About Us
Picture
Midstate Veterinary Services was formed in 1998 with the merger of two long established veterinary clinics, Animal Barn and Large Animal Clinic. We strive to provide high quality, responsible animal care emphasizing preventive medicine and excellent customer service with 24 hour care for our clients.
Midstate Veterinary Services recently opened a new modern 6,000 sq. ft. facility on Rte. 13 just south of Cortland. As a full service mixed animal practice we offer in-house care of companion animals and on farm care of large animals specializing in a variety of dairy and equine services. The staff, with over 62 years of combined service, and 10 DVMs are committed to providing personal attention to the individual concerns and needs of our patients and their owners.

Our Team

Jennifer Sun DVM - Owner

Jenn grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY and from a very early age had a strong attraction towards all things furry.  She received both her B.S. '02 and DVM '06 from Cornell University and joined Midstate after graduation and has been here since.  Her professional interests include preventative medicine and soft tissue surgery in dogs and cats.  She enjoys building long term relationships with her clients/patients and finds her job most satisfying when working as a team.  She shares her home with her husband Kirk, son Bennett,  a crazy hunting brittany named Blue, a super sweet kitty named Mini and assorted horses and chickens.  
Tidbits
When not being "professional" Jenn loves backcountry hiking and paddling with her family and practices circus arts.

Laura Rath Brown DVM - Owner

Laura grew up in West Pawlet, VT.  She discovered her passion for large animal medicine while assisting her father with veterinary farm calls. She studied Biology at Juniata College and then attended  Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.  Since graduation in 2009 she has worked at Midstate Veterinary Services where she splits her time between bovine and equine patients.  She joined  Dr. Sun in the partnership in 2022.  In her free time, Laura enjoys traveling and adventure seeking with her two sons Casey and Colby and husband Jeremy.  She also like riding horses and doting on her cats, chickens, Angus and brown swiss cows.  ​​
Tidbits
She has a team of Brown Swiss Oxen named Bruce and Buster

Kerry Schneider DVM - Associate

Kerry grew up moving around the country east of the Mississippi River with her family, eventually settling down in Wisconsin.  She made it to New York for school and after working in research for a few years, discovered her passion for veterinary medicine and attended Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine graduating in 2019.  During her years at Cornell, Kerry started milking cows and working at the Large Animal Hospital, putting her on the path of pursuing large animal practice.  Since then she has been working at Midstate, enjoying the cows, countryside and hiking with her two dogs.
Tidbits
Kerry loves baking everything from cakes to bread.  She would often spend her time baking to prepare for her study group in vet school instead of studying. 

Ronja Ogrodnik DVM - Associate

Ronja grew up in Spencer, NY on a small hobby farm. Much of her time was spent on horseback riding the trails on surrounding state land and taking lessons at nearby hunter-jumper barns. She received her bachelor’s degree from Alfred University where she studied biology and rode on the varsity hunter-jumper IHSA team. Shortly after Ronja and her dog Sunna made the trek north, to Guelph, Ontario where she attended the Ontario Veterinary College. Following graduation Ronja completed a 1 year internship at the Equine Clinic at Oakencroft, just outside of Albany, New York, to further develop her skills and knowledge in equine medicine. She is very excited to be back in the finger lakes as part of the Midstate team and looks forward to developing relationships with clients and their horses, dogs and cats. ​
​Tidbits
 Dr. Ronja is now certified in Spinal Manipulative Therapy.

Rachel Murray Brown DVM - Associate

Rachel grew up in Truxton, NY on a dairy farm.  Her love for animals showed at an early age as she tried to bring every barn kitten into the house, despite her family's objections.  Rachel earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Findlay in animal science and biology.  She stayed in the Midwest for veterinary school and graduated in 2021 from Iowa State University.  Rachel started with Midstate after graduation and has enjoyed getting to know clients and their animals.  Rachel spends her free time with her husband and all their pets (cats, dogs, goats, a tortoise and many more) on the family farm.
Tidbits
 Coming soon!

Kaitlyn McGarvey DVM - Associate


​Kaitlyn grew up in a small town outside of Albany, NY.  From a young age, she knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian.  She received her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018.  It was during her time at UMass that she found a love for large animals working on the school farm with sheep and goats, a local swine farm, and milking cows at a local dairy farm.  She went on to complete her DVM degree at Cornell University in 2022 and has been with Midstate since then.  Her hobbies include running, gardening, spending time with her cats, fiancé, and family.​       
Tidbits
 Coming soon!

Brittany Webb Freed DVM - Associate


Brittany grew up in Milford, DE but has become a huge Buckeye fan after receiving both her B.S. and D.V.M degree from The Ohio State University. O-H!  Dr. Webb fell in love with the dairy and agricultural industry through her time in the FFA and by working at a few small dairy operations.  She enjoys both sick cow work and consulting with farmers to help them achieve their goals.  In addition, Brittany has an equine interest, especially in internal medicine and reproduction.  She grew up riding and was on OSU's Hunt Seat Equestrian team during her undergraduate career.  Before joining our team, Dr. Webb worked at a mixed animal veterinary clinic in Ohio for a few years and recently moved to the area with her husband, Jordan.  They are excited to become a part of the community and explore all the hiking, skiing, kayaking and ice cream the area has to offer.
​​
Tidbits
Brittany loves traveling.  She spent a few months in Brazil learning about agricultural and dairy practices.  Also, she has traveled to Nicaragua as a veterinary volunteer for a program that provided animal welfare education, as well as free spay and neuters to help in underserved communities.

Sarah Scocozza, DVM - Associate

Sarah grew up in the Hudson Valley and has always had a deep love and curiosity for biology. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Vermont, where her love for animals deepened, particularly during her time working at a feline-only veterinary practice. In 2023, she graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine with her veterinary degree. Additionally, Sarah has completed Fear Free Veterinary Professional Certification and is dedicated to creating a calm and stress-free environment for her patients, ensuring that both pets and their owners feel comfortable during visits. Her love for feline health allows her to provide tailored care that addresses the unique needs of each cat. When she’s not at the clinic, Sarah enjoys knitting and crocheting, often creating cozy items for friends and family. She is a self-proclaimed "nerd", an avid reader, and loves to unwind with board games and video games.
Tidbits
 Dr. Sarah is a member of the Southern Tier Orchid Society. She has a passion for collecting orchids, with a special interest in the many 
Phalaenopsis 
​species.
Alex Schaff, DVM - Associate
Born in Rochester, NY, Alex's passion for animals and nature grew in the woods, shaping his path to becoming an Eagle Scout.  After earning his bachelor's degree in biology and philosophy from Colgate University, he trained in the animal husbandry with cattlemen and women in Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho.  He earned a Master of Animal Science and a DVM from Colorado State University, including studies in livestock medicine at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and is a graduate of Cornell's Summer Dairy Institute.  Alex is thrilled to support the CNY farming community as a large animal veterinarian.  His professional interests include surgery, laceration repair, herd health planning, holistic healthcare, beef and dairy production systems, and homesteading.  In his free time, he enjoys driving horses, volunteering at the Center for the Arts in Homer, and tending his garden.
​

Tidbits:
He and his partner are looking to own a farm locally. Alex would like to raise beef cattle and horses, and Jackie would like to grow flowers and vegetables. 

Samantha Lee, DVM - Associate

Info coming soon!
Tidbits
 Coming soon!

Haley Stein, DVM - Associate

Dr. Haley grew up on Long Island and always loved science and animals.  She received her B.S. in animal science from the University of Vermont.  At UVM she worked at the campus dairy farm and horse barn and became passionate about agriculture and large animal medicine.  She then moved out west to attend veterinary school at the University of California, Davis.  Following graduation, she received specialized training from the Summer Dairy Institute at Cornell.  Her profession interest include surgery, milk quality and preventative medicine.  She is excited to be back in the northeast to begin her veterinary career!  She lives in Ithaca with her boyfriend, dog and 2 cats.  Outside of work she enjoys teaching her cat tricks, hiking with her dog, baking and cooking.  
Tidbits
Dr. Haley has a passion for increasing access to veterinary care for underserved communities and ran 2 free clinics for such communities while in veterinary school. 
​

Jewel Randolph, DVM - Associate

Jewel grew up in Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania, where her love of animals, horseback riding, and a dog named Lady sparked her interest in veterinary medicine.  She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Findlay in Ohio and her DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in California.  After vet school, she completed a year-long equine internship at Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics, gaining advanced training and hands-on experience in equine care.  Eager to return to the East Coast, Jewel was excited to join the Midstate team and become part of a practice that values quality care and community.  She looks forward to applying her equine expertise while expanding her work in bovine and small ruminant medicine and building meaningful relationships with clients and their animals.  Outside the clinic, she enjoys exploring the Finger Lakes, visiting local ice cream shops and farmers' markets, gardening, baking, spending time with her dog, Cash, and catching up with friends and family.
Tidbits
 Coming soon!

Desiree Bonilla, LVT

​Desiree has been working at Midstate since 2004. She received her LVT from Cedar Valley College. Desiree loves being able to live her "dream job" every day. Married in 2009 with only 4 legged children, she enjoys scrapbooking, cooking and being outdoors. She has 1 dog, 4 cats, 1 rat and 1 horse, which all were adopted. 
Tidbits
Desiree and her husband breed Ball Pythons.  They currently have 30 snakes and counting!

Lynzee Hoffman, LVT

Info coming soon!

​
Tidbits
 Coming soon!
Veterinary Technician Assistants
Lots of friendly new faces around the clinic, more info to come soon! 
Customer Service Representatives
Back: Sarah, Mackenzie and Tiffany.  Front: Jessica and Amy
​Office Manager: Kelly Knapp
I joined Midstate Veterinary Services in June 1999.  There have been a lot of changes through the years, but the one thing that stays the same is that your animals will always come first.