Dr. Rigano grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Before becoming a veterinarian, she worked throughout the US and abroad as an archaeologist, eventually settling down in Virginia before attending veterinary school. She obtained her DVM degree at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine where she completed the mixed animal track, allowing her to focus on her love of both large and small animals. Before joining Animal Eye Care in 2025, she interned at the Research Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD and completed a small animal rotating internship at Partner Emergency and Specialty Center in Richmond, VA.
She also holds a BA in Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a MSc in Bioarchaeology from the University of Sheffield.
In her free time, Dr. Rigano enjoys gardening, hiking, and camping with her husband, and their dog Roo.