Dr. Joseph Palamara, DVM, DACVS-SA, a board-certified small animal veterinary surgeon, will deliver the keynote speech at Mount Saint Mary College’s 62nd annual commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17.
Dr. Robert Gervasi, President of Mount Saint Mary College, is proud to announce that alumnus Dr. Joseph Palamara, DVM, DACVS-SA, a board-certified small animal veterinary surgeon, will deliver the keynote addresses at the Mount’s 62nd annual Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17.
At the ceremonies, the college will recognize hundreds of bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates.
“When I was asked to be the Mount Saint Mary College commencement speaker this year, I was humbled,” said Dr. Palamara. “I’m excited to be giving the keynote at my alma mater.”
Dr. Palamara was born and raised in Middletown, N.Y. He attended the Mount for his undergraduate degree in Biology, graduating in 1998, and obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree with High Honors from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, West Indies in 2003.
After completing a one-year rotating small animal internship at the prestigious Animal Medical Center in New York, N.Y., Dr. Palamara pursued his passion by completing a three-year residency in small animal surgery at the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, N.Y. He spent the next six years as a Staff Surgeon at VCA Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center. In 2016, he fulfilled his dream and became one of 1,700 boarded diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
In 2018, Dr. Palamara joined Upstate Veterinary Specialties, a 24-hour private multi-specialty veterinary referral practice. Within a few years, he became Chief of Service and co-owner.
Something Dr. Palamara wants students to take away from his keynote speech is that sometimes, the path to success can be a hard one. But as he knows firsthand, good things come to those who persevere.
“There’s not always an obvious route to get where you’re going and it’s easy to get frustrated if you fall short of your immediate goals,” Palamara explained. “But if you don’t see a direct path ahead of you to your dream career, don’t give up. I can tell you from personal experience that, with hard work, dedication, and support from your loved ones, it’s attainable.”
When he isn’t performing orthopedic, soft tissue, and oncologic surgery, Dr. Palamara is spending time with his family. He married his wife, Sarah, in 2023. The couple has one child, Marleigh, with another child due in July. True to Dr. Palamara’s calling as a veterinarian, the family has four dogs: Ellie, a yellow lab; Olive, a greater Swiss mountain dog; Calvin, a French bulldog; and Snoop, a Haflinger.
Mount Saint Mary College, ranked a Top-Tier University by U.S. News & World Report, offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for careers in healthcare, business, education, social services, communications, media, and the liberal arts. The Mount was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh in 1959, with the Dominican Pillars of service, community, study, and spirituality as their guide. More than six decades later, aiding the community remains a central part of the college’s mission.