Roberta Portela

Roberta Portela, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology) Veterinary Medical Oncologist

Servicing Locations

MedVet Chicago

Roberta Portela, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM (Oncology), is a Board-certified Veterinary Medical Oncologist who joined the MedVet Chicago team in January 2020. Dr. Portela earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Sao Paulo State University, Brazil followed by an equivalent Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in the United States via the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) ECFVG program. She completed a rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at the University of Ontario Veterinary College in Ontario, Canada followed by a medical oncology internship at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbus, OH. Dr. Portela then completed her residency in medical oncology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, IL.

Since completing her residency, Dr. Portela has authored and co-authored numerous scientific papers including; Safety and Efficacy of Targeted Hyperthermia Treatment Utilizing Gold Nanorod Therapy in Spontaneous Canine Neoplasia, A Pilot Study of Ttoceranib/Vinblastine Therapy for Canine Transitional Cell Carcinoma,  Maintenance Therapy with Toceranib Following Doxorubicin-Based Chemotherapy for Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma, Impact of Toceranib/Piroxicam/Cyclophosphamide Maintenance Therapy on Outcome of Dogs with Appendicular Osteosarcoma following Amputation and Carboplatin Chemotherapy: A Multi-Institutional Study, Investigating the Pro-Tumorigenic Effects of TGFβ1 in Canine Osteosarcoma, Investigation of the Beta 2 Adrenergic Receptor (β2-AR) Pathway in Canine Hemangiosarcoma Cell Lines, Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics, Adverse Event Profile, and Pharmacodynamics of Toceranib Phosphate in Dogs with Solid Tumors at Doses Below the Maximum Tolerated Dose, A Pilot Study of Sers-Coated Gold Nanorods in Dogs with Solid Tumors, A Retrospective Study of 62 cases of Canine Tumors of the Urinary System from Brazil: 2005- 2009, A Retrospective Study of 151 Cases of Mammary Tumors in Dogs and Cats from Brazil: 2005-2009, A Retrospective Study of 192 Cases of Mast Cell Tumors in Brazilian Dogs: 2005-2009, A Retrospective Study of 195 cases of Lymphoma in Brazilian Dogs: 2005-2009, The Use of Molecular Approaches in the Diagnosis of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor in Brazil, Evaluation of the Cell Proliferation Markers AgNOR, CEC and MIB on the Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor, The Use of Molecular Approaches in the Diagnosis of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor in Brazil, and Molecular detection of canine transmissible venereal tumor by PCR.

Dr. Portela maintains a special interest in targeted and metronomic therapies and her favorite part of practicing veterinary medicine is helping animals fight their disease without suffering while helping families cope with their pet’s illness and understanding the process in a clinically collaborative environment.

When not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Portela is a cinema enthusiast and enjoys scuba diving, travel, and spending time in nature and around wild animals.