VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center

Genevieve Hammond, DACVR (RO)

Genevieve Hammond, DVM, DACVR, knew from a young age that she wanted to be a vet. After attending the University of Victoria in British Columbia for a bachelor of Science with Majors in Biochemistry & Microbiology, she moved to Saskatoon to attend the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. ' In 2002 she received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with distinction and, following graduation, stayed on at W.C.V.M. to complete a Small Animal Rotating Internship. ' Dr. Hammond worked as emergency veterinarian in British Columbia for several years, before deciding to specialize in oncology. She moved to Northern California and completed a veterinary Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, & Surgical Oncology Internship at the University of California, Davis.' Immediately following this, she began a veterinary Radiation Oncology Residency and in September 2009, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology' in the specialty of veterinary Radiation Oncology. She is one of the two veterinary oncologists at the Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center who sees dogs and cats for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Hammond loves being a veterinarian and enjoys all aspects of veterinary oncology including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. She is dedicated to helping owners make an informed treatment decision for their pets and to improving the quality of life for all pets with cancer.

Education: BS, Science; Majors in Biochemistry and Microbiology

Brian MacKie, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Dr. Brian MacKie, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology) received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University in 2005. Following graduation, he completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at VCA Sacramento Animal Medical Group in Sacramento, California. After his internship, he moved to the University of Wisconsin - Madison to complete his residency training in Cardiology from 2006-2009. During his time there, Dr. MacKie helped implement the use of the Amplatz Canine Ductal Occluder at the University of Wisconsin for non-invasive treatment of a congenital heart disease, authored a paper on the use of an implantable ECG monitor for the evaluation of fainting in dogs, and assisted in prospective research on pulmonary hypertension and cardiac biomarkers. His clinical interests include, but are not limited to clinical cardiology such as echocardiography and electrocardiography (ECG), pulmonary hypertension in dogs, syncope (fainting) associated with heart disease and arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure (CHF). He does have a cardiac catheterization suite for pacemaker therapy and treatment of congenital heart disease. His goal in therapy for your pets is to maintain an exceptional quality of life for his patients with heart disease.

Jessica Schmidt, DACVIM (Neuro)

Jessica Schmidt, DVM obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. She then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2005 from the University of California, Davis after which she finished a 1-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Schmidt completed her residency training in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Animal Specialty Center in New York and received board accreditation in 2011. Dr. Schmidt enjoys all facets of both medical and surgical neurology, including, but not limited to seizure management and brain and spinal surgery.

Education: BS, Biology

Kari Moore, DACVECC, CCRT

Dr. Kari Moore graduated from Texas A&M University in 1994 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. In 1995, she completed a one-year rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital. From 1995-1997, she was in private practice in Dallas, Texas before completing a residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at Tufts University from 1997-2000. Dr. Moore became a boarded Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2001. Dr. Moore was on staff as part of the emergency and critical care team at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital from 2000-2001 in Boston, MA, before joining VCA Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She was the Intern and co-Resident Director along with establishing an emergency practice within the pre-existing framework of VCA VRA before moving to California in 2005 to take a new position within VCA. She became the Regional Medical Director (RMD) for VCA Northern California and Hawaii hospitals, which included a total of 39 hospitals. She returned to practice as the Medical Director and Intern Director of VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center when we moved into our new facility in May of 2007. In 2008-9, Dr. Moore completed training and became certified in Canine Rehabilitation and is currently providing these services at our hospital as well filling in on the emergency and critical service. She still oversees the VCA general practices in the Sacramento area as their RMD.

Tim Bowers, DACVIM

Tim Bowers, DVM, DACVIM, graduated from Colorado State University in 1984 and completed a residency in small animal internal medicine at Auburn University in 1989. Dr. Bowers was board certified in the American College of Internal Medicine in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 1991. He then completed a clinical nutrition residency at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Bowers sees cases requiring special diagnostics and therapy including procedures such as ultrasound, endoscopy, gastroenterology, and nutrition.

Nathan Bailiff, DACVIM

Nathan Bailiff, DVM, DACVIM, obtained his DVM degree in 2000 from the University of California at Davis and finished a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at North Carolina State University in 2001. Dr. Bailiff completed his residency training at the University of California at Davis and is board certified in Small Animal Internal Medicine. He enjoys all aspects of veterinary internal medicine including but not limited to immune-mediated diseases, infectious disease, endocrinology and a variety of endoscopic procedures. Examples of endoscopy-related services available include general gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary endoscopy for visualization and biopsy, stricture ballooning, respiratory and urinary tract stent placement, as well as laparoscopic evaluation and biopsy.

Carl Koehler, DACVS

Carl Koehler, DVM, DACVS, attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for his undergraduate work in 1993. He then went to UC Davis for Veterinary School and graduated in 1998. After a 1 year rotating internship at California Animal Hospital, he returned to UC Davis to attend graduate school. After a year of advanced training at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, he returned to UC Davis for a residency in Small Animal Surgery. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2005. In his time off, Dr. Koehler enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters. He enjoys hiking and other outdoor activities.

Robert Runyan

Robert A. Runyan, DVM, received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis in 1989. He became the staff surgeon and a general practitioner at Bradshaw Veterinary Clinic prior to joining VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in 2000. Dr. Runyan has completed Orthopedic Plating training at Ohio State University. He has also completed a Neurology fellowship at U.C. Davis. Dr. Runyan is certified in the TPLO procedure and by Penn HIP. Dr. Runyan is the Founder and Initial Board Member to the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless.

Celia Valverde, DACVS

Celia Valverde, DVM, DACVS, completed her Small Animal Surgery residency at U.C. - Davis in 2001 and became a Diplomate in the Academy of Veterinary Surgeons in 2003. Dr. Valverde had extensive training in soft tissue, neurosurgical, orthopedic, and oncological surgery during her 3-year small animal surgical residency at the University of California - Davis. She has also received advanced training in anesthesia, critical care, arthroscopic, and microvascular surgical techniques. Dr. Valverde has been on the faculty at the University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in various capacities since 1990, including the California Primate Center, the Companion Avian and Exotics and Small Animal Surgery services. Within the realm of orthopedic surgery, her interests include canine sports medicine, trauma management (fractures, wound management), limb alignment (TPLO stabilization of the deficient stifle joint, patella luxation, angular limb deformities). Dr. Valverde has considerable expertise in surgical oncology, cardiothoracic surgery, minimally invasive surgery (fracture repair using intraoperative fluoroscopy, arthroscopy, laser and laparoscopy) and exotic animal surgery. She is actively committed to providing less invasive surgical approaches, exceptional pain control and compassionate care for her patients. Additionally, Dr. Valverde has a strong interest in teaching and is currently an Associate Professor at the UC '" Davis Veterinary School. Dr Valverde has also had the pleasure of working with some 'big cats' - <a href="http://origin.news10.net/news/article/79894/348/Tiger-undergoes-abdominal-surgery" rel="no-follow">click here </a>for video of a tiger surgery! . <a href="https://www.acvs.org/what-is-a-veterinary-surgeon" rel="no-follow">Click here </a>to visit the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and learn more about Dr. Valverde's advanced training and work as a board-certified surgeon.

Chris Wong, DACVECC

Dr. Wong graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1992. He performed his internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, MA after which he remained on staff. He spent 3 years in private practice in Los Angeles, and then moved to Sacramento to complete an emergency/critical care residency program through UC Davis and Sacramento Animal Medical Group. He has been an active executive board member in the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association for over 6 years, and is currently President Elect and Treasurer of that organization. He has received various community service awards including his most recent award from the City of Sacramento Police Department. Dr. Wong is a long-standing advisory board member of the award winning Clinician's Brief Magazine. His areas of special veterinary interest are emergency medicine and surgery, critical care, laser surgery, and community service where he has been busy providing classroom education to local schools throughout Sacramento area for over 15 years now.

Craig Long, DACVR

Craig Long DVM, DACVR, received his DVM degree in 1994 form the University of California, Davis. Following a one-year associate veterinarian position in general practice, Dr. Long returned to UC Davis to complete a four-year residency in radiology. He was awarded a Diplomate of the American College of Radiology in 1998. He joined the faculty at UC Davis in a clinical professor position for 6 years. He is currently a partner in Veterinary Medical Imaging, a radiology group that provides services to general and specialty hospitals in the Sacramento, CA region. His areas of special interest include diagnostic ultrasound and interventional radiology.

Eric Herrgesell, DACVR

Eric Herrgesell, DVM, DACVR, earned his veterinary degree from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1993 and completed a radiology residency at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, UC Davis. Dr. Herrgesell was awarded a Diplomate of the American College of Radiology in 1997. From 1998 until 2006, Dr. Herrgesell worked with the Department of Radiology and Surgery, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, UC Davis. During this time he was the recipient of numerous awards including the Carl J. Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award which honors teachers whose ability, dedication, character and leadership contribute significantly to instruction in the professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Herrgesell works in the private sector providing diagnostic radiology and ultrasound services in the Sacramento area.

William Porte

William Porte, DVM, received a Bachelor of Science and MBA from The University of Colorado-Boulder. He earned his DVM degree from The University of California-Davis in 1986. He joined VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in July of 1986, and was one of the original owners of the practice until 2000. Dr. Porte's primary interest is Urgent Care Medicine.

Education: MBA

Jennifer Arnold

Jennifer Arnold, DVM, received her DVM degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She then joined VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center and completed a one-year internship with rotations involving internal medicine, surgery, cardiology, and ophthalmology. In 2003, she joined the veterinary team as an urgent care veterinarian. She currently splits her time between emergency medicine and managing the critically ill hospitalized patients.

Steven Tarver

Steven Tarver, DVM, received a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis in 1997. In 2002, Dr. Tarver earned his DVM degree from the University of California, Davis. He joined VCA SVRC and completed a one-year internship with rotations in emergency, internal medicine, surgery, cardiology, and ophthalmology. In 2003, he joined the veterinary team as an emergency/urgent care veterinarian. He currently splits his time between emergency medicine and critical care.

Melissa Fetner, DACVECC

While born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Melissa Fetner, DVM, DACVECC received a bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College in 2001 with a major in biochemistry and a minor in education. She then returned home to Texas, where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. After completing a one-year rotating internship (2005-2006) in general medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center (AMC) in Manhattan, she accepted a position as a staff doctor in the emergency department at the AMC. In 2008, she began a residency at the AMC in emergency and critical care, which was completed in 2011. She joined the staff of VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in the fall of 2011. Professional interests include but are not limited to trauma management, respiratory emergencies, and transfusion medicine. When she is not at work, Melissa is an avid SCUBA diver and enjoys all outdoor activities. .

Beth Johnson

Beth Johnson grew up in Milwaukee, WI. She received a bachelor's degree in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison before moving to California to pursue a master's degree in Marine Science from the University of San Diego. She remained in San Diego for several years working as a research associate at a small pharmaceutical company. She then went on to earn her DVM from the University of California, Davis in 2010. After finishing a 1 year rotating internship at VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center, she worked as a small animal General Practitioner in Yuba City before returning to the Sacramento Referral Center. Her veterinary interests include general practice, internal medicine and cardiology. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her Yorkie Lily, and snorkeling and snowboarding with her husband Jon.

Education: MS in Marine Science

Katy Fryer, DACVS

Katy Fryer, DVM, completed her Small Animal Surgery residency at Texas A&M University in July of 2012 and joined our team here at VCA SVRC in the fall of 2012. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Boarded Surgeons in 2013. Prior to beginning her surgical residency, Dr. Fryer completed a small animal rotating internship at Oregon State University in 2009. With extensive training in neurosurgery, soft tissue and oncologic surgery, orthopedic surgery and arthroscopy, she is excited to join our team of specialists. Dr. Fryer is especially interested in minimally invasive surgery, and she recently published an article in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine on the preoperative treatment of dogs undergoing surgery for correction of portosystemic shunts. As a northwest native, Dr. Fryer was happy to to return to the West Coast. In her free time she enjoys ocean kayaking, sailing, attending live music events, and running. She lives with her two dogs Violet and Olive, and her cats Frank and Sallie. <a href="https://www.acvs.org/what-is-a-veterinary-surgeon" rel="no-follow">Click here</a> to visit the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and learn more about Dr. Fryer's advanced training and work as a board-certified surgeon.

Chantal Tu

Chantal Tu grew up in Milpitas, CA and received a Bachelor of Science at the University of California, Davis. She then went on to receive her DVM degree from the University of Illinois. She completed an internship here at SVRC in 2009 and then moved on to a residency in Oncology at Tufts University. Dr Tu will sit for her Oncology boards in the Spring of 2013. She takes special interest in providing compassionate care to her patients. Outside of work, she enjoys travel, scrapbooking, snowboarding, and spending time with her friends and family.

Linda Mellema, DACVR

After graduation from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Mellema completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Following a year in small animal private practice, she did a four-year residency in radiology at UC Davis and became board certified in veterinary radiology in 2000. She spent seven years as a staff radiologist at Angell AMC in Boston. She currently lives in Davis with her husband and two sons.

Gregg Kortz, DACVIM (Neuro)

Dr. Kortz is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine specializing in neurology and neurosurgery. Dr. Kortz has extensive training and experience in intracranial and spinal surgery of all types. He has received the neurosurgery certificate from ACVIM in recognition of completing the required training and case log. Dr. Kortz's special interests include advanced imaging techniques including myelography, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging features of various neurological diseases and the application of current and new therapies. He also has a strong interest in neuromuscular diseases and electrodiagnostic medicine. Dr. Kortz received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1985. Following two years of practice, he completed the residency program in neurology and neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Kortz has served as a lecturer in the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences UC Davis and maintains an active association with the neurology and neurosurgery service as an adjunct clinical professor. After several years traveling to specialty practices throughout California, in July 2002, Dr. Kortz established a practice exclusively in Northern California. Dr. Kortz has published numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and lectures on both large and small animal neurology.

Daniel Lee

Daniel Lee, DVM, received his Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2008. He then received his DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. He is also completing a Masters in Public Health with the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lee's interests lie in Emergency Medicine, General Practice and Public Health. Dr. Lee is a native to Sacramento and is excited to be back home. He enjoys trying out new foods and exploring new activities. One of his favorite things to do is spending time with friends and family playing board games. His animals are too numerous to list but range from dog & cats to a bird to fish.

Mallory Bernstein

Mallory is originally from Potomac, MD where she started working as a kennel assistant and finished as a supervising technician. She went to The Ohio State university for undergraduate school and graduated in 2008. She started at Ross University in January 2010 and completed her clinical rotation year at Ohio State in 2012. She has 2 dogs, Stoli and Skye, that she loves taking hikes and playing with. Mallory will be getting married back home in Maryland this October to a future veterinarian! In any spare time she has, she loves to travel, cook, play sports, and hike. Her interests in the veterinary field are in ER and surgery and she hopes to continue on with a surgical internship/residency after her time at SVRC.

Kim De La Peza

Kim De La Peza, DVM, born and raised in the Southern California, graduated summa cum laude from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a B.S. degree and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University in 2012. Areas of special interest involve surgery and emergency medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys giving back to the community, camping, fishing, four wheeling, and playing with her pets, Samson a Boxer mix and Puddin' her pot belly pig.

Christina Sander

Christina Sander, DVM, received a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis in 2009. Dr. Sander then went on to receive her DVM degree from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She will be completing an internship at here VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center with interests in small animal medicine and ophthalmology. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, skiing, soccer, and spending time with her friends and family.

Diana Schwartz

Diana Schwartz, DVM, received a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior from Mount Holyoke College in 2008. She earned her DVM degree from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, and is excited to join the team at VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center. Dr. Schwartz has a special interest in clinical pathology and internal medicine, and has been involved in various clinical research projects. She enjoys taking her two poodles, Muffin and Pudding, for nature hikes, and roller blading along the American River. She also likes to experiment with kitchen chemistry in her free time.

Jocelyn Hutton

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Jocelyn ventured to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 2008. She then spent a year roaming the countryside as a veterinary technician in an equine practice in the Bay Area. She was accepted to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. Jocelyn joined the staff of VCA Sacramento Referral Center as an Associate Veterinarian in 2013. Her professional interests include surgery and emergency medicine. In her free time, Jocelyn spends an inordinate amount of time at the doggie beach and hiking with her four-footed pal Suzie.

Allison Kihn

Allison originally hails from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Bioengineering, and completed her D.V.M. at the University of Illinois in 2013. Allison's veterinary areas of interest are exotics and zoological medicine. She has previously worked as a zookeeper, and has experience with a wide variety of animals from cassowaries to reindeer. In her free time, Allison is an avid horseback rider and enjoys walking her dogs, Ivy and Clark Kent (CK). She also shares her home with Ibgy, a ball python, and Narcissus, a rabbit.

Sawsan Yamout

Kendra O&#39;Connor

Dr. Kendra O'Connor grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State University with a BS degree in Zoology, and continued at Iowa State University to complete her DVM degree. She then completed a rotating internship here at VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center. In her free time, she loves to play soccer, snowboard, spend time with her Boarder Collie, Salera, and enjoy the California sunshine. She also continues to root for her alma mater in all sporting events - Go Cyclones!.

Carolina Medina, DACVSMR, CVA, CVCH

Dr. Carolina Medina is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from St. George's University in 2005. During 2005-2006, she became certified in veterinary acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tui-na massage and Food Therapy by the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine and the China National Society of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, in 2006, Dr. Medina completed a 14-month clinical internship in TCVM at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2010, she became certified in canine rehabilitation therapy through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute and in 2013, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Medina is currently the only boarded diplomate of ACVSMR (canine) in the state of California. Dr. Medina held the position of clinical assistant professor and Chief of Integrative Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine from 2008-2013. In 2006, she was one of the founders of both the American Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine as well as the American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Medina has been an Associate Editor and regular contributor to the AJTCVM since its inception. She is on the Board of Directors for the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians. Dr. Medina is excited to be adding her skills to the SVRC team and is available for consultations Monday-Friday. To make an appointment or discuss a case, please call our Service Liaison, Angela Carter at (916) 361-5211.