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Our Staff
Dr. Chris Griffin
April Strickland
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Dr. Chris Griffin
Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Certified in Avian Practice
Dr. Chris Griffin grew up in Augusta, Georgia, and has been interested in curious creatures for his entire life. Much to his parent’s dismay, he kept a variety of reptiles and amphibians in the house growing up, a passion encouraged by his grandfather (although not encouraged by most of his aunts and uncles).
After high school, Dr. Griffin attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 1991. He attended veterinary school at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1995. After three months in St. Martin during which he survived a grade 4 hurricane, he returned to the states to pursue his interest in birds, reptiles and other exotic pets. After spending time visiting some of the most prominent veterinary facilities that focus on avian and exotic pet medicine (Kaytee Externship program, Chilton, Wisconsin,1996; Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, Boston, Massachussettes, 1996; and The Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City, New York, 1995), Dr. Griffin took a job in Chicago.
Dr. Griffin discovered that it is just too cold up there, and found a position in Largo, Florida, working with two ABVP – Avian boarded veterinarians, Dr. Teresa Lightfoot and Dr. Lucy Bartlett, at the Avian and Animal Hospital of Bardmoor. Within 3 months, his position was certified as a Residency for ABVP (American Board of Veterinary Practitioners) avian practice specialty training, and he completed this Residency in 1999. He also coordinated the student extern program for the hospital during that time, hosting students from many veterinary schools, including Iowa State, Auburn, Mississippi State, Tufts and Texas A&M.
After leaving Florida in 2001, he joined South Ridge Veterinary Hospital in Kannapolis, NC, looking to expand the current avian and exotic medicine service. He passed his specialty boards in 2002, and is now one of approximately 115 veterinarians in the world with this distinction. After more than 2 and 1/2 years at South Ridge Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Griffin decided to open an exclusively avian and exotic pet hospital, catering to the needs of pet birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals (including rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rodents and small marsupials). He is thrilled with the promise the future holds, and is excited about continuing his education and building his skills as a veterinarian for ”non-traditional” pets.
In the past several years, Dr. Griffin has been a presenter at the Association of Avian Veterinarians Annual Conference (1999, 2004 and 2005), the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Annual Conference (1999, 2000, 2005 and 2006), and the European Association of Avian Veterinarians Conference (2003). He is the co-author of a chapter in the Gastroenterology issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Pet Practice. He was honored to co-author that chapter with his Dad, Joseph W. Griffin, Jr., MD. He is the guest editor of the upcoming issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America:Exotic Pet Practice – Topic: Common Procedures.
Dr. Griffin currently shares his home with 2 leopard geckos, Fred and Wilma, two african violets that somehow continue to survive, and things that go bump in the night. In his ”free” time, he enjoys music (acappella, especially Rockapella (http://www.rockapella.com), playing and watching a variety of sports, traveling, reading, playing on his computer, cooking and spending time with his friends and family.
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April Strickland
Veterinary Nurse
April Strickland, fills many roles at Griffin Exotics.
April has been involved in veterinary medicine for four years. She started at a Banfield hospital, which are located inside PetSmart stores. While there, she became proficient in running the office (behind the scenes), providing nursing care for patients, and meeting any client needs. In 2003, she became interested in working with avian and exotic pets while at South Ridge Veterinary Hospital (working with Dr. Griffin) and has continued her education and nursing skills through practice and continuing education opportunities (including attending the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas in 2004, the AAV conference in New Orleans in 2004, in Monterey in 2005, and in San Antonio in 2006, as well as the ARAV conference in Tucson in 2005, Baltimore in 2006, and New Orleans in 2007). April is also co-presenting a lab on Reptile Nursing Care at this year’s conference in New Orleans.
We are excited that April will be going back to school in the fall of 2007 (and continuing to work here as her time allows) – and hope that her academic successes will at least match her professional ones here. She currently shares her home with her dog, Arial, and her cat, Lilly. Her outside interests include yoga, music (an eclectic blend), spending time with friends and all things dragon.
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