Dr Chiara Leo began her university training convinced she would pursue an equine career; however, this path shifted after a formative cytology course sparked a fascination with cells, making the transition to oncology a natural next step. At the time, a formal oncology training pathway was not available in Italy, prompting a significant personal and geographic change. She completed an oncology internship at the Tierspital, University of Zurich (Switzerland), followed by an ACVIM residency in Medical Oncology at the Animal Oncology and Imaging Center in Zug (Switzerland), which included externships at Washington State University (USA).

From 2011 to 2016, she served as Lecturer in Oncology at the Royal Veterinary College (London, UK) and was appointed ad interim Head of the Oncology Service from 2015 to 2016. During this period, she also adopted Arturo, a gentleman dog rescued from a London kennel, who has been her constant companion ever since.

After nearly a decade abroad in Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, a strong pull toward her homeland and the Alps led her back to Italy in 2016. She became Head of the Oncology Service at AniCura Istituto Veterinario Novara and Scientific Director of UNISVET, one of Italy’s largest veterinary continuing education organizations.

She currently serves as Internship and Residency Program Manager for Mars Veterinary Health Europe and is Secretary of the European Society of Veterinary Oncology (ESVONC).