Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Rassin.
Hi Alisa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My path to veterinary medicine actually started with a love of wildlife and nature. I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and after moving to the US, I had the opportunity to spend some time working at a wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica. That experience really solidified for me that I wanted to build my career around animals and medicine.
I went on to earn my undergraduate degree in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Penn State and then attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. While I was at Penn, I started working in the exotic companion animal department, and that was really where everything clicked for me. I fell in love with the variety of species, the complexity of their medicine, and the fact that caring for these animals often requires a very different way of thinking than traditional dog and cat medicine.
After veterinary school, I stayed at Penn for an intensive year-long specialty internship in exotic animal medicine. From there, I had the opportunity to practice in several different settings, including Philadelphia, London and New Jersey. Those experiences helped me grow tremendously as a veterinarian, but they also helped me understand what I wanted to create for my patients and their owners.
Eventually, that led me to take the leap and open my own practice, The Exotic and Small Animal Hospital of PA. I wanted to create a place where exotic pets could receive the same level of thoughtful, advanced medical and surgical care that we expect for dogs and cats, while also making sure their owners felt educated, supported and heard.
Opening a hospital has certainly been one of the biggest challenges I’ve taken on, but it has also been incredibly rewarding. I get to combine the things I’ve always loved—animals, medicine, education and building something from the ground up—and hopefully create a practice that makes a real difference for both pets and the people who love them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not—and I think some of the most meaningful parts of my career have come from the challenges.
I started college and then veterinary school in my third language, which was an enormous challenge in itself. I was learning difficult scientific material while also learning how to express myself academically and professionally in a language that wasn’t my first. It taught me very early on that being uncomfortable doesn’t mean you can’t succeed; sometimes it just means you have to work a little harder and be willing to keep going.
Finding my place in exotic animal medicine was another challenge. It’s a relatively small and specialized field, and there wasn’t necessarily a clear path laid out for me. I had to forge my own path and, along the way, overcome quite a few people who didn’t believe that what I wanted to do was possible. There were plenty of naysayers and people who questioned whether an exotic-focused practice could work. Learning to trust my own vision, even when other people didn’t see it yet, was an important part of the journey.
Then came the challenge of actually opening a practice. Building a hospital is one thing; building the culture you want within that hospital is another. I’ve learned that choosing the right people is incredibly important. I want to surround myself with teammates I genuinely adore, trust and respect—not just people who are good at their jobs, but people who care deeply about the patients, the clients and each other.
There’s also the ongoing challenge of medicine itself. Veterinary medicine never stops evolving, and especially in exotic animal medicine, I feel a responsibility to continually learn, stay current and question whether there is a better way to do something. That means constantly reading, learning and pushing myself to improve.
And perhaps one of my biggest personal challenges has been learning that I can’t always be in “go” mode. When you build something from the ground up, there is always another problem to solve, another thing to improve and another goal to reach. I’m still learning to give myself permission to breathe, to appreciate what I’ve built and to remember that I don’t have to accomplish everything all at once.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road—but I think the bumps in the road are a big part of what made me who I am today.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Exotic and Small Animal Hospital of PA is a privately owned, women-owned veterinary hospital built around a simple idea: exotic pets deserve the same level of thoughtful, advanced medical care that we expect for dogs and cats. We specialize in exotic companion animals—including rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other less traditional pets—while also caring for dogs and cats. Our goal is to make sure that being an exotic pet doesn’t mean having to settle for second-best medicine. We provide comprehensive preventative care, diagnostics, dentistry, surgery and advanced medical care, with many services available in-house. This includes in-house laboratory testing, digital radiography, CT imaging and other advanced diagnostic capabilities, allowing us to obtain answers efficiently and provide a more complete level of care without requiring families to travel elsewhere whenever possible.
What really sets us apart, though, is that we don’t view exotic medicine as an add-on to a traditional dog-and-cat practice. It is at the heart of who we are. Our hospital was intentionally designed around the needs of these species, from separate species-specific spaces to quiet recovery areas and appropriately heated housing. We think about the details that matter to these animals because those details matter.
I’m also incredibly passionate about education. With exotic pets, husbandry, nutrition, environment and preventive care are often just as important as treating disease. I want our clients to leave not only understanding what is wrong with their pet, but understanding what they can do to help that pet live a healthier, longer life. Strengthening the human-animal bond through education is a huge part of why we do what we do.
From a brand perspective, I’m probably most proud that we have built something that feels authentic to our values. I wanted the hospital to feel modern and advanced without feeling intimidating or inaccessible. We strive for gold-standard medicine while remaining compassionate, practical and mindful of the financial realities that families face.
I’m also incredibly proud of the team and culture we’ve built. A hospital is only as good as the people caring for the patients, and I’ve been very intentional about surrounding myself with people who are kind, curious, hardworking and genuinely care. Creating a workplace where people trust one another, enjoy coming to work and are proud of what we’re building together is just as important to me as the medicine.
Ultimately, I want people to know that our brand isn’t just about exotic animals. It’s about changing the way people think about veterinary care for these species. These animals are family, and they deserve to be treated that way.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think something that surprises people is that my path to becoming a veterinarian—and ultimately owning a veterinary hospital—wasn’t nearly as linear or intentional as it might look from the outside.
I grew up loving animals and nature, but I didn’t grow up with a master plan to become a veterinarian or open a hospital. A lot of my path has been about following opportunities, taking risks and figuring things out as I went. I moved countries, learned in a language that wasn’t my first, spent time working with wildlife in Costa Rica, found my way into exotic animal medicine, and eventually decided to build the kind of hospital I wished existed.
I think people sometimes see the finished product and assume there was always a clear vision. The truth is, there were plenty of moments when I had no idea exactly where I was headed. I just knew that I cared deeply about what I was doing and was willing to keep moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.exoticanimalhospitalofphiladelphia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EAHPhillyVet
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EAHPhillyVet
