Veterinary Woman Role Model - Gillian Dank

Dr Gillian Dank is a board-certified Veterinary Oncologist and Chief Veterinary Officer at HT Vet. With a passion for advancing cancer diagnosis and treatment, she has combined clinical work, research, and international lecturing throughout her career. After years as a senior lecturer at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, she transitioned to private practice in 2022, still balancing her professional and family life. She continues to shape the future of veterinary oncology through innovation, education and a deep commitment to improving patient care.

Please summarise your journey / biography

I received my DVM degree from Hebrew University in 1998. I completed my internship at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine followed by a residency in Veterinary Oncology at the University of California, Davis and I am board certified by both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the European College of Internal Medicine in Oncology.
After I finished my residency at UC Davis I came back to Hebrew University and I was a senior lecturer at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine. Most of the time I was the only oncologist in Israel. I was in charge of the Oncology department, teaching and lecturing fourth-year veterinary students. It was at this time that I understood that I really love lecturing. I received such positive feedback from the students that I started lecturing in continuing education courses through ESAVS. Now I am lecturing through Improve International.
I have also volunteered for the ACVIM and ECVIM Exam Committees and run clinical trials at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine. In these trials, I evaluated exciting new treatment and diagnostic methods and published the results.
In 2022, after over 20 years, I decided to leave the university in order to work in private practice and open my own business. In addition, at that time, I started working at HT Vet as the Chief Veterinary Officer.
I live with my husband Ronen, 4 children and golden retriever.

Describe your typical day from waking to sleeping

I wake up
Wake up one of my sons (the girls wake up on their own)
Get the kids food for breakfast and school ready as I am having my first cup of coffee
Drive ¾ kids to the bus stop
Come home, help my younger son get organised and walk to school with him, my husband and my dog (and have a nice walk together).
Go to work at the Knowledge Farm Veterinary Specialist Hospital. Thankfully it is very close to my home and HT Vet, so I don’t have to sit in a lot of traffic. I love my work, and I feel so fortunate to be a veterinary oncologist. As it says in my logo, my purpose is to improve the quality of life of my patients, and I really believe that I succeed in my mission. Every time I treat a dog and the tumour shrinks, or they feel better the next time I see them, it totally makes my day!
Come home – drive and pick up the kids from their various activities – sports or music or scouts
Make dinner
Watch some TV or read a book
Go to sleep
If I am lucky, I fit in going to the gym in the afternoon or before work
Other days my day is totally different. That is why my professional life is so perfect, because I have a combination of clinical work and HT Vet work. On my days there, I participate in HT Vet meetings and have meetings with the veterinarians or algorithm department. We are changing the way to diagnose masses in veterinary medicine and improving the ability to diagnose cancer. In addition, I spend time planning and working on our clinical trials and writing lectures. I love lecturing, in person or online, and I am fortunate enough to reach veterinarians all over the world.

How would you describe yourself in a sentence?

I am very driven to succeed in my goals, and that has enabled me to get to where I am today.

What has been your top success and what have you learned from this?

My top success has been having both a family and a career. I have learned that I need both to be happy, even though sometimes it is very hard. From the minute that I understood that I wanted to be a specialist in oncology, I had to move away from my family and friends in order to do my residency and succeed. But I learned from my amazing resident-mate Prof. Michael Kent, that if you want something enough and work hard, you can do anything!

What has been your biggest challenge, setback or failure and how have you overcome it? How did you grow or change as a result?

My biggest challenge is combining work and family. As all veterinarians know, it is hard to leave work at work, especially as an oncologist when clients can call all of the time with questions. But I have learned (after not doing a good job and answering my phone at all hours) that sometimes you need to turn off your phone, or even leave work. Your clients will ask for other veterinarians to help, so that you can leave to pick up your kids and be with them. It is certainly not easy to leave work for your family, but one needs to find time for both parts of your life.

In order to try to find more time for myself and my family I decided to leave academic life at the university after twenty years and work in private practice. I am now my own boss and I can decide on my own hours. I also work part time for HT Vet, so I have the fun part of the university too, running clinical trials, meeting really bright and interesting people, and participating in international conferences alongside clinics.

What compromises have you had to make and what, if anything, could have helped?

My main compromise is that I went to vet school, and worked at my internship and residency for so many years. After my residency, I worked at the university and studied for boards. Basically, I had no time for anything except studying and no time for a personal life. While all of my friends were getting married and having kids, I was studying. Thankfully, I met my loving husband and we now have four amazing children and a golden retriever.

I couldn’t have got where I am today without…

I couldn’t have got where I am today without my family and friends. There is no way… The support my family gave me during veterinary school, the support and amazing new friends that I made during my residency, and the support that my husband gives me now – helping when I work late, when I go away for conferences, listening to me complain when I have a really bad day, and just being here to help me with everything I need.

What are your three top likes?

Getting up in the morning and seeing a beautiful sunrise.

Going for a hike with my family when everyone gets along and everything goes perfectly.

Knowing I made a difference in the treatment in one of my patients and that I really helped.

What are your three top dislikes?

Traffic- I really hate it.

When I do everything to help a client’s pet, but they are rude or unappreciative.

When my kids stain clothes that are fresh out the wash.

What is the most helpful book you’ve read and why?

I love reading mysteries and fiction- I see it is a break from reality.

Many thanks to Gillian Dank for sharing her story to inspire veterinary women to aspire and grow into their full career potential.

If you would like to share your story please get in touch at info@veterinarywoman.co.uk

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Veterinary Woman Role Model – Gillian Dank