Dr. Laura Black has been obsessed with science since the ripe old age of 5 when she was sure her calling was to be a “dinosaur scientist”. The Tyrannosaurus rex is still her favorite animal to this day (which explains her particular interest in reptile/avian and exotics pathology), and while she applied to NASA to be an astronaut and also memorized the Audubon Society’s Birds of North America book at 10, in the end veterinary medicine won her heart.

After doing only 2 years of undergrad at Purdue she was accepted to vet school, where she earned her DVM degree in 2006. She spent the following 7 years in sunny Arizona, where she gained the indispensable experiences small practice medicine provides. During this period, she discovered the magic of pathology, and how it greatly improved her clinical skills and understanding of disease. So, while many would spend their free time in Arizona gawking at the Grand Canyon or marveling at the Hoover Dam, Laura spent her free time at the University of Arizona State Diagnostic Laboratory reveling in the microscopic insights of pathology.

Inspired, Laura elected to pursue a residency in clinical pathology where she could finally fulfill her childhood dream of working with dinosaurs: the University of Florida. While perusing various swamps and wrestling with alligators, Laura obtained reptile blood for one of her research projects to improve the methodology for analyzing reptile and avian hematology. She completed her residency with board certification here in 2016 and found her way to the PNW when she joined SVP.

Laura not only brings her expertise in avian/reptile and exotics hematology as well as domestic mammal hematology and cytology, but also her genuine enthusiasm, wonder and medical insight to the veterinary community. She is brilliant at helping others to see the magic of pathology.

Laura spends most of her time outside of work keeping up with her husband, their beautiful toddler Keira, and new baby Lachlan, in addition to her canine companion Elwood.

Laura loves a good vegetarian mexican meal, Disney soundtracks, running marathons, and has the perceptual phenomenon condition called synesthesia.