Paula Prestia, DVM

A native of Severna Park, Dr. Paula Prestia joined the staff of Lake Shore Pet Hospital in 2021.  She received a BA in Mass Communication and History from the University of Virginia, the 3rd out of 5 family members to graduate as a Wahoo.  After graduation, she worked for the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Pediatrics as an Intern Selection Coordinator, then transferred to the Wilmer Eye Institute, where she worked on several clinical trials. She then was selected as field coordinator of the Waterman’s Study, a field trial conducted on the Eastern Shore evaluating the effects of ultraviolet exposure on cataract formation. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. When the study ended, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and coordinated a multi-center clinical trial on corneal transplantation in high-risk patients at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Ophthalmology.  While working at the University, Dr. Prestia attended an open house at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, and finally admitting to a lifelong dream to be a veterinarian, made the decision to apply to veterinary school.

She took classes part-time for the next few years to fulfill prerequisites before applying.

Dr. Prestia shares her home in Arnold with her beagle, Peyton, and with her 3 cats (Keith, Lilly, and Lucy.

In her free time, she enjoys gardening, swimming, baking, and following the University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin football, basketball, and lacrosse. When she has time off, she enjoys spending time with her nieces in Harvard, MA, and her parents in Atlanta.