Dr. Hornstein is the owner and medical director of the Monroe Animal Hospital.  He was President of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association (NJVMA) from 2008-2009.  He was an appointed trustee for the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC) from 2010-2019.  During his time with the ACVC he was Vice President from 2015-2018, and and President from 2018-2019.  He currently serves the NJVMA as a member of the Continuing Education Task force by helping to plan the NJVMA's Annual Veterinary Education Conference.  He was previously the liaison between the NJVMA and the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, was named Veterinarian of the Year by the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association in 2004, and is also the Past-President of the Northern New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association.  He has previously served on the state veterinary association's Executive Board, Animal Welfare Committee, was chair of the nominating committee in 2009, was a member of the Veterinary Licensing Taskforce, and was a contributing author to the most recent edition of the NJVMA's Pain Management Guidelines.  He has also earned Elite Certification through Fear Free

Dr. Hornstein was also an author of the International Veterinary Association of Pain Management  consensus statement on a common urinary condition in cats known as idiopathic cystitis.

Dr Hornstein has had a deep love of animals since he was 5 years old and has devoted his life to the care and well being of animals. He previously worked at the Cranbury Veterinary Hospital in East Brunswick, NJ and the Englewood Animal Hospital in Englewood, NJ. In addition, he previously provided relief vet services for a number of practices in Northern and Central NJ including Plainfield Animal Hospital and Sayrebrook Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Hornstein is a 1996 graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he was a founding member of the Canine Club and was inducted as a member of the Veterinary Honor Society, Phi Zeta.

He, his wife Dana, and children, Ella  and Landen, as well as their four cats, Fluffy, Michonne, Enid and Hugo live locally.

Dr Hornstein's medical interests include pain management (he is a member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management), internal medicine, avian and exotic pets, and dentistry.  He is also a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

As part of a "Self Expression and Leadership Program," he developed and organized nursing home visitation program Celebrating the Gilded Lives of the Golden Aged." Middle-school aged children interviewed Alzheimer's residents about their lives and later presented the residents with a written report about the resident's life.

Dr. Hornstein enjoys talking to children and used to teach a weekend veterinary medicine course for 4th through 8th graders in the Spring and Fall at Montclair State University.  In his spare time he can often be found cycling or stargazing.  In fact he often commutes to work on his bicycle.  He also enjoys impressionist and modern art, cooking, and is an avid fan of the Rangers, Jets, Mets, and Knicks.

He is available to speak at a local school, library, senior village, etc. He also has done tours of the hospital to several Daisy and Girl Scout Troops. We have several student volunteers every month observe Dr Hornstein.

Please contact him at DrSteve@monroevet.net if you would like to invite him to lecture on a topic, if you would like to bring a group to tour the hospital, or if you would like to volunteer. 

In addition to Dr. Hornstein, we occasionally have relief veterinarians come in to provide patient service while continuing the excellent care our clients have come to expect.

Dr. Lauren Higgins is a New Jersey native who completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Bioscience at Penn State University. From there, she moved to Southern California to pursue a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences and graduated with honors in 2011. She then returned to New Jersey and completed a small animal rotating internship in medicine and surgery at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, NJ. Dr. Higgins joined the emergency team at NorthStar VETS in August 2012 where she is still a full time emergency doctor. In her spare time, she enjoys horseback riding, reading, and spending time outside.