Dr. Melissa Mays graduated from the University of West Florida with honors in 2006 with a BA in exercise physiology with an emphasis on pre-professional biology. She continued her education at The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. While at UF CVM she received various awards and scholarships including the Florida Veterinary Medical Association Student Excellence Award and the American Association of Feline Practitioners Award. Dr. Mays then continued to successfully complete a one-year rotating small animal internship at VCA Aurora and VCA Berwyn Animal Hospitals in Chicago, IL.

She and her three dogs recently moved to Chattanooga to take on the role of Chief of Emergency Medicine at VCA RIVER. In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding, dining out, and the Florida Gators.