Dr. Pilar Fish joined the National Aviary in 2003 as Director of Veterinary Medicine. Her mission: to create a state-of-the-art hospital that meets the diverse needs of the National Aviary’s collection of 800 birds spanning 200 species. Under her direction, the National Aviary has built a fully equipped, on-site veterinary facility comprising a treatment room, two hospitalization wards, an intensive care unit, pharmacy, lab area, surgery room, x-ray dark room and necropsy room.

The hospital’s goals are to provide optimal care for the Aviary’s birds, but also to teach medical students, provide veterinary care and research to further the conservation efforts of the National Aviary, and to increase public awareness of bird health care.