Melissa obtained her Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (Honours I) in 2014 through The University of Sydney. From there, she began her first job as a veterinary nurse with her local general practice veterinary hospital, and quickly fell in love with everything that veterinary nursing had to offer. While studying for her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, Melissa also spent time conducting research in animal welfare and behaviour sciences. She has since published research papers on zebrafish personality and enrichment strategies for zoo-housed birds. Melissa joined the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UVTHS) Primary Care team in 2018 and became Primary Care Nurse Unit Coordinator in 2022. Melissa has dedicated her career and professional development to improving the standards of wildlife care in small animal general practice, starting with establishing an excellent standard of care at the UVTHS. Melissa adores working with the DVM students at the UVTHS, and especially loves sharing her practical skills and knowledge about wildlife care with students during their placements or clinical rotations.