and I strongly believe it does not end in the examination room. I make myself readily available to my clients for telephone updates and consultations. Over the years, I’ve written numerous pet-related blogs and articles to help educate pet parents nationwide. I believe an educated pet client is the best pet parent.

For over 34 years, I’ve been married to Brad Ginn, an Ombuds at Argonne National Research Laboratory. We have 2 adult sons, Jacob and Sam. My best friend and shadow is a 5-year-old Bernedoodle, named Clara. I anticipate adopting 2 cats shortly to complete my home.

I wholeheartedly agree with the saying that “time flies when you are having fun”. It’s been an unbelievable fast 33 years since I opened Animal Medical Center of Chicago. I have been exceedingly fortunate that my dreams of becoming a veterinarian and owning my own practice have come true. I am humbled and grateful to be working with so many truly amazing and talented people at AMCOC, and am honored by the loyal pet-loving clientele who have entrusted me in their care.

I truly love caring for dogs and cats every day. I look forward to helping you and your pet.

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.

Our family caring for your family.