Dr. Michelle Forella is…
… a thorough clinician with high medical and ethical standards
… a trained, competent communicator
… a cheerleader for veterinary medicine
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Clinical experince
Dr. Forella began her career in private practice combining routine/wellness care, emergency, and surgery. In order to focus on her loves of surgery and emergency medicine, she now divides her time between HQHVSN work at POASpay!, performing routine and non-routine surgery for general practitioners, on-call emergency surgery for local emergency/specialty hospitals, and working relief outpatient ER shifts.
Dr. Forella demonstrates unwavering commitment to providing the best patient care and maintaining the highest standards. Forella gets especially excited about wounds, pain management, and complicated anesthesia.

Education
B.S. Animal Science | University of Connecticut | 2013
D.V.M. | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine | 2017
Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
Dr. Forella wants everyone in veterinary medicine to know that it’s okay to ask for help, and everyone can benefit from mental health support from time to time.
Outside of her role as an emergency clinician, Dr. Forella is focused on improving mental health and wellbeing for all veterinary professionals. She believes that this is critical for the sustainability of our profession.
Dr. Forella chairs the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association Wellness Committee, whose goals include reducing stigma surrounding mental health and connecting veterinary professionals with mental health services. She is also a director on the non-profit Veterinarians for the Intervention and Prevention of Suicide (VIPS). The sole focus of VIPS is to reduce suicide in veterinary medicine. VIPS is available for QPR suicide prevention training sessions at your hospital.
Qualifications:
QPR Gatekeeper
Certified QPR Gatekeeper Trainer
Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine (Iowa State University)
AVMA Wellbeing Educator
