Dr. Elizabeth Kubas grew up in Connecticut and completed her Bachelor of Science at Boston College. After college, she moved overseas to attend veterinary school in Scotland. While living in Glasgow, Elizabeth fell in love with the country and met her partner. Dr. Kubas moved back to the states after veterinary school and completed a rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. She then ventured to sunny San Diego where she finished her Internal Medicine residency. After completing her residency Dr. Kubas, her partner, and their beloved cat Griff took a meandering two-week cross-country road trip, ending up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. She now practices at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists as a board-certified Internal Medicine Specialist. Dr. Kubas enjoys all parts of Internal Medicine but has a special interest in immune-mediated diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.

Outside of work, Dr. Kubas enjoys all things food related including trying new restaurants, making challenging recipes at home with variable success, and watching cooking shows, her favorite being the Great British Bake Off. She also enjoys the outdoors, travel, and fitness. While Dr. Kubas loves all animals, there is a special place in her heart for black cats.

BOARD CERTIFIED—INTERNAL MEDICINE

Dr. Block completed his veterinary degree at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1991. He then completed an internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston in 1992. He obtained his residency training in internal medicine at Purdue University and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1994. Dr. Block pursued his interests in animal welfare and the human–animal bond by entering a degree program at the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University and he obtained his Master’s Degree in 1997. Dr. Block is the past president of the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, The Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, and The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association and he is the current President of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Association. He was a founding board member and Treasurer for 10 years of the non-profit Companion Animal Foundation which helps to provide reduced-cost veterinary care for those in need.

He is the father of two beautiful children, Elsa and Derek, and happily married to his equally beautiful wife, veterinarian Justine Johnson. His “extended family” includes four horses, two goats, two dogs, and three cats, some of which his beautiful children actually help to care for.

BOARD CERTIFIED—INTERNAL MEDICINE

Dr. Sarah Crain completed her veterinary degree at the University of Minnesota in 2008, followed by a rotating internship at North Carolina State University. She then spent a year practicing emergency medicine at a clinic in northeastern Pennsylvania. She returned to Minnesota for her residency in small animal internal medicine and completed a master’s degree in veterinary science, and became board certified in 2014. Following her residency, she spent several years at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, where she taught and did research focusing on the effects of canine stem cells on the immune system. She also got involved with STEM education programs for middle and high-school students. She is thrilled to join the team at OSVS! Her main clinical interests include gastroenterology, pancreatic, autoimmune, and infectious disease.

In her spare time, Dr. Crain volunteers at low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinics. She loves spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, and swimming. She also loves traveling, reading, cooking, and painting and drawing. She lives in Providence with her cat, Lando, and her beagle, Baxter.

BOARD CERTIFIED—INTERNAL MEDICINE

Dr. Becky Kessler Vodnick, born and raised in Westchester County, NY, completed her undergraduate degree at Brown University in 2003. She then moved to the “gorges” Ithaca, NY where she completed her veterinary degree at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 2007. Her post-graduate veterinary education includes a rotating internship at our very own Ocean State Veterinary Specialists (2008), a fellowship in Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine at the Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (2009), and residency training at Cornell University (2012). She received her board certification from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2012, shortly after which she relocated to Rhode Island to re-join the OSVS team that helped shape her early veterinary career. Dr. Kessler’s clinical interests are widespread and include hematology and transfusion medicine, auto-immune disease, gastroenterology, endocrinology, and renal disease, and she is thrilled to be a part of the team of passionate doctors, nurses, and support staff at OSVS.

Personally, Dr. Kessler lives locally with her husband and two daughters. Outside of work, Dr. Kessler enjoys hiking with her family, baking desserts, recreational tennis, and downhill skiing.

Dr. Laurie Monhait is originally from Delaware and completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Haverford College, outside of Philadelphia, PA. She then went on to complete her veterinary training at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2011. After veterinary school, she completed a rotating internship at VCA South Shore in Weymouth, MA, and a specialty internship in internal medicine and critical care at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, TX. She then returned to the New England area to complete her internal medicine residency at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA. In 2016 Dr. Monhait relocated to Rhode Island to join the Internal Medicine team at Ocean State. Dr. Monhait enjoys all parts of Internal Medicine but has a special interest in endocrine diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.

Outside of work, Dr. Monhait enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and furry family (two cats and a dog). Additionally, she enjoys running, hiking, cooking, exploring restaurants, and spending time with friends.

Dr. Sara Wilkes graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She went on to complete a 1-year rotating internship at BluePearl North Hills in Pittsburgh PA followed by a 3-year internal medicine residency at BluePearl Maitland in Orlando, FL. She is thrilled to be working at both OSVS and BSVESS. Her main interests include gastroenterology, kidney disease, and autoimmune conditions.

When she is not at the clinic, Dr. Wilkes enjoys hiking, reading (especially fantasy and historical fiction), traveling, and spending time with her cat, Gabby.