About Us

Dr. Mark Gibson (and Lodi)

Veterinarian

Dr. Mark Gibson was born in a rural town near Niagara Falls, New York. In 1976, he graduated from The Agriculture College of Cornell University, and in 1980, he graduated from the Veterinary College of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. As a child, his devotion to animals developed through the love of his family pets. His former jobs included dairy farm work, assisting local veterinarians, and working in an automobile assembly plant.

He moved to Brooklyn shortly after graduating from Cornell University and worked at the Mobile Veterinary Unit before founding Animal Kind Veterinary Hospital in 1990. Dr. Gibson founded Animal Kind Veterinary Hospital as a house-call practice. He has since directed its growth into a state-of-the-art facility for medical, surgical, and dental treatment, including 24-hour hospital care; ultrasound and endoscopic diagnostics; emergency medicine and critical care; and grooming.

Dr. Gibson lives in Brooklyn with his family, which includes two great dogs and two fuzzy cats. He is a former member of the executive board on the NYC Veterinary Medical Association. He is also a member of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the Feline Practitioners Association. In addition to general practice, his interests include diagnostic ultrasound examination of the heart and abdomen.

When Dr. Gibson is not busy at work, he likes taking long rides on his bicycle, swimming, fishing, sailing, and cooking.

Animal Kind Veterinary Hospital’s veterinarians are top-notch and they make our hospital great. We are excited to have you to meet them.

Dr. Emma Williford

Veterinarian

Dr. Williford grew up in Delaware and always wanted to be a veterinarian. After graduating from the University of Delaware, she worked as a clinic supervisor at Tri-State Bird Rescue, which rehabilitates and releases oiled and injured wild birds⁠—everything from robins to bald eagles. She then moved to upstate New York to work for Farm Sanctuary with a focus on poultry, but she also cared for their cows, pigs, rabbits, goats, and sheep. She graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007, with special interests in dentistry, feline medicine, and dog and cat behavior.

She has been in the NYC area since 2011 and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She shares a Brooklyn apartment with her three cats, Beryl, Farley, and Marvel Ann, one of whom likes to pretend she is an only cat, and 2 budgerigars. In her spare time, Dr. Williford loves to read and watch movies, hike, bird watch, eat at vegetarian/vegan restaurants, and do the things that you can only do in NYC. Dr. Williford is a member of the AVMA, VMA of NYC, AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners), and is Fear Free Certified.

Dr. Michelle Werner

Veterinarian

Dr. Michelle Werner graduated from the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in June 1996. Prior to working at Animal Kind, she worked in a small practice in Staten Island for nine years.

She has saltwater fish, two lizards, two dachshunds named Corey and Shayna, and three cats, two of which are named Matilda and Frodo. Corey is a long-haired English cream who is very loving but shy. Shayna is a very spoiled smooth silver dapple who loves people. Matilda is a fat and jolly cat but a little slow. Frodo is a very independent domestic short hair who can be demanding.

Michelle’s hobbies include saltwater fish, horseback riding, traveling, and collecting parking tickets in the Park Slope area.

Dr. Sara Witherell (and Cricket)

Veterinarian

Dr. Sara Witherell, DVM, DABVP (canine and feline) was born and raised in southeast Michigan and received her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 2004. After veterinary school, she moved to New York to pursue an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Long Island Veterinary Specialists in Plainview from 2004 to 2005. Prior to working at Animal Kind, she worked in a general practice in eastern Queens for six years. While in practice, she completed certification through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Canine and Feline Practice in 2010 and is Fear Free Certified. Her professional interests include abdominal ultrasound and internal medicine.

She currently lives in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn with her family and a sweet older cat named Cricket. She enjoys distance running, hiking and camping in her free time.

Dr. Karen L. Cherrone

Surgeon

Dr. Cherrone is originally from Upstate, NY. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Cornell University in 1995 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from The Ohio State University in 1999. She then completed a small animal internship in medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City in 2000. Following the internship, she completed a one-year small animal surgery internship and a comprehensive three-year residency program in soft tissue, orthopedics, and neurosurgery at Long Island Veterinary Specialists in 2004.

Following her residency, Dr. Cherrone has served as a staff surgeon at specialty, referral, and emergency hospitals on Long Island and in New York City and as Director of Surgery at The Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital of the ASPCA. She is also the owner and founder of KLC Veterinary Surgical Services since April 2019.

Dr. Cherrone received board certification and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She is very active in college. She has served on the Editorial Review Board for the Veterinary Surgery Journal, the Exam Committee where she served as Chair for the surgery board certification examination and is also currently a Board Member for the NYC Veterinary Medical Association.

Her special professional interests include an array of soft tissue and orthopedic procedures. With 20+ years of experience, she has performed thousands of surgeries over the years.

Barbara and Macks

Carmen and TJ