Dr. Monica Fernandez, D.V.M.
Medical Oncology Resident
I was born in Bogota, Colombia and still love to frequent my home town and family. When I was 12, I moved to Miami, Florida where I lived for six years. Since then I’ve lived in Maryland, Ohio, Louisiana and now Colorado!
I grew up with two animal loving parents. My dad had a cattle farm along with all kinds of critters in Colombia, including parrots, horses, pigs, and chickens. My mom bred Collies and we always had a house full of pups! Being around animals my entire life, I pretty much always wanted to be a veterinarian, but I strayed for a while and explored other pursuits, including theater, genetics, and embryology. Ultimately, I ended back with my original plan.
I received my bachelor’s from the University of Maryland, in College Park and worked as a veterinary assistant while completing my degree. Following, I attended veterinary school at The Ohio State University. There, I found a passion for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. I discovered the special bond shared between pets with cancer, their owners, and their oncologists and wanted to continue to be a part of the team that helps our companions have an excellent quality of life despite their disease. With that focus in mind, I completed an internship in medical and radiation oncology at Blue Pearl Tampa followed by a medical oncology internship at Louisiana State University.
I’m excited to be a part of the team at the FACC. It’s felt like home as early as the day I interviewed. The sense of community here and the medical advances are unparalleled. As a clinician, working in oncology is a unique experience. I love the relationships we build with our patients and clients. They really become family. Also with this specialty, I feel like we get to help advance human medicine, too, which is an added bonus. After my time at the FACC, I’d like to continue to work as a clinician at either an academic institution or in private practice.
When I have a little free time, I enjoy all the outdoor activities here, including hiking, horseback riding, cycling, and swimming. When I have a chance, I also like to visit the excellent breweries in FoCo. When I am back home in Florida, I spend time scuba diving! You might also find me working on home improvement projects. Most importantly, I love hanging out with my pup, Delilah, a mixed breed who was living on the streets of Puerto Rico before I adopted her in 2009.