Meet the 2026 Veterinary Heroes: Jane Park, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA

Jane Park, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA, didn’t take a straight line to veterinary surgery. A native of Long Island, New York, she graduated from Dartmouth College, where she was a member of the equestrian team and majored in English and creative writing.

She spent 1.5 years teaching abroad before she could no longer shake the pull of veterinary medicine and returned to the US. Park’s journey in veterinary medicine began as a kennel assistant. She went back to school, earning a master’s degree in science from Stony Brook University in New York and then graduating from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, where surgery captured her attention. She said that “being able to open things up, look at what’s going on, and find solutions that way” was unlike anything else she had previously done.

Now a board-certified veterinary surgeon and medical director at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center in Forth Worth, Texas, Park describes surgery as a specialty rooted in trust—the trust that clients place in a surgeon when they hand over an animal they love, and the responsibility that comes with guiding them through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Her favorite part of the job, she said, is the people. “I have come across some of the most generous, altruistic, caring people,” she said, recalling clients whose pets were their last link to a loved one or whose animals provided them a lifeline through their hardest days. “To be able to not only heal their pet but maybe even heal a little aspect of that part of their lives, that was the biggest surprise for me.” It is a dimension of veterinary surgery that no classroom can fully prepare you for, and one that Park has embraced as central to her practice.

Her biggest lesson has been balance and the patience it requires. She navigated some of life’s biggest curveballs early in her career, all while trying to establish herself as a new surgeon. “When the curveballs come, it’s about how you pivot,” she said. “Regaining that balance is key.”

Congratulations to Park from dvm360! You can check out the rest of our 2026 recipients and learn more about Park here.