Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

• Certified Veterinary Chinese Herbalist (CVCH), 2008
• Fellow, American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (FAAVA), 2008
• International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) Certification in Veterinary Acupuncture, 2001

Current Professional Activities

• Charter Fellow of the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine
• TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) exclusive private practice (2004–Present)
• Research Committee AHVMA (American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association)

Past Professional Activities

• General Practice, Small Animal Medicine (1999–2004)
• Teaching Assistant IVAS basic course in Veterinary Acupuncture
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine/ VA Medical Center at Houston Texas (Prostate Cancer) (1991–1994)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine (Gene Therapy) (1990–1991)

Marital Status

• Married to Joseph Mezher 2006
• No children — but married/adopted into a large Lebanese family with lots of nephews and nieces.

Four-legged Children

• Zana: Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Ben: a "what kind of dog is he?"
• and a cat named Big Al

Hobbies

• Knitting, spinning, dyeing, playing with fiber
• Aikido
• Running
• Swimming
• Cooking real food

Favorite Quotes

• “I saw the Berlin wall fall, I saw Mandela walk free, I saw a dream whose time has come, change my history”
  — Johnny Clegg
• “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants”
  — Michael Pollan
• “She was one of the few women he knew who could hold two disparate concepts in her … such as Hegel's dialectic and why if you stick your tongue in a man's ear while he is making a speech he will start to sound like Jerry Lewis.“
  — Woody Allen
• “I believe in everything, nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing, everything is sacred.”
  — Tom Robbins

What I Like Most About VIN

24-7 access to fascinating people with useful advice, both veterinary and non-veterinary, supporting each other like family.