Dr. Sophia Papageorgiou has worked with animals since age 15, starting out by cleaning cages at the Education Department at the San Francisco Zoo. She received her B.S. from the University of California (UC) at Davis where she double majored in Animal Science and Zoology and enrolled at Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine where, in addition to her veterinary studies, she focused on international and wildlife medicine. While in veterinary school, Dr. Sophia performed field research on African Elephants in Tanzania.
After graduating from veterinary school, she spent a year in a small animal internship at the Southwest Veterinary and Specialty Center in Tucson, Arizona, focusing on emergency and internal medicine, and surgery followed by a one-year wildlife veterinary internship at the PAWS Wildlife Center outside Seattle, WA where she was responsible for treating bear cubs, seals, bald eagles, deer, raccoons, and numerous seabirds and songbirds.
She has worked as a zoo veterinarian and for a number of small animal veterinary clinics in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. She completed a Master’s in Preventive Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at UC Davis in 2010. Her Master’s research investigated cheetah reproductive challenges for conservation efforts in captive cheetah. For her Ph.D. she studied tick-borne pathogens in Mongolian reindeer and livestock. Dr. Sophia's field work in Mongolia was carried out on horseback alongside nomadic and pastoral herders.
Dr. Sophia enjoys field research, traveling to exotic destinations, ice skating, and photography.
While Dr. Sophia enjoys working as a field veterinarian, she has a particular interest in caring for companion animals and ensuring that they receive excellent care during emergent situations.