Karen Sama was born and raised in Connecticut. Always surrounded by family pets, she wanted to be a veterinarian since kindergarten. She completed her undergraduate studies at New York University in the pre-med program, then moved to Colorado to complete her pre-veterinary course requirements. Graduating from Colorado State University cum laude, she continued her western migration to California.
She loves to travel, especially on walking trips that combine great natural beauty with interesting cities, cuisine, and/or culture. She lives in Ojai with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She obsesses a bit about the front yard she turned into a garden of native plants, enjoys bird watching (a pandemic hobby that stuck), as well as hiking and making old-school cocktails. After 15 years working in Ventura County, she is pleased to join Ohana Pet Hospital at its Santa Paula location.