Alison Tarbell, DVM, DACVR

“Love of animals is a universal impulse, al common ground on which all of us may meet. By loving and understanding animals, perhaps we humans shall come to understand each other.” – Louis J. Camuti

Dr. Alison Tarbell is a Californian by birth – she grew up in bustling Silicon Valley and studied veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis, but is an East Coaster at heart. Both of her parents hail from the Northeast, and she attended college in Massachusetts for her undergraduate studies.

After her first two years at UC Davis, she moved to Bethesda, MD, to complete a one-year research fellowship through a collaboration between the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Following graduation from veterinary school in 2014, she relocated to New York City for her postgraduate education, spending five years at The Animal Medical Center and completing an internship, specialty internship, and residency in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.

Following graduation from her residency in 2019, Dr. Tarbell was excited to return to the Washington, DC region to join a small start-up radiology practice supporting a major referral hospital, where she provided in-house imaging services as well as read cases remotely for practices all over the world. She then spent several years in Connecticut at a specialty and 24-hour emergency practice, where she helped develop and expand the Radiology Department. She is excited to continue her career with UVS and brings an enthusiasm for collaboration between veterinarians of many specialties to find the best solutions to help each patient.

Dr. Tarbell believes there is no one-size-fits-all plan for any pet or any family, in line with the long history of patient-centric care that UVS has always provided. She believes imaging is an important part of the diagnostic puzzle, but that every member of a patient’s care team has insight that can help her interpret imaging findings. This holistic approach to medicine, combined with a passion for lifelong learning, forms the cornerstones of her practice. She enjoys all aspects of diagnostic imaging, particularly the challenge of selecting one (or complementary) modalities to serve each patient’s needs, and particularly enjoys emergency cases where she can help guide a patient in acute distress to the best path for care.

The beautiful Capital District has Dr. Tarbell excited to explore new hiking, restaurants, and local history! She loves to read, bake, and practice calligraphy, and has recently returned to boxing. Her thumb has always been black, but she’s hoping all the serene outdoor spaces here will inspire her to learn to finally keep an indoor plant alive. She came to the area with no pets of her own (all her previous pets have been guinea pigs!), but will surely end up with a new ball of fluff (or two) sooner or later.