BluePearl Pet Hospital Brandon, FL Our Vets

Dr. Alyxandra Brady is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds critical care cases the most gratifying to treat.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa

Dr. Brady has a dog named Totem and a cat named Edgar.

A dedicated emergency clinician, Dr. Casey Braginton’s interests include urethral obstruction, diabetic ketoacidosis and toxicities. He has also worked with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA SouthPaws, Fairfax VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg VA

When not working, Dr. Braginton enjoys reading, visiting breweries and board games. He has two cats, Frodo and Dart, and a pit bull mix named Roo.

Dr. Kylee Bush is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She is most interested in soft tissue cases, specifically lacerations, foreign body, gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), orthopedics, specifically fracture stabilization, and cardiology. Dr. Bush is certified in basic and advanced life support through the Recover initiative.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Master of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Bush enjoys running to help de-stress after a long day or catching up on the latest documentary series on Netflix with her couch potato dog, Murphy.

Dr. Emma Byers is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. Her particular clinical interests include ophthalmic cases, Addison’s disease, diabetic ketoacidosis and toxicities.

• Clinical Rotation, Royal Veterinary College, London, England
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Organismal Biology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News VA

Dr. Byers loves travel, yoga, reading, paddle boarding and watching football. She has two cats, Alice and Minion, and a hound mix dog.

Dr. Nicole Corrao is passionate about emergency medicine because every day is different. She enjoys treating anaphylaxis, feline lower urinary tract disease and dystocia cases.

• Clinical Rotation, Royal Veterinary College, London, England
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, California State University, Chico

Dr. Corrao enjoys spending time with her husband Luke, bipedal dog Benjamen and three cats Peaches, Winston and Myrtle. She loves being by the water and enjoying a relaxing sunset on the beach.

Dr. Coyle manages a large caseload of pets with cancer, with the goal of extending their lives while providing a good quality of life.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Oncology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Internship, Oncology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Florida Veterinary Specialists, Tampa
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Auburn University, AL

Dr. Coyle loves her all-orange family: a golden retriever named Murphy and two cats, Aubie and Ellie. She loves college football and is an avid Auburn fan.

Dr. Alexa Crise is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in avian and exotic medicine, dermatology, neurology and soft tissue surgery.

• Clinical Rotations, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Master of Science, Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA
• Bachelor of Science, Veterinary and Biomedical Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Dr. Crise enjoys playing videogames and spending time with her fiancé, friends and family.

Dr. Dugger enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Masters of Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham
• Bachelor of Arts, Graceland University, Lamoni IA

Dr. Dugger’s hobbies include spending time with her pugs, sailing and photography.

Dr. Destinee Gardiner is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She has been working in veterinary medicine for over 10 years, and she finds septic patients the most gratifying to treat.

• Clinical Rotation, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indie
• Bachelor of Science, Pure Mathematics, University of South Florida, Tampa

Dr. Gardiner’s fiancé is an ECC resident, and together they have three dogs and a cat. She enjoys horseback riding, hiking, sewing, dancing, working out and martial arts.

Dr. Kristin Habegger is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She has a background in working with wildlife and in zoological institutions, so she is excited to bring her knowledge of exotic animal medicine into clinical practice at BluePearl. Dr. Habegger finds triaging and managing trauma and metabolic derangement cases the most interesting to address.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens

Dr. Kristin Habegger lives with her boyfriend and their two Australian shepherds, Khali and Arya. They all enjoy spending time outdoors together or staying in and watching movies.

Dr. Shantavia Hayes is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in orthopedic surgery.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne

Dr. Hayes enjoys drawing, reading and exercising. She has a Yorkie, Mr. Peanut, and a cat, Cashew.

Dr. Tatiana Henry is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She prides herself on her diversity and inclusion initiatives, and she finds working with wildlife and exotic species the most gratifying.

• International Veterinary Medicine Post-Graduate Certificate, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC

Dr. Henry enjoys traveling, dancing, reading and hanging out with her dog, Albus.

Dr. David Hoch's special interests include transfusion medicine; metabolic disorders like diabetic ketoacidosis, pancreatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and systemic inflammatory response syndrome DIC/SIRS; and surgery involving foreign bodies, splenectomies, gastric dilatation volvulus GDV, and C-sections.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Eckerd College, St Petersburg FL

Dr. Hoch and his family share their house with a variety of pets: dachshund Paxton, Chihuahua Lola, a Pacman frog, two pythons and three African cichlid fish tanks. An avid golfer, Dr. Hoch hopes to one day finish 18 holes using only one golf ball.

Dr. Megan Johnson's particular clinical interests include feline medicine, urethral obstructions, renal failure, trauma and shock.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Tinton Falls NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia PA

A diehard sports fan, Dr. Johnson’s favorite teams are the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Mets. Favorite activities include biking, running and working out on her elliptical. She and her husband have three cats: grumpy Siamese mix Caleb and two naughty orange kitties, William Alexander and JT.

Dr. Tara Keaney is an emergency clinician. She is particularly interested in the role of ultrasound in an emergency setting.

• Clinical Rotation, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Stony Brook University, NY

The proud mom of rescued pup Zahra, Dr. Keaney is a fitness advocate and enjoys travel and going to the beach.

Dr. Crystal King has a special interest in cardiology, specifically arrythmias and inherited heart defects.

• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Findlay, OH

Dr. King enjoys exploring each new city she calls home with her two pups, Harley and Autumn.

Dr. Francesca Lerner is a small animal medicine & surgery intern.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

As a Florida native, Dr. Lerner enjoys spending time on the water and soaking up the sunshine with family, friends and her Labrador mix, Charley. She also loves to travel and is always on the lookout for a new adventure.

Dr. Alexandria LoPrinzi is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds trauma cases and autoimmune diseases, such as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and diabetes presenting as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the most gratifying to treat.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Asbury University, Wilmore, KY

Dr. LoPrinzi enjoys hiking, kayaking, playing sports, especially tennis, board games and watching movies. She is quite fond of her three family dogs, all of which are English setters.

Dr. Rachel Lucas is most interested in exotic and wildlife emergencies and gastrointestinal diseases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Lucas enjoys spending time with her husband and their foster-failure feline, Aslan, and serving their church and the Tampa Bay community.

Dr. Rachel Lucia is a resident in our critical care service. She loves building relationships with clients and considers them team players in the effort of determining the best outcome of their pets’ lives.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, East Greenwich, RI
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

In her spare time, Dr. Rachel Lucia loves reading, kayaking, hiking, visiting the beach, playing board games, and spending time with family. She has two dogs and a cat, Kapu, who enjoys hogging the couch space, asking for food after he has already been fed, purring, bossing around the dogs, and playing with catnip.

An experienced clinician, Dr. Thao Nguyen finds emergency medicine especially gratifying. Her particular areas of interest are toxicology, wound care and treating trauma cases.

• Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

In her free time, Dr. Nguyen enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors and rock climbing. She has two dogs: Rua (her "Irish souvenir" from living in Dublin) and Archie (a mutt who is half-amazing and half-terrific).

Dr. Tessa Phillips’ particular clinical interests include all soft tissue procedures, minimally invasive techniques (arthroscopy/laparoscopy) and wound and skin reconstruction.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Centre, Buffalo Grove, IL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Southfield, MI
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Dr. Phillips' hobbies include cycling, hiking, traveling, motorcycles and playing guitar.

Dr. Alysha Reis finds eye-related emergencies the most gratifying to treat and has a special interest in ophthalmology.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Clinical Rotation, Iowa State University, Ames
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Dr. Reis lives with her two black cats, Panther and U-turn, and enjoys playing video games in her free time.

Dr. Gabriel Sánchez is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. He is interested in all things related to veterinary ophthalmology and surgery.

• Clinical Rotation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez

Dr. Sánchez enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, playing sports, going to the beach and watching movies and sports.

Dr. Eric Schneck is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. He finds endocrine and cardiac diseases the most gratifying to treat.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Schneck has a fiancé who is also a veterinarian, and together they have two dogs and a cat, all of whom keep them busy with their abundant energy.

Dr. Riley Shugg is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She finds infectious diseases, toxicities and gastrointestinal diseases the most gratifying to treat.

• Master of Science, Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Dr. Shugg enjoys biking, exploring local coffee shops and breweries, and reading. She has a dog named Karoo and two cats named Frodo and D'artagnan.

Dr. Cassidy Soehnlein is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in cardiology, internal medicine and exotic and zoo animal medicine.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Stetson University, DeLand, FL

Dr. Soehnlein enjoys rock climbing, kayaking and spending time with her dog, cat and two red footed tortoises.

Dr. Hannah Stone is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is passionate about client and patient quality of life and mobility, veterinary research and congestive heart failure.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Stone enjoys classical music, yoga and snow sports. She has an old, grumpy Shih Tzu, a spunky Maltipoo and a naughty Australian shepherd.

Dr. Michelle Untch is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She finds surgery the most gratifying to perform.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

In her free time, Dr. Untch enjoys hiking, geocaching, kayaking and traveling domestically and abroad. She has a cat named Angel.

Dr. Jessica Weeks' special interests include trauma, sepsis, blood transfusions and mechanical ventilation.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Pet Hospitals, Tampa FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Valley Animal Hospital, Tucson AZ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis

Dr. Weeks enjoys time with her husband, ornery cats and her one-eyed dog.

Dr. Robert Weeren has been a surgeon in a specialty hospital setting for over 20 years and was the chief of surgery for the majority of that time. He is skilled in all aspects of the field to include orthopedic, thoracic, soft tissue and reconstructive surgery.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Master of Science, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington D.C.
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Married with two daughters, Dr. Weeren loves traveling with his family. He’s also an avid SCUBA diver and instructor and a saltwater fishing fanatic. The family has three French bulldogs, Dexter, Fiona and Bridgette, and a cat named Sophia.

Dr. Jessica Williams is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in total hip replacements, soft tissue procedures and orthopedic surgeries, especially complex fracture repairs that require some extra imagination or patience. It is rewarding to her to see all the “pieces of the puzzle” come together.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Auburn University, AL

Dr. Williams enjoys painting and relaxing with friends and family. She has a mini-Australian shepherd named Rue.

Eager to work in a fast-paced emergency room environment, Dr. Maxwell Yim’s clinical interests include trauma and toxicity cases.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Dr. Yim enjoys hiking, reading, watching sci-fi movies, playing video games, and visiting breweries during his travels. He has a rescued chocolate Labrador retriever.

Melissa cites the wide range – and often unexpected nature – of cases in emergency and critical care as the best part of her work. “I find it extremely exciting, not knowing what is going to walk through the door,” she says.

Karen enjoys interventional procedures to correct defects that cause congenital heart diseases. She also enjoys helping patients with acquired heart disease live longer and more comfortably. Her family includes a pug, Chihuahua and four cats, and she loves traveling and watching her son play baseball.