Born and raised in the Seattle area, Dr. Collins originally had a career in geology, but found great satisfaction in her volunteer work with animals, and wanted to channel this passion into a career where she could have the greatest impact helping pets and their families. She made the decision to leave her career as a geologist for veterinary medicine to allow her to fulfill the joy of the art and science of veterinary medicine and her desire to contribute to the greater good by helping pets and their families. She knew immediately that she wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. She ventured East to go to Veterinary school at Cornell University, earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. After a year at the University of Georgia for her Small Animal Rotating Internship, she went back to Cornell University for her Surgery Residency from 2010 to 2013. She obtained her board certification (DACVS) in 2014.

While she loves all aspects of surgery, Dr. Collins is most passionate about cranial cruciate ligament injury and fracture management to get our furry friends “back on all four” again, the intricacies of feline surgery and how they are often not just “small dogs”, skin reconstruction after large/difficult tumor removal, wound management, and minimally invasive surgery. Her utmost priority is providing the highest quality care for patients (in and out of the operating room) and compassionately and comprehensively guiding pet parents through what can be a daunting process when their pets require surgery.

After being back on the East Coast for too long away from her PNW roots, she is so grateful to be back in her heartland of the Puget Sound region. She spends her free time being outside in our beautiful mountains or Puget Sound as much as possible, hiking, climbing, trail running, on the water in various floating forms, or in the snowier months snowshoeing. Dr. Collins is between adventure-buddy dogs, but is maintaining her crazy cat-lady status with her cats - Chowder, a charismatic orange tabby, Dexter, a handsome ragdoll, and a likely foster-fail addition – a tiny kitten found on the streets of Vancouver via the “Kitten Distribution System”.