Mary Szymkowski, DVM
Mary Szymkowski is the relatively new owner of the Cat Hospital and was born and raised in the Chicago area. She earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with highest honors from Northwestern University in 1985. Upon graduation, she accepted a job as Software Engineer and Project Manager at IBM in Raleigh, North Carolina. While at IBM, Dr. Szymkowski earned her Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ultimately Dr. Szymkowski followed her heart into veterinary medicine. She accepted a position at the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, leading the design and implementation team for their first online medical records system, while also taking pre-medical classes at Meredith College. She earned the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from NCSU in 2001. In the process, Dr. Szymkowski was contributing author for an article published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and did a four week external rotation at UNC Hospital's Radiation Oncology Department to study radiation treatment planning and implementation. Dr. Szymkowski's professional memberships include the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the Veterinary Wound Management Society, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. She cares deeply for all animals, but her special interests are feline medicine and surgery, wound treatment, cancer care, and geriatric medicine. Dr. Szymkowski has been a pet therapy volunteer at WakeMed Hospitals since 1993 and now spends Thursday evenings visiting patients at the Cary hospital with her canine companion Ivey. Dr. Szymkowski is also an active member in the Wake County Carolina Club, the Greater Raleigh Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta, the Triangle Northwestern University Club, and the Hearts of Carolina Smocking Guild. She is an avid runner and competes regionally in distances from the 800m up to the half marathon, and regularly runs with the Carolina Godiva Track Club. |
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Margaret Edwards-Seal, DVM Margaret Edwards-Seal recently joined The Cat Hospital of Durham and Chapel Hill. She has been a companion animal veterinarian for over 20 years, having graduated from the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, majoring in psychology, and graduating in 1987.
During her undergraduate career, Dr. Edwards spent her summers working at a veterinary hospital in Williamsburg, VA. She worked in the kennel there and assisted the veterinarian; this doctor soon became her mentor. So when Dr. Edwards graduated from UVA, her mentor very strongly suggested that she go to veterinary school and she recommended she go to NCSU. Consequently, Dr. Edwards moved to Cary and soon started working at the veterinary college caring for large animals, poultry, and horses. In 1989, she joined the Oncology Service at the NCSU Teaching Hospital as a research technician. While working fulltime, she took the prerequisite classes for vet school at NCSU and entered the veterinary program in 1991. Between her first and second years of veterinary school, Dr. Edwards spent her summer in a Leadership Training Program at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. There, she worked on isolating the genetic sequence responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Golden Retrievers and in humans. Professional organizations to which Dr. Edwards belongs include the American Veterinary Medical Association and the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. She is also on the Board of Advisors for Wags4Tags; this organization pairs military veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury or PTSD with dogs rescued from high-kill animal shelters then trained as support dogs. As a companion animal veterinarian, Dr. Edwards has enjoyed helping both dogs and cats. She finds working with pet owners rewarding and considers the care of pets a team effort. This team includes the pet, the pet’s family, the veterinarian, and the veterinary staff. She engages veterinary specialists in the care of patients, as well, to offer the most appropriate care available. Dr. Edwards recently focused her interests on feline medicine. As a cat owner and cat lover, she appreciates the special bond people and their cats develop. She is interested in the unique care cats require and is eager to practice medicine tailored to the needs of the feline patient. In her spare time, Dr. Edwards enjoys training her dogs to compete in agility events and obedience trials. She also enjoys playing with her cats, hiking with friends, cultivating a small flower garden, and maintaining three fresh water aquariums. |
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Rachel Davis, DVM
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Stacy-Veterinary Assistant
We are glad to have Stacy join our team. She knew us as a client. Now she gets to work both behind the scenes and up front! Stacy has been a groomer in the area for several years. She is a quick learner and eager to help in any way needed. |
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WRay - Veterinary Assistant
WRay is our weekend and holiday savior. He can be found here every weekend helping us take care of our feline friends. WRay is a true animal advocate. When he is not busy at his day job, he volunteers with Safe Haven for Cats. |
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Denise - Veterinary Assistant
Denise is a recent welcome addition to our team. She was born in Maryland and has twenty-four years of retail experience. In 2011, she decided to move to North Carolina for training as a veterinary technician. Denise graduated from the Veterinary Medical Technology program at Central Carolina Community College in 2014. |
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Carolina - Veterinary Assistant
Carolina is an occupational therapist from Venezuela and moved to Durham a while ago. I am fluent in English as well as Spanish. My love for animals led me to study to be a veterinary technician, and I study canine rehabilitation as part of a veterinary program at the University of Tennessee. |
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Teresa - Receptionist
Teresa is a North Carolina native who recently joined our team. She has a love for animals, always aspired to work in the field of veterinary medicine, and is eager to learn more about cats. Teresa comes to us with many years of customer service experience. |
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