Veterinarian Overview
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Mitchell A. Crystal received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with high honors form the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988. Following an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, Dr. Crystal completed a residency in small animal internal medicine at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and served as Chief Resident from 1991-1992. He became a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1993. Dr. Crystal joined the faculty at Oklahoma State University in 1992 where he served as Assistant Professor of Small Animal Medicine in the Department of Medicine and Surgery until 1997. Dr. Crystal has received several teaching awards, such as teacher of the year and hooding official of graduation, as well as many other honors, such as 1996 citation for excellence in service and ability in veterinary medicine granted by the governor of Oklahoma. Dr. Crystal is a firm believer in veterinary continuing education and enjoys spreading his teaching efforts beyond the workplace. He regularly speaks and conducts workshops at international, national and local meetings for veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians. As a private consultant, he frequently teaches and helps veterinarians around the country solve clinical problems. Dr. Crystal is the author of the CD-Interactive continuing education module Feline Gastroenterology and has served on the editorial staff of other Lifelearn-V CD-Interactive continuing education modules. He and the other specialists at North Florida Veterinary Specialists, P.A. help in the teaching of veterinary students by offering preceptor ships throughout the year. Dr. Crystal continues to contribute new information to the veterinary community; he has just finished participation in a multi-institutional study evaluating the effect of a pharmacologic agent on chronic renal failure in cats and currently is participating in the evaluation of a new cardiac therapy for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Dr. Crystal is an active member in the veterinary community. He is a member of the AVMA, AAHA, FVMA, JVMS and the Comparative Gastroenterology Society. He currently serves on the continuing education committee of the JVMS and is the chairman of the JVMS website committee. He is a speaker board member of the biotechnology corporation, Biopure, developers of the oxygen therapeutic Oxyglobin and Hemopure. While at Oklahoma State University, he served as the faculty advisor to the student chapter of the AVMA and the Veterinary Fraternity of Alpha Psi. Dr. Crystal joined Dr. Larry Tilley and Associates veterinarianMed Fax Consultation service in 1994 where he consulted internationally with veterinarians in private practice about their clinical cases. He has published many papers in various journals and proceedings and he has contributed as an author to the veterinary textbook The 5 Minute Veterinary Consult and served as the Consulting Editor of the gastroenterology section of the second edition. Dr. Crystal is the co-author of the internationally published veterinary textbook, The Feline Patient: Essentials of Diagnosis and Treatment, of which the third edition will soon be released. Dr. Crystal's medical interests include endocrinology, hematology, renal diseases, gastroenterology and oncology. He is married to Dr. Tedisue Suthers Crystal and has a daughter Samantha, a son Mathew, and two cats, Aleena and Topaz. In his spare time, Dr. Crystal enjoys SCUBA diving, travel, golf and reading.
