VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists

Bios

• Paul Scherlie

  DVM

  Dr. Scherlie's special interests include intraocular surgery (cataract surgery with intraocular lens replacement), laser therapy for glaucoma and corneal grafting, corneal disease, and equine ophthalmology. When not at NWVS, Dr. Scherlie enjoys delivering his children to various lessons and sporting events, long distance cycling and hoping to start a racing sled dog kennel.

• Michelle Taylor

  DVM

  Dr. Taylor's special interests include disease and surgery of the cornea and ocular manifestations of systemic disease. When not at NWVS, Dr. Taylor enjoys kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, travel, books, hiking and windsurfing.

• Robert Kroll

  DVM

  Dr. Kroll's special interests include blood-brain barrier and chemotherapy of brain tumors, seizure disorders, vestibular disease, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, and client education. When not at NWVS, Dr. Kroll and his wife, Nancy, enjoy their pets, the Oregon coast, sea kayaking, travel, and photography.

  Education:

• Tracy Prouty

  DVM

  Dr. Prouty's special interests include neuroanatomy, neurosurgery, cerebellar disease, and client education. When not at NWVS, Dr Prouty enjoys motorcycle riding, home renovation, researching bungalow history, and searching for the best morning brunch.

• Scott Lozier

  DVM

  Dr. Lozier's special interests include, developmental orthopedic abnormalities and injuries of the sporting dog particularly of the elbow, stifle, and hip, arthroscopy and limb alignment, orthopedic clinical research. When not at NWVS, Dr Lozier enjoys giving presentations of surgical experiences, wind, water and snowsports, cycling, gardening, drumming, reading and photography.

  Education:

• Gretchen Kuchenmeister (Sicard)

  DVM

  Dr. Sicard's special interests include neurosurgery and all aspects of soft tissue surgery including reconstructive, oncologic, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, respiratory, cardiovascular, and urogenital surgery.

• Steve Petersen

  DVM

  Dr. Petersen's primary clinical interests are orthopedic surgery, trauma surgery, neurosurgery, and reconstructive surgery for traumatic wounds. Within the realm of orthopedic surgery, his special interests include correction of pediatric injuries and growth deformities through distraction osteogenesis as well as general canine sports medicine including arthroscopic evaluation and treatment of joint and ligament injuries. Dr. Petersen was one of the first veterinary orthopedic surgeons in the country to use arthroscopy to diagnose and treat canine joint problems and he has over 15 years of clinical experience with this specialty. Dr. Petersen lectures locally and nationally to numerous veterinary associations and veterinary surgical organizations. Outside of his clinical responsibilities, Steve devotes his free time to his family, and enjoys cycling, windsurfing, skiing, and hiking with the family dogs.

• Robert Mack

  DVM

  Dr. Mack's special interests are endoscopy, endocrinology and gastro-intestinal diseases. When not at NWVS, Dr Mack enjoys spending time with his two daughters, camping and woodworking.

• Cassandra Brown

  DVM

  Dr Brown's special interests include endocrinology, geriatric medicine, immune-mediated disease, and renal disease. When not at NWVS, Dr Brown enjoys hiking in the Northwest with her dogs, cooking and traveling.

• Rochelle Low

  DVM

  Dr. Low's special areas of interest include pain managment, trauma and sepsis. When not at NWVS, Dr. Low enjoys running, hiking with her dogs, skiing and travelling.

• Amanda Veatch

  DVM

  Dr. Veatch's special interests include wound care and electrolyte abnormalities. When not at NWVS Dr. Veatch enjoys cooking, gardening, biking, camping, sewing, wines and anything outdoors. She is married and has a corgi and two cats.

• Heidi Houchen

  DVM

  Dr. Houchen's special interests include blood banking and hematology, toxicology, trauma and critical care education. When not at NWVS Dr. Houchen enjoys playing in the dirt with her human and four-footed children.

• Amy Haraway

  DVM

  Dr. Haraway has a special interest in emergeny medicine, trauma and wound care. When not at NWVS, Dr. Haraway enjoys reading, cooking and playing piano and violin.

• Shana Downes

  DVM

  Dr. Downes has a special interest in trauma, critical care and pain management. When not at NWVS, Dr. Downes enjoys travelling, photography, hiking, running and reading.

• Laura Taylor

  DVM

  Dr. Taylor grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2010 she moved to Portland and joined NWVS. She enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine, but particularly emergency surgery, wound care, and anesthesia/pain management. She is proud to be a part of NWVS and enjoys working with what she considers "the best veterinary specialty team in the Northwest". When not at work she can be found pursuing the outdoor recreation that moved her here - including mountain biking with her Australian Shepherd, surfing, snowboarding, or whitewater kayaking. .

• Donna Cassioli

  DVM

  Dr. Cassioli received her undergraduate degree in Zoology in 1998. She then moved to Wisconsin where she attended veterinary school at University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 2005 she moved to the Pacific Northwest where she completed a 1 year internship in emergency medicine. She joined VCA NWVS as an emergency doctor in 2008. Dr. Cassioli is also the Outreach Coordinator. She organizes First Aid classes for pet owners and continuing education opportunities for the veterinary community. .

• David Gall

  DVM

  Dr. David Gall was born in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA. He originally enjoyed a career as a mental health therapist, working with children and families until deciding to go to veterinary school. In 2006, Dr. Gall graduated from the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. After graduating from veterinary school, he completed a one year rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, CO. Afterwards, he returned to Colorado State University for a 3 year residency with advanced training in radiology, CT, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine. Dr. Gall was admitted as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in September, 2010. He is an avid cyclist, proud parent and husband, and spends much of his free time enjoying his family or exploring the area on his road bike and mountain bike.

• Stephanie Desmarais

  DVM
• Jennifer Tepavich

  DVM

  Dr. Tepavich has a special interest in many imaging modalities including radiology, ultrasonography, CT and MRI, and how to best apply them to provide the most complete diagnostic answer for each patient. After having finished her residency at the University of Illinois, she had been practicing in the Portland area for eight years, prior to joining NWVS. When not at NWVS, Dr. Tepavich enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the area, hiking, camping and skiing.

• Holly MacLea

  DVM

  Dr. Holly MacLea graduated with her DVM from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She then went on to complete a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at VCA Newark Animal Hospital, Newark, Delaware (2007-2008) followed by a specialty internship in internal medicine and emergency and critical care at VCA Veterinary Specialty Center of Indianna, Indianapolis, Indiana (2008-2009). Realizing a passion for cardiology, she went on to complete a 3-year residency program in cardiology at Colorado State University (2009-2012). Dr. MacLea is excited to join the team at Northwest Veterinary Specialists. Special interests in cardiology include management of all stages of congestive heart failure, degenerative mitral valve disease, echocardiography, and congenital heart disease. She is trained in minimally-invasive surgical techniques (transvenous pacemaker implantation, patent ductus arteriosus occlusion, balloon valvuloplasty) and is very much looking forward to building the interventional unit of VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists to bring these procedures to her patients and those of the Portland area. Dr. MacLea is especially committed to not only working with animals but with their owners and believes that good client education is essential to providing the best care for her patients to allow them to live longer and happier lives with their heart disease. Aside from cardiology, Dr. MacLea enjoys any and all outdoor activities including running, hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing, and is an avid baker. In addition, she loves spending time with her adorable miniature long-haired dachshunds Gunter and Klaus, and her husband Kyle (also adorable).

• Jason Reeder

  DVM

  Dr. Jason Reeder grew up in Massachusetts and attended college in New England. After following a variety of career directions in his early professional life - including paralegal work, organizational redesign consulting, acoustic guitar building, and remodeling of old homes - he embarked on his veterinary career. He received his DVM from the Tufts University in 2003 and completed a 1 year internship at the University of Minnesota in 2004. He worked as a staff veterinarian at the Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital for two years before pursuing a 3 year residency in small animal internal medicine at North Carolina State University. Thereafter he achieved board certification with the ACVIM. Jason's redid ency research focused on hematology and bone marrow biopsy in dogs; his research manuscript is currently pending publication in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (JAAHA). After two years running the Internal Medicine department at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists in Massachusetts, Dr. Reeder returned to Portland to join VCA NWVS. His interests within internal medicine are broad, including hepatobiliary disease, hematology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and infectious and immune-mediated disease. When not at NWVS, Dr. Reeder enjoys hiking and camping with his dogs, woodworking, playing guitar, and songwriting. .

• Cassie Powell

  DVM

  Dr. Cassie Powell grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. She then moved back to Minnesota and received her DVM degree from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2007. Following veterinary school, she completed a rotating internship at California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Powell remained in Southern California to complete a three year residency in Emergency and Critical Care beginning at Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine and finishing at VCA All Care Animal Referral Center. During her residency , her interests included fluid therapy in critically ill patients and her manuscript is currently pending publication in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. In her spare time, Dr. Powell enjoys traveling, camping, snowboarding and hiking wither her two playful rescue dogs Loki and Maia.

• Cindy Galbreath

  DVM
• Cheryl Trempala

  DVM
• Christie Anderson

  DVM

  Dr. Christie Anderson is board certified in veterinary oncology. Dr. Anderson grew up in Texas. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 from Colorado State University. Upon graduation she did a rotating internship in small animal medicine, surgery and emergency medicine at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Following her internship, she returned to Colorado State University for an oncology clinical trials dedicated internship. Dr. Anderson completed a 3-year medical oncology residency program, as well as a M.S. degree at Washington State University in 2011. Dr. Anderson returned to Alameda East Veterinary Hospital following her residency for two years before joining VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Anderson has a special interest in the treatment of mast cell disease, osteosarcoma and lymphoma, as well as molecular targeted therapies. Dr. Anderson has published research articles in Veterinary Comparative Oncology, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and Clinical Cancer Research. She is a member of the Veterinary Cancer Society, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Anderson likes to spend her free time enjoying the outdoors either here in Oregon or in the mountains of Montana with her family. She is very excited about joining the team at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists.

• Julie March

  DVM

  Dr. March has special interest in infectious diseases in companion animals, zoonotic disease and public health, caring for older pets with multiple comorbidities and critically ill patients. When not at NWVS, Dr. March enjoys cycling, open water swimming, yoga, reading, trail running and hiking especially with her dogs.

• Jenica Wycoff

  DVM

  Dr. Wycoff has special interest in trauma, emergency surgery and internal medicine. When not at NWVS, Dr. Wycoff enjoys playing with her two rescue dogs, Bones and Alex, yoga, hiking, and cooking.

• Laura Lambruschi

  DVM

  Dr. Lambruschi has special interest in surgery, trauma, and pain management. When not at NWVS, Dr. Lambruschi enjoys running, yoga, hiking and all things outdoors. .