Meet the NorthStar VETS Team: Christina Marino, DVM, DACVIM

Christina Marino, DVM, DACVIM is a doctor in the Internal Medicine service at NorthStar VETS. In this blog post and video below, she talks about her schooling, her favorite type of cat, and her favorite thing about working at NorthStar VETS.

Dr. Marino’s favorite breed of cat
We caught up with Internal Medicine specialist, Dr. Christina Marino, who was showing off her cat, Snips. “She is a two-year-old Devon Rex kitten who I got about two years ago. The Devon Rex are my favorite breed. I also have two other, just shorthair domestic cats at home. Not to say ‘just,’ I love them just as much as I love Snips. I also have a Dwarf Lionhead bunny at home as well as two salamanders.”

Dr. Marino’s schooling
Dr. Marino came to NorthStar VETS in 2016 after completing veterinary school and a residency. “I went to The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine for veterinary school and it was there that I fell in love with Internal Medicine, which deals with internal organs like the kidneys, liver, GI tract, and pancreas. We try to figure out how those organs and diseases relate to each other.”

Dr. Marino is an internist, dealing with a variety of cases involving internal medicine. “An Internist specializes in all things that deal with organs on the inside of the body. So, we might see a patient with pneumonia, or a cat or a dog with chronic kidney disease or acute liver disease, even something as simple as vomiting and diarrhea and we try to figure out what the underlying cause is so we can actually treat the disease rather than just put a band-aid on the symptoms.”

Dr. Marino’s favorite thing about working at NorthStar VETS
Dr. Marino and the team at NorthStar VETS see hundreds of different cases each week. “My favorite part about my job is getting to form relationships with the pet parents, and talking to them every day via email and phone and trying to see what we can do to make their pet’s life better with regard to any chronic diseases that we’re managing.”

Dr. Marino has been at NorthStar VETS for a little while now, and enjoys working with her colleagues and clients. “My favorite part about NorthStar VETS is that everybody is a big family. I have yet to meet anybody who had a frown on their face, or when they were having a bad day, weren’t willing to smile and chat about it. I love coming here and feeling welcome and knowing that it’s a second family away from home.”

Learn more about the Internal Medicine service at NorthStar VETS.

Christina Marino, DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Christina Marino is a Colorado native who received her veterinary medical degree from The Ohio State University in 2012 graduating number one in her class. She completed a 1-year small animal internship at North Carolina State University in 2013, and a 3-year residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. During her residency, she completed the 2-year Hemodialysis Academy through the University of California, Davis, taught by hemodialysis experts and is well-experienced in hemodialysis and other extracorporeal therapies, including plasma exchange. Her interests include, but are not limited to, feline medicine (she loves anything and everything cats!), hemodialysis, kidney disease, gastrointestinal and autoimmune diseases. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband who is also a veterinarian, their three cats, and bunny. In her free time she loves to bake yummy goodies and cook new recipes. She is also a passionate Buckeye always rooting for her college football team (O-H-I-O).