As a member of the Foster Hospital for Small Animals’ surgical team,Dr. Michael Kowaleski specializes in joint replacement, arthroscopy, stifle (knee) surgery, corrective osteotomy and fracture treatments. Although his most common patients are dogs and cats, he occasionally operates on exotic animals and, most recently, camelids such as alpacas. He serves as the course director for Principles of Surgery for second-year veterinary students and for an orthopedic elective in the third year, teaches small animal surgery for third-year students and serves as a facilitator for the school’s Problem Based Learning course for first year students.

Dr. Kowaleski is a home-grown talent from a family of veterinarians. He grew up in nearby Sterling, Massachusetts and his father and sister are both veterinarians. He attended the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine for his DVM studies and completed the dual residency in surgery at Tufts and Angell Animal Medical Center. The practice of medicine has always intrigued me, Dr. Kowaleski says. I have always been adept at taking things apart and repairing them; thus surgery is a very good fit for me.

Prior to joining the faculty at the Cummings School, Dr. Kowaleski was an assistant professor, then associate professor, of orthopedic surgery at The Ohio State University. He has enjoyed the demanding caseload here, as well as the opportunity to work on unique cases. Recently, he teamed up with the surgical team at the school’s Hospital for Large Animals to treat an alpaca with patellar luxation (looseness in the kneecap). In 2008, Dr. Kowaleski also adapted human instrumentation and implants to fix a middle-aged cocker spaniel with a poorly healing fracture in its elbow.

Dr. Kowaleski also enjoys participating in the school’s clinical and basic science research projects (please see Dr.Kowaleski’s academic profile for the latest research publications) and travels nationally and internationally to present on the latest surgical techniques.

Dr. Kowaleski and his wife, Lisa, have two young sons and enjoy boating, sailing, fishing, skiing and rock climbing.