Meet Your Pet’s Team
At NGVS, your pet benefits from the art and science of advanced veterinary medicine. Each of our veterinarians has superb communication skills, a boatload of compassion and extensive clinical expertise. It’s a combination that produces great outcomes for pets – and happy pet owners.
Specialty Services
Diagnostic Imaging
Emergency and Critical Care
Dr. Kim Neff graduated from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. Initially, she began her career with equine medicine and surgery. During the next 7 years, Dr. Neff pursued certification in Acupuncture through The Chi Institute (2007) and Animal Chiropractic through the AVCA (2008).
In 2010, Dr. Neff made a career change to small animal medicine and surgery while also practicing alternative medicine. In 2016, Dr. Neff completed her certification in Animal Rehabilitation with a specific interest in sports medicine and geriatrics. In 2017, Dr. Neff joined the NGVS staff coinciding with the opening of our new Rehabilitation and Performance Center.
Dr. Neff shares her life with her daughter Sydney. They both competing in dog agility with their dogs. Dr. Neff also serves on the AVCA Board of Directors since 2008.
Internal Medicine
Katie Surdyk, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Internal Medicine)
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: Tuskegee University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee, AL
- PhD: Physiology, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
After earning her DVM degree, Dr. Katie Surdyk completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at SouthPaws in Springfield, Virginia. She spent time in private practice in Alabama and California before entering a five-year internal medicine residency and PhD program at the University of Georgia. Upon completion of her residency, Dr. Surdyk finished her Ph.D. degree in physiology and pursued further training in oncology at the University of Georgia.
She has a strong background in teaching and research, she is widely published and has given presentations at state and national levels. She handles a diverse internal medicine and oncology caseload.
When she’s not working, Dr. Surdyk enjoys biking, running, and spending time with her family, which includes Golden Retrievers and a Maine Coon cat.
Surgery
Keith Curcio, DVM, DACVS
Founding Partner, Surgeon
- Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Small Animal
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: Tuskegee University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee, AL (Summa Cum Laude)
Dr. Keith Curcio knew from childhood that he wanted to be in the healthcare field. As a preteen in New Jersey, he’d ride around the local lake with a neighbor, rescuing injured ducks.
After briefly considering computer science as a college major, he switched to animal science, earning his undergraduate degree from Cook College at Rutgers University. Since his home state didn’t have a veterinary school, he attended Tuskegee University in Alabama. While there, he supplemented his education by working weekends at an emergency veterinary clinic in Atlanta.
The experience ignited his passion for surgery. He remembers assisting in his first gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) surgery and knowing surgery was what he wanted to do long term.
Dr. Curcio started his postgraduate training with a rotating internship at Auburn University, followed by a surgical internship at the Affiliated Veterinary Specialists of Jacksonville, Florida. He then completed his three-year surgical residency at Michigan State University, where he remained for an additional year as a clinical instructor until he passed his boards, earning Diplomate status as a veterinary surgeon.
He accepted a position at a Nashville clinic where he met Dr. Oshin, forging a friendship and partnership that created North Georgia Veterinary Specialists in 2009.
Dr. Curcio’s wife, Michelle, is a flight instructor and was born and raised in Banks County, Georgia. Their family includes two cats and a dog. Outside of work, Dr. Curcio enjoys sports and is a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. He also enjoys cooking and watching movies.
Abimbola Oshin, DVM, MS, MBA, CVPM, MRCVS, DACVS, DECVS
Founding Partner, Surgeon, Chief Executive Officer
- Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Small Animal
- Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, Small Animal
- Certified Veterinary Practice Manager
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science in Clinical Veterinary Medicine: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Diploma of Membership: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Dr. Oshin’s path to becoming a board-certified veterinary surgeon is characterized by dogged persistence. After earning his veterinary degree in his native Nigeria, he worked in general practice for a few years, then moved into academia, teaching surgery at the University of Ibadan.
With higher aspirations, however, he aimed to become a Diplomate in Veterinary Surgery in the U.S. – the ultimate level of expertise. The next step was to complete an internship, so he moved to England and worked in general practice to establish himself there, then was accepted into a small animal rotating internship at London’s Royal Veterinary College.
Next, he took a leap of faith and applied for another internship in the United States; he was accepted at Long Island Veterinary Specialists where he completed another year-long program in general medicine and surgery.
Following his internships, he applied for the very competitive and limited surgical residency positions but didn’t match with any programs. Undeterred, he began calling U.S. universities to see if they had any last-minute openings. His persistence paid off; he was offered a residency at the University of Illinois. Unfortunately, it was an unpaid position.
To help him achieve his dream, Dr. Oshin’s wife remained in London, working as a pharmacist to support him while he completed the first two years of residency training (during which time he also earned a master of science degree in clinical veterinary medicine). His third year was undertaken at a private practice in Nashville, where his wife finally could join him.
Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Oshin sat for his board exams in veterinary surgery and in 2008 was awarded the distinguished Diplomate status in this specialty – the culmination of his long-held dream.
Now board-certified and recognized as a small animal surgery specialist in both North America and Europe, he remained at the Nashville practice where he met Dr. Keith Curcio. The two men decided to open their own practice in the northern suburbs of Atlanta because it was an area in which they both wanted to live and raise their families. NGVS opened its doors in 2009, and today is one of the most successful and respected practices of its kind.
His wife, Bunmi, a pharmacist and realtor, was born and raised in London, England. They have three sons. Dr. Oshin enjoys outdoor activities, especially playing team sports.
Abimbola Oshin, DVM, MS, MBA, CVPM, MRCVS, DACVS, DECVS
Founding Partner, Surgeon, Chief Executive Officer.
- Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Small Animal
- Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, Small Animal
- Certified Veterinary Practice Manager
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science in Clinical Veterinary Medicine: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Diploma of Membership: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Dr. Abimbola Oshin’s path to becoming a board-certified veterinary surgeon is characterized by dogged persistence. After earning his veterinary degree in his native Nigeria, he worked in general practice for a few years, then moved into academia, teaching surgery at the University of Ibadan.
With higher aspirations, however, he aimed to become a Diplomate in Veterinary Surgery in the U.S. – the ultimate level of expertise. The next step was to complete an internship, so he moved to England and worked in general practice to establish himself there, then was accepted into a small animal rotating internship at London’s Royal Veterinary College.
Next, he took a leap of faith and applied for another internship in the United States; he was accepted at Long Island Veterinary Specialists where he completed another year-long program in general medicine and surgery.
Following his internships, he applied for the very competitive and limited surgical residency positions but didn’t match with any programs. Undeterred, he began calling U.S. universities to see if they had any last-minute openings. His persistence paid off; he was offered a residency at the University of Illinois. Unfortunately, it was an unpaid position.
To help him achieve his dream, Dr. Oshin’s wife remained in London, working as a pharmacist to support him while he completed the first two years of residency training (during which time he also earned a master of science degree in clinical veterinary medicine). His third year was undertaken at a private practice in Nashville, where his wife finally could join him.
Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Oshin sat for his board exams in veterinary surgery and in 2008 was awarded the distinguished Diplomate status in this specialty – the culmination of his long-held dream.
Now board-certified and recognized as a small animal surgery specialist in both North America and Europe, he remained at the Nashville practice where he met Dr. Keith Curcio. The two men decided to open their own practice in the northern suburbs of Atlanta because it was an area in which they both wanted to live and raise their families – and there was no other veterinary specialty practice in the region. NGVS opened its doors in 2009, and today is one of the most successful and respected practices of its kind.
His wife, Bunmi, a pharmacist, was born and raised in London, England. They have three sons. Dr. Oshin enjoys outdoor activities, especially playing team sports.
Donna Mandato has been with North Georgia Veterinary Specialists since its 2011 opening. After receiving her associate’s degree from the State University of New York, Donna spent ten years in primary care veterinary practice as a licensed technician. She discovered her love for emergency medicine in 1992 when she began working for her first emergency hospital in New York. In 2000, Donna and her family relocated to Georgia where she met Dr. Curcio while working as a surgical tech at a practice in Alpharetta.
She is thankful for her loving family and for having a job that gives her the opportunity to make a difference while doing what she loves.
Kacey is a native Georgian and joined the NGVS in September of 2018. It was her love for Steve Irwin and his philosophy which created her interest in veterinary medicine. She enjoys time outdoors with all her fur babies and adventuring to new places. After visiting Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park, she looks forward to one day making the move out West!
Brittany has been part of the NGVS family since it’s opening in Buford the fall of 2011. She has been a licensed technician for over 7 years, gaining her training at Gwinnett Technical College and completing the Veterinary Technology Program. As NGVS has grown over the years, so has Brittany. She has found her home in Internal Medicine working along side Dr Katie Surdyk. Brittany truly enjoys working in this specialty service and being apart of the high-level of care NGVS offers to our patients.
Outside of work, her hobbies include anything outdoors with family and friends like camping and hiking. She has a 10- year old Yorkie named Cassie and Hank, a 1-year old hound dog.
Alison has always had a deep love and respect for all animals. Growing up outside Dallas, Texas she knew she wanted to help animals and make a difference in their care. She graduated from Gwinnett Technical College with a degree in Animal Sciences. She joined the NGVS family in February 2013.
She has two dogs, Walter and Kaylee; and two cats Unagi and Wasabi. In her free time, she enjoys arts and crafts, reading and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite animal is the polar bear.
Christie has been a Registered Veterinary Technician for over 8 years gaining most of her experience in Western New York. While in New York, her focus was working with equines, specifically horse training. In 2015, Christie moved to Atlanta and joined the NGVS family. She was looking for broaden her career and has found her home in emergency medicine. What she enjoys most is being able to nurse critical cases back to health.
When she is not helping our critical patients, she looks forward to spending time with her 2 year-old son and going to the park with her 2 dogs.
Heather has been a Veterinary Technician Assistant since 1999. She joined the NGVS family in 2012 bringing 12 years of Emergency Room (ER) experience.
When she is not helping our critical patients, Heather loves camping and hiking with her 2 beautiful children and wonderful husband. She also enjoys gardening and spending time with the family’s four-legged members, 4 dogs and 2 cats.
At the age of 4, Nikita wanted to be a veterinarian. She has a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science with a minor in chemistry. Nikita enjoys the challenges of veterinary medicine and currently is pursuing her licensure as a technician through the GTC veterinary technology program. She joined NGVS in 2015 and we are excited to have her as part of the team.
Nikita enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and London, her 1 year-old black and tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Jill has had a love of animal since she was a young girl. She was always bringing home the stray animals of the neighborhood. She began working in the veterinary field in high school learning along the way at various hospitals and clinics.
Looking to broaden her career, Jill joined the NGVS team in 2017. She loves the challenges of working emergency medicine and be able to help pets requiring immediate attention.
