Dr. Janis Shinkawa is born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She started her career as a Certified Public Accountant, working for Ernst & Young, LLP for over five years. In 1996, she began her pursuit of a career in veterinary medicine, a dream since the age of nine. She completed her veterinary studies at Colorado State University in 2002 and moved to Ventura to complete a small animal rotating internship at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group (VMSG). From there, she worked as a general animal practitioner in both Orange County and Ventura before founding Ohana with her business partners and fellow veterinarians in December 2012. Dr. Shinkawa is an active member in the community, having previously served as president of both the Santa Barbara-Ventura Veterinary Medical Association and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) of Ventura County. She currently serves on the NAWBO National Board as the Chair-Elect and Advocacy Committee Chair. Dr. Shinkawa and Dr. Jill have helped to develop the veterinary assistant program at Charter College in Oxnard. They also initiated and assisted in the creation of our local Veterinary Technology program at Ventura College, which is an Accredited American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) teaching program for registered veterinary technicians (RVTs). The focus right now for Dr. Shinkawa is the final phase of Ohana’s vision… Lokahi Foundation, which is a 501c3 non-profit. Lokahi aims to help create a sustainable long-term career and future in veterinary medicine for all of its people while delivering exceptional customer service to pet owners and high-quality care to pets. The Lokahi teaching lab has been built attached to our Santa Paula clinic to deliver training to our local veterinarians and support staff. This lab will also be utilized by the Ventura College Veterinary Technology students [citation].