Mariana graduated from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal, in 2015. She worked in her home country as a small animal veterinary surgeon for 5 years, including one year as a junior clinician in small animal surgery and anaesthesia back at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of UTAD.

Always interested in developing her knowledge and skills in small animal soft tissue surgery and orthopaedics, she decided to move to the UK in 2020 to enrol in our very own rotating internship programme at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists. After completing the first year, she was invited to stay for an extra year as a surgical intern. After that, Mariana spent 6 months focusing in first opinion routine and emergency medicine and surgery, completing her General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Surgery.

In January 2023, Mariana returned to Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists as an ECVS Resident in Small Animal Surgery. She enjoys all aspects of small animal surgery, from soft tissue surgery to orthopaedics and including neurosurgery.

Alongside clinical work, Mariana actively contributes to clinical research and scientific writing, and she has several case reports already published. She is working on two research projects about partial cranial cruciate ligament rupture and gallbladder mucocele in dogs.