Meet Our Doctors

Derrick J. Landini, DVM Owner and Founder Dr. Landini has been a practicing Chicago veterinarian since 1994. He enjoys caring for all types of pets including cats, dogs, birds, reptiles and small mammals. In addition to his practice at Animal Ark, he serves on the Board of Directors for Chicago Veterinary Services. Dr. Landini is a proactive advisor and volunteer for many rescue groups in the Chicago area, and he is the proud father of 2 sons, 7 dogs, and 4 cats.

A native Chicagoan, Dr. Landini is a graduate of the veterinary school at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. He also completed an externship at University of California-Davis in avian medicine.

He has practiced medicine previously at Bramer Animal Hospital, Portage Park Animal Hospital, and Chicago Veterinary Emergency Services in Chicago, Illinois.

	Lisa Cieply, DVM Dr. Cieply has been practicing veterinary medicine since 2006. She is an avid sports enthusiast and loves squirrels and meerkats. Dr. Cieply practices medicine with canines and felines. Her extended pet family includes a Boxer,"Porter" and his Chihuahua half brother, "Pancho" (A.K.A. "The Panch"). Dr. Cieply graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2006 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. During Dr. Cieply's education, she was an officer of the Omega Tau Sigma Veterinary Fraternity. She enjoys providing quality care and client education to all pet owners.
	Jacob Cohen, BVMS Dr. Cohen has been practicing veterinary medicine since 2005. He enjoys working with canines and felines. Dr. Cohen's furry family consists of his dog, "Vinnie", and two cats, "Copernicus" and "Ellwood". After five years of education and training in Australia, Dr. Cohen has developed a special interest in internal medicine, particularly gastrointestinal disease and endocrinology. In his free time, he enjoys adventure travel and has left footprints on every continent except Antarctica.
	Kristin Vyhnal, DVM Dr Vyhnal moved to Chicago to work with us, after practicing in Rhode Island and Ontario. She attended veterinary school at Cornell University in New York. Kristin loves it here, enjoying life in the big city with all its culture and ethnic diversity. Her animal companion loves it, too. "I have a Jake -- a large, not very smart something-or-other" of the canine persuasion, Kristin affectionately declares. Jake and Kristin reside in the Lakeview neighborhood. Our newest vet has interned in emergency work, sees exotic patients, and communicates effectively with our Spanish-speaking clients. She enjoys these and all other aspects of practice.