Veterinarian
Dr. Clarke started at DePorre in 2024. DePorre Veterinary Hospital's stellar reputation at local referral hospitals had the hospital in his crosshairs for when his military service was complete. He values the ability to practice evidence-based medicine at appropriate prices that values the skills and capabilities of the entire veterinary team. He treats all of his patients as if they are his own, with no recommendation given lightly, using evidence-based knowledge and critical thinking to ensure the prolonging of a high quality of life in our family members.
Dr. Clarke's family includes the love of his life, Edyta, a veterinary surgeon and more importantly a wonderful human being, who you will undoubtedly hear mentioned if you talk with him for more than 10 minutes. They are owned by a clowder of cats named Mumford, Maciek, Monkey, Charming, Lilo, and Lola. Their fellow prisoners are three mixed breed dogs, Chief, Arby, and Anna. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his three nephews and three nieces, listening to history audiobooks, playing trivia, and learning more about his partner's Polish culture, language, and heritage so that he doesn't get outpaced by their future children's language skills.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a veterinarian.
I've followed a somewhat convoluted route to DePorre Veterinary Hospital. Originally, I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with the intent of becoming a pediatrician because I always loved medicine and wanted to have patients that couldn't necessarily speak for themselves, which is still what I'm doing today. While in Ann Arbor, I became very passionate about not only the clinical aspects of medicine but also the research aspects.
After graduating, instead of going to medical school, I went to Western Michigan University to complete a master's in reproductive endocrinology through some animal research programs. After that, I worked in a lab primarily with primates for a couple of years and developed a passion for the clinical care of animals during research. At the same time, I developed a passion for teaching and ended up being a professor at Grand Valley State University as well as a couple of community colleges around Michigan, doing that for a few years. After all this, I decided that becoming a veterinarian made the most sense for me. I don't think of it as choosing to be a veterinarian; I feel like the pathways of my life led me to know that I should be a veterinarian.
Where did you attend veterinary school?
I ended up applying to one school, Michigan State University, while I was a professor at Grand Valley, thinking that I might get in, I might not. They accepted me. I really enjoyed veterinary school. I was the president of my class and enjoyed the camaraderie of being in veterinary school. I became very passionate about complex cases that are mysterious and difficult to solve. It takes a lot of effort to try to nail down the root cause of these problems. Because of that, as a veterinarian today, I'm very passionate about finding the root cause of whatever problem is bringing the animal in, whether it be an allergy, arthritis, certain cancers, or whatever it is. I'm very interested in trying to nail down that root cause.
Did you serve in the military?
After becoming a veterinarian, I was a captain in the US Army as a veterinarian. I was stationed at Fort Belvoir by the National Capital and the Great Lakes Naval Station, serving as a veterinarian in 21 states. After completing my time in the Army, I knew I wanted to come to the Bloomfield area because my wife, Edyta, works at OBRS, one of the specialty hospitals around here. I've been yearning for years to get back here with her.
Why did you choose DePorre Veterinary Hospital?
I specifically chose DePorre Veterinary Hospital because Dr. Bua, my wife, is not only an amazing surgeon but also knows the referring hospitals in the area and recommended this place because the workups sent over to her are always done well. When I came here, I met Dr. Fox, Dr. DeHondt, and the whole team. It's amazing to go from being a solo veterinarian at different army bases around the world to having a whole team of people to bounce ideas off.
I'm also a huge fan of the ultrasound machine here and spend most of my days using it. But here at DePorre Veterinary Hospital, it's definitely a culture of people who genuinely like each other. It's a culture of camaraderie among the doctors, and I think we do very good medicine here.
What is your approach to practice?
I think fear-free practice is about as good as it can get. We advocate a lot for different strategies for different animals, whether it be as simple as using environmental techniques to help them be more comfortable or using medications, sometimes combinations of medications.
We are devoted to ensuring that an animal who struggles coming in here has a long-term plan so that they have positive experiences, even if we have to poke them.
What do you do outside of work?
My life outside of work is mostly surrounded by family, with my wife, our nephews, and my family over in Kazoo. I also have an intense pursuit of knowledge. I constantly listen to podcasts and am interested in law, economics, and history. Don't get me started on World War II. I have a big passion for knowledge and will always be pursuing it. I spend a lot of my time with my family and constantly try to improve myself.
What are you passionate about?
As someone with an atypical background in education research as well as clinical medicine, I have a huge passion for educating clients on how to help their dogs and cats long term. I'm very happy to have discussions about not just giving an affili but really talking about the mechanisms that underlie allergy, or not just giving an NSAID and a Gaba but the mechanisms that underlie arthritis.
I'm really passionate about making owners feel confident that what they're doing for their pet makes sense for their pet and for them. I'm happy to discuss any type of topic long term, so feel free to call the tour and set up an appointment with me!