Dr. Kate Wissel joined the team at Commonwealth Veterinary Hospital in 2012. Originally from New York, Dr. Wissel decided she wanted to become a veterinarian in the first grade, shortly after abandoning her dream of becoming an olympic dolphin rider. She spent many of her early years working on a family farm in Vermont, riding horses, and working as a veterinary assistant. Dr. Wissel earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with honors at Colgate University. After graduation, Dr. Wissel worked on wildlife research projects in South America and Africa. She then earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, where she developed a special interest in soft tissue surgery and anesthesia and spent countless hours volunteering for low-cost clinics on Native Nations and in Central America.  Dr. Wissel then completed an internship in small animal surgery and emergency medicine, where she focused on soft tissue surgery and high-risk anesthesia.

Dr. Wissel spend the first part of her career as an emergency veterinarian and on-call surgeon at the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital, where she received advanced training in soft tissue surgery, anesthesia and critical care. During this time, she also continued to travel as a veterinarian with the Humane Society, providing much-needed services to underserved communities around the world.

Dr. Wissel made the career change to general practice in 2012 in hopes of developing a closer relationship with her patients and clients, and she has not been disappointed. Her professional interests include soft tissue surgery, high-risk anesthesia, pain management, urgent care, endoscopy and getting new pet owners off to a good start with their pets. She continues to volunteer for various international and domestic veterinary groups, and loves teaching surgery and anesthesia to veterinary students. 

During her free time, Dr. Wissel and her husband are busy chasing after their two children and 14 pets. Occasionally she finds time to rock climb, run (slowly), ski, travel, and continually move plants around her garden.