With the generous continued support of Maddie’s® Fund, the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program (MSMP) at Cornell University is expanding!
Katie Del Rosso is the latest addition to MSMP. She is a licensed veterinary technician and began working with the MSMP team officially in November of 2024.
Del Rosso comes to us from the SPCA of Tompkins County, where she has overlapped with MSMP in our efforts to help and save animal lives. A graduate of SUNY Geneseo in Biology and Psychology, Del Rosso has a widespread and diverse background when it comes to working with animals.
Upon graduation, Del Rosso knew she wanted to make a career out of working with animals but wasn’t quite sure what that might look like. She initially began in the industries of grooming, petsitting, dairy farm work, and then landing a job at Cornell as an animal care attendant at the Equine Hospital. This is where Del Rosso realized she wanted to pursue a career as a veterinary technician, eventually graduating as an LVT from SUNY Ulster.
As an LVT, Del Rosso has worked in both private corporate practice, as well as in a shelter setting. Calling shelter medicine an “oasis of animals, focused on medicine,” this is where Del Rosso’s passion lies.
Fast forward to 2024, when the opportunity arose, Del Rosso says she was intrigued with applying for MSMP’s technician role for the chance to work with more high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) cases and assisting local shelters receive greater access to care. She looks forward to traveling to local area shelters to learn from what others are doing, as well as helping to teach students about the shelter medicine speciality and best practices.
Welcome aboard, Katie! 🙂
#ThankstoMaddie
FUN FACT:
In 2010, Del Rosso worked at a big cat rescue in Arkansas, where she helped with leopards, cougars and other exotic animals. She welcomes any chance to assist with exotic creatures.
