Full-time Clinicians

John Pigott, DVM, MS, DACVS

• Board Certified Surgery Specialist
• Hospital Director
• Radiation Safety Officer

• Biosecurity Officer

  

Dr. John Pigott is a specialist veterinary surgeon and 2009 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.  He completed his equine surgery residency training at The Ohio State University and has performed research in equine orthopedics, regenerative medicine and upper airway disorders.  Before moving to CRES, Dr. Pigott was employed by a private practice referral hospital in Wisconsin where he worked in both elective and emergency orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, advanced imaging and lameness. Dr. Pigott joined the team at CRES in 2015 and has notable expertise in orthopedic surgery, upper airway surgery, complicated lameness, advanced imaging and regenerative medicine.  He has an extensive history as a competitor in the hunter/jumper field, and utilizes this unique knowledge daily as he approaches cases across disciplines.  As a recognized specialist, Dr. Pigott is an invited speaker at both national and international conferences on the topics of orthopedics, regenerative medicine, and lameness. 

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Dr. Santiago Mejia, DVM, DACVS-LA

• Board Certified Surgery Specialist

Dr. Santiago Mejia is joining CRES as another full time surgeon, covering orthopedics, soft tissue, lameness/imaging and emergency. Dr. Mejia grew up in Colombia, riding Paso Fino and Quarter horses. He has professional veterinary experience from Kentucky, North Carolina, and was a previous intern at Cornell Ruffian. His recent research examined ortho-biologics as potential disease modifying drugs for the treatment of equine osteoarthritis. His professional interests include equine upper airway surgery, minimally invasive surgery, lameness and advanced imaging. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids.

Rotating Clinicians with Cornell Ithaca

2024-2025 CRES Interns

(From Left to Right)

Dr. Patterson is originally from Sugar Land, TX and moved to Colorado where she completed her undergraduate studies and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. Following graduation, she moved to Kentucky to complete a one-year equine internship at Kentucky Equine Hospital. Over the course of the last 5 years her veterinary interests have evolved to include surgery, sports medicine, and ophthalmology. Outside of veterinary medicine, her love of horses first began at 3 years old, and from there she went on to compete in rodeo and barrel racing/pole bending throughout her grade school days on her two horses Lucky and Biscuit. Besides horses and veterinary medicine, she is a long-distance runner, and enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring new places with her husband, Cody, and dogs, Zuma and Porter.

Dr. Michitsch is originally from New York, receiving her formative education on Long Island and completing her undergraduate studies in the bustling heart of Manhattan at The City College of New York. Following her passion for veterinary medicine, she embarked on an adventurous journey to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in Saint Kitts and Nevis and furthered her clinical studies at the prestigious Royal Veterinary College in London. Throughout her educational journey, Megan has sought out and had the privilege of receiving training from world-renowned veterinary clinicians, honing her skills and expanding her expertise. Her clinical interests center around equine sports medicine, where she employs an integrative approach to optimize the performance of top-tier athletes. Beyond her professional pursuits, Megan finds joy in exploring new destinations, relaxing by the beach, and cherishing moments with her family. While she adores all animals, her childhood dream of working with horses has become a fulfilling reality, and she is thrilled to be back in her hometown of New York, pursuing her passion every day.

Dr. Kenyon graduated from University of California, Davis in 2023. While in school, she tracked large animal with an emphasis in equine. She recently completed an internship in farm animal medicine and surgery at Ohio State University. Her professional interests lie in surgery and emergency/critical care. In her free time, she enjoys running, macrame, and spending quality time with her dog, Viggo. 

Meet Our Staff

Jill Nordberg: Practice Manager, Licensed Veterinary Technician

Jill grew up in the thumb of Michigan riding and showing Arabians and working on her family's cash crop/hog farm. She attended Michigan State University and received her Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology. Upon graduation she moved to Lexington, Kentucky and worked at a high volume equine practice where she furthered her interest in anesthesia, surgery and MRI. After getting married she moved to Long Island, NY and started working for Dr. James Hunt at Belmont Park when the opportunity to work with Cornell presented itself after their acquisition of Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists. She soon joined Cornell's team and assisted with the opening and operating of the facility. She quickly moved into the role of Practice Manager and also performs technical duties such as anesthesia and patient care. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her three daughters and riding her horse.

Kaley Rave: Customer Service Representative

Kaley is one of our Customer Service Representatives here at CRES. She is a friendly face to everyone who comes into or calls the hospital and joined the CRES team in 2018. She has always loved horses, and rode when she was younger. Both of Kaley’s daughters have inherited her love of horses, her oldest even has a horse of her own, a rescued thoroughbred named Falcon. When she’s not working, Kaley loves to be with her family and spend time outside gardening.

Emily Murphy: Customer Service Representative

Emily was born in Florida and began riding and showing Morgans at an early age. After moving to Long Island in 2008, she switched to Hunters/Jumpers. She enjoyed showing her horse JD in the Children’s Hunters and also competed on an IEA team. Emily earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Management at the University of South Carolina. While she was there, she was a member and officer of their IHSA team. Following her graduation, she worked for an animal pharmaceutical company and then for an advertising technology company. However, her passion for horses has brought her back to the animal health industry. When not at work Emily spends most of her free time traveling, being with friends and family, or hiking with her dog Teddy. She recently joined the front office team and we are so excited to have her! 

Katelyn Trzcinski: Licensed Veterinary Technician

Kate first developed her love for horses while taking lessons and competing as a young rider. Before coming to CRES in 2017, she spent 7 years taking care of and training horses in Suffolk County. During this time, she found herself drawn to sport horse medicine and rehabilitation. This lead her to pursue a career in equine veterinary medicine. While working in Suffolk County, Kate was able to adopt and retire an OTTB turned lesson horse, Baylee. She also repurposed a second OTTB, Copee. Kate spends her time away from work riding her horses, taking family motorcycle trips, and spending time with her husand, Dan and growing family.

Martyn Blackmore: Licensed Veterinary Technician

Martyn Grew up around horses and had his first pony ride at 5 months old and never looked back. He competed for many years in the Westchester, Dutchess, and Long Island show circuits with his childhood barn, Pelham Bit Stables in the Bronx. When he was finished competing, Martyn worked as a trail guide and a riding instructor. His deep love of animals fueled his pursuit for a career in caring for them. After receiving his veterinary technicians license Martyn worked in small animal care until he found his way to Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists Hospital in 2019, which he describes as his dream job.

Abigail Savage: Licensed Veterinary Technician

Abigail joined our team of Licensed Veterinary Technicians in January 2022. Originally from Northern New York, she graduated with a Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Biology from SUNY Potsdam in 2017 and an Associate's degree in Veterinary Science Technology from SUNY Canton in 2020. Abigail began her career in small animal veterinary medicine in 2020. Since the age of 9, she has trained in the English discipline, riding both recreationally and competitively in the jumper division. She owned an OTTB named Jailbreak (aka Wings) and has an adopted cat named Smudge. In her free time Abigail and her fiancé Mike enjoy hiking and snowboarding and she is very excited to begin this new chapter of her life here on Long Island.

Hallie Zdenek: Licensed Veterinary Technician

Hallie was born and raised on Long Island. She knew from a very young age that she wanted to spend as much time around animals as she could, especially horses. She started riding at the age of 10 and has been around them ever since. Hallie gained much knowledge and experience from interning with equine clinics while pursuing her degree in veterinary technology from the University of New Hampshire. She graduated in May of 2022, and started her career with horses when she joined the CRES team in June of 2022. Hallie is now one of our licensed veterinary technicians and would consider this a dream job for herself. She is most interested in sport horse medicine and rehabilitation and will be pursuing certification as an equine rehabilitation practitioner. When not at work Hallie spends most of her free time with her dogs, at the beach or traveling.

Olivia Lee Curry: Licensed Veterinary Technician

Olivia was born and raised in Long Island and fell in love with horses at a young age. Her grandparents had a summer home in Delhi, NY where she began riding at the age of 5 and eventually went to college at SUNY Delhi. She graduated with a bachelors degree for veterinary technology. She has worked in small animal medicine since 2015 and joined the CRES team in February of 2023. She has her own OTTB named Duncan and in her free time enjoys soccer, snowboarding and going to the off-road beach.

Jerome Jackson: Animal Attendant

Jack started with CRES in early 2015 and joined the animal attendant team. He is a Kentucky native and has worked with horses for decades and is very interested in maintaining the standard of daily care that they require. When not at work Jack enjoys following the racing industry and time with his family.

Juan Munt: Animal Attendant

Juan was born in Lima, Peru. He started his career at Belmont Park in 1997. During his 25 years at the track, Juan worked a variety of roles for several prominent trainers. He spent the latter half of those years working as a foreman for one of the top trainers in the country. His experience has provided him with a wealth of knowledge and has perpetuated his genuine passion for horses. Juan started at Cornell Ruffian in January of 2022 as one of our barn attendants. His compassion and love of horses is evident in everything that he does here. Juan makes himself available to assist any and every member of our team and always does so with a smile.