Veterinarian Staff
Dr. Gale Bowman , DVM, MS
Dr. Gale Bowman, owner of Bowman Animal Hospital, received her DVM from Michigan state University in 1976. She continued on to Auburn University where she obtained a Master’s degree in Small Animal Surgery and Medicine, and completed a three year residency in Veterinary Opthamology.
In 1985, Dr. Bowman opened a single doctor practice across the street from our current location. Dr. Bowman received the President’s Award from the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, and in 1995 was named North Carolina Veterinarian of the Year. From 1999-2003 Dr. Bowman served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation.
Not only has the practice grown over time, Dr. Bowman has become an innovator by building a hospital dedicated to the integration of Eastern and Western veterinary care. As an acupuncturist, she currently integrates a variety of modalities along with herbal and homeopathic medicine for both preventative and curative small animal medicine.
Dr. Bowman lives in Raleigh with her family, her beautiful Maine Coon cats and her dog, Smoochie.
Dr. Diane Deresienski, VMD, DABVP & Medical Director
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Diane Deresienski has been with Bowman since 1993. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at NCSU, where she teaches veterinary students about exotic animal practice. Dr. Deresienski has always had an interest in wildlife conservation and was a founding board member of the Piedmont Wildlife Center in Durham.
In 2000, Dr. D (as she is affectionately called) became a specialist in Canine and Feline Practice by passing an extensive certification exam. She is one of only a few with this designation in the state of North Carolina. She enjoys surgery, and has been trained in Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis, a surgery to help prevent hip dysplasia in dogs. In 2007, she received her PennHip Certification, qualifying her to perform the unique testing methods that can identify dogs at risk for hip dysplasia while they are only 4 months old.
As an exotic animal veterinarian, Dr. D treats a variety of pets ranging from birds and reptiles, to small mammals such as rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
Dr. D lives in Raleigh with her husband and a Cornish Rex named Looney Tunes, a shaggy mutt named Zebulon and a 35 year old ball python snake. When not working or teaching, Dr. D enjoys yoga, sprint triathlon training, getting away to the coast and her season tickets to the North Carolina Ballet.
Dr. Kristen Smith , DVM
Dr. Kristen Smith has dedicated herself to the practice of Small Animal Medicine. Raised in the Hudson River Valley region of New York, she graduated from Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. Since graduation she has worked in private practice and has been a part of the Bowman team since 2001.
With her excellent “bedside” manner, Dr. Smith has developed special relationships with her clients and their pets; her thoroughness and dedication to her patients is unsurpassed. She is closely involved with advancements in veterinary dentistry and is a proud member of the American Veterinary Dental Society. She also has a strong interest in both dermatology and geriatric medicine.
Dr. Smith’s hobbies include traveling, hiking, and gardening. Dr. Smith lives in Raleigh along with her husband, son and daughter, and their puppy, a havanese named Polly.
Dr. Nannette Goodwin , DVM
A Texas transplant, Dr. Nannette Goodwin joined Bowman in 2002. After graduating from Texas A & M in 1991 she worked in praviate practice in both Loiuisiana and Virginia before settling in North Carolina.
With her upbeat and energetic attitude, Dr. Goodwin has been a great asset to the Bowman team and will always go the extra mile for her clients and their companions. Her special interests include pain management, canine and feline behavioral medicine, as well as internal medicine. She is a reporter with the Veterinary News Network (VNN), researching and providing news stories on topics from Disaster Preparedness for Pets to Education on Fleas & Ticks. Dr. Goodwin made several appearances on local news stations during the recent pet food recall.
Outside of work, Dr. Goodwin is an avid tennis player and admits to being a little on the competitive side! She lives in Raleigh with her husband, daughter & son, Rosie and Ralphie two cute & crazy terriers, and Obi the funny hamster.
Dr. Emily Hunt , DVM, CVA
Bowman Animal Hospital was delighted to have Dr. Emily Hunt join our team in November 2006. After growing up in St. Louis, Dr. Hunt received her bachelor degree from Texas A&M with a double major in Biomedical Science and Genetics. In 2002, she graduated from NC State Veterinary School and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi.
Dr. Hunt takes a special interest in treating exotic animals and “pocket pets”. She is also certified in both acupuncture and herbal medicine, allowing her to offer lots of options to her wide variety of patients.
Dr. Hunt is an avid runner, having completed several marathons, including the Boston Marathon. Since welcoming twin girls into her family, she is finding it more challenging to make time to train these days! In addition to the twins, Dr. Hunt’s family includes her husband and three crazy kitties: Rogue, Flash and Oliver.
Dr. Julie Merriman , DVM
Dr. Julie Merriman joined the Bowman veterinary team in 2007. Born in North Carolina, she grew up in Rockville, MD and returned to North Carolina to attend NCSU for her undergraduate degree. After a “break” spent skiing in Vail for a year, she came back down the mountain to attend Oklahoma State Veterinary School.
After receiving her DVM, Dr. Merriman moved to Dallas, TX where she practiced in a small animal hospital about the size of Bowman. She developed a strong interest in geriatric and internal medicine, as well as dermatology, while there. Once again, though, she decided to return to her roots.
Dr. Merriman is now happily settled in Raleigh with her husband (also a veterinarian) and her two dogs and one cat. Both she and her husband love to travel and recently have taken up scuba diving.
Dr. Shana Silverstein , DVM
Dr. Silverstein joined Bowman in February 2008, soon after moving to the Triangle. She grew up in New Jersey, attained a BS in Biology from Cornell and remained there to attend the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Her first year of practice was spent in Massachusetts. Dr. Silverstein then spent seven years practicing small animal medicine in Tempe, Arizona.
While at Cornell, Dr. Silverstein helped found the Pet Loss Support Hotline, one of the first in the country to offer support and counseling for owners grieving the loss of a pet. Her family’s recent loss of their own American Bulldog has given her additional insight and compassion for clients struggling with senior pet challenges and choices. With over twelve years of clinical experience, she has developed a strong interest in preventative medicine, dentistry, behavior and (most important to her) client education. The depth of the human-animal bond continues to inspire her to offer high quality, compassionate medicine to every owner and patient. In return, she enjoys long term relationships she has come to build with her clients and patients.
“Dr. Shana” and her husband have a geriatric Labrador Retriever named Ebra who was originally raised as a Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy and has helped them raise a young son and daughter. Her family adopted Cisco Rango, a rambunctious young pit bull from Wake County Animal Care and Control, last spring. Their home also has two geriatric male cats who manage to tolerate the chaos of a busy family–Jonas and P-Pot (a urinary syndrome rescue kitty).
Outside of the animal hospital, Dr. Shana can often be found with her family at the YMCA, library or science museums. Since she feels quite well-practiced at “racing around” while balancing family and medicine, she has recently begun competing in community 5k and sprint triathlons. Her parents live locally and are volunteers at Wake County Animal Care and Control, both taking Petfinder photos and fostering dogs.
Dr. Katharine White, DVM
Dr. White joined our veterinary team in 2010 after gaining several years of small animal private practice experience in North Carolina. Originally from Massachusetts, Dr. White attended UMass Amherst and obtained dual degrees in Animal Science and Business Management. She then moved south to attend NC State’s Vet School. After living in Raleigh for the past eight years, Dr. White now considers this her true home.
Not only does Dr. White enjoy practicing preventative and wellness medicine; she also has a special interest in canine and feline internal medicine. Dr. White is happy to provide her clients with the convenience of evening and weekend hours for routine appointments and emergency visits.
Dr. White and her husband are overjoyed to have a wonderful baby boy who recently joined their furry family of three dogs, including a vet school blood donor and a certified therapy dog. Dr. White enjoys spending her free time during the week with her son at daily mommy and me classes and visiting local museums and parks.
Dr. Janice Bush, DVM, M.Sc.
Dr. Janice Bush graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She completed a thirteen-month internship with a focus in small animal internal medicine. Following this, Dr. Bush practiced in Southern California for several years before pursuing further education in the fields of Internal Medicine and Radiology. She spent several years working for a major Veterinary diagnostic imaging company, performing ultrasound studies on dogs, cats and exotics. Throughout this time, Dr. Bush gained considerable experience in all aspects of diagnostic ultrasonography and developed a special interest in cardiology as well as diseases of the liver, pancreas and GI tract in dogs and cats. She returned to private practice here at Bowman Animal Hospital in the fall of 2010 with plans of adding in-house ultrasonography to the hospital’s list of services.
When not working, Dr. Bush enjoys spending time outdoors and is an avid gardener. She lives in Raleigh with her husband, Adam (a K9 trainer), their pack of four dogs (Rusty, Emma-Dog, Annie and Finn) and two very spoiled cats (Calvin and Mickey).
January Employee of the Month
Meredith Curtis
What our staff is saying about Meredith…
“She is always helpful and self-motivated to help when she sees the need arise.”
“She is very helpful on long surgery days.”
