BluePearl Pet Hospital Irvine, CA Our Vets

Dr. Wayne Berry is internationally revered in the field of veterinary neurology-neurosurgery, expertise gained from restricting surgery to exclusively spinal and brain surgery. Although respected as an authority on a range of procedures, he is especially recognized for his expertise on the following:
• Spinal decompressive surgery for both neck and back disc ruptures.
• Atlanto-axial luxation reduction-stabilization, a procedure to restore dislocation between the first and second neck vertebrae in mostly toy breeds.
• Lumbosacral distraction-stabilization-fusion to alleviate discomfort and debilitation of sciatic and cauda equine compression, more commonly in large breed dogs.
• Spinal fracture reduction/stabilization, a procedure in which spinal fractures are reduced and repaired using orthopedic implants.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Neurology-Neurosurgery, University of California, Davis
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Master of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Away from the hospital, Dr. Berry is an olive farmer. He and his wife have two adult sons.

Dr. Vivian Chiang specializes in the management of critical patients, including those in respiratory distress and sepsis. Her areas of interest include the treatment of hypertensive encephalopathies and heatstroke in patients. Her primary goal is to continue providing the highest level of care to critically ill pets and helping her clients through difficult times.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, University of California, Davis
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialists of South Florida, Fort Lauderdale
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University College, Ithaca, NY

Dr. Chiang enjoys yoga, hiking, baking cookies and collecting all things related to owls.

Dr. Autumn Denison is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in ophthalmology.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA

Dr. Denison enjoys gardening with her husband and cooking. She is currently in the process of writing her own cookbook.

Dr. Megan Doan is an intern in our cardiology service. She has been working in veterinary medicine for over 10 years, both in general practice and emergency medicine, and is very excited about cardiology and is passionate about learning more in the field and educating clients on the best care for their family pets.

Dr. Doan has specific interests in valvular disease and interventional procedures. She also has a passion for managing cardiac emergency cases, such as congestive heart failure and arrhythmias.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, Denver, CO
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Dr. Doan enjoys hiking, dancing, concerts and spending quality time with her friends.

Dr. Gayle Donner specializes in surgical oncology (the surgical treatment of cancers and tumors) and general soft tissue surgery. Her particular areas of interest include head and neck cancer surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery. The first veterinary surgeon to specialize in surgical oncology in a private practice referral setting, she pioneered the surgical technique that combines the removal of tumors with the implantation of chemotherapy beads in dogs and cats eliminating the need for postoperative radiation in many cases.

Dr. Donner’s caseload also includes cancers of the limbs and trunk, chest, abdomen, and urogenital system, as well as other soft tissue disorders and injuries. She performs all of her surgeries using magnification and microsurgical instrumentation, for the utmost in precision to achieve the best possible outcome.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens

If not with patients, pets or family, Dr. Donner can be found at the stable on her horse.

Skilled in all aspects of surgery, Dr. Christopher Eich particularly enjoys orthopedic and wound construction cases.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Animal Medical Center, New York City
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Medical Center, New York City
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Eich and his wife, a veterinary ophthalmologist, have two active boys. His hobbies include gardening, especially orchids and bonsai.

Skilled in all aspects of surgery, Dr. Adam Gassel’s particular clinical interests include TPLO, a knee-stabilizing surgery, portosystemic shunts, surgical oncology, and minimally invasive procedures, especially arthroscopy and laparoscopy.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Univeristy of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Inc., Los Angeles CA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Inc., Los Angeles CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine

Some of Dr. Gassel’s favorite pastimes include surfing, snowboarding and crossfit training. He and his wife have a son and two daughters, and the family pets include boxer mix Leroy and rabbit Roxy.

Dr. Rachel Kurzbard enjoys working on cases with multiple concurrent conditions. She is also interested in assisted feeding, critical care nutrition and weight loss plans.

• Residency, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital, Irvine
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona CA
• Master of Science, Animal Biology, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of California, Davis

Outside of work, Dr. Kurzbard enjoys jogging and reading. She and her family like to spend time outdoors, especially near the ocean.

Dr. Hannah Lee is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in internal medicine.

• Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Outside of work, Dr. Lee enjoys listening to music, ice skating and spending time with her cat, Kuro.

Dr. Amanda Liggett is a cardiology specialty intern who is passionate about learning, mentoring and client communication. Her particular clinical interests include internal medicine and feline medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, Overland Park KS
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona CA
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan

Some of Dr. Liggett’s favorite pastimes include outdoor time, reading, traveling, playing video games, and volunteering with her church. She has a cat named Augie.

Dr. Toufeer Mehdi is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. He has a background in microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases.

• Doctor of Philosophy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France
• Master of Science, Microbiology, Bordeaux Segalen University, France
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Dr. Mehdi enjoys playing squash, hiking, reading, traveling for food and exploring different cultures.

Dr. Kyley Olson enjoys the fast pace of emergency medicine, as well as the variety of cases she sees every day. She finds the process of triaging critical patients and facilitating appropriate diagnostics and treatments particularly rewarding.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital, San Diego CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale AZ
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Olson has two cats, Ice Man and Indy, and two dogs, Vier and Scampi. In her free time, she enjoys camping and traveling.

Dr. Megan Parry finds it gratifying to stabilize critical patients, such as trauma or metabolic disease cases. She appreciates the fast pace of emergency medicine and, to her, it’s rewarding to make a big difference quickly in a patient's condition.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Outside of work, Dr. Parry enjoys hiking, working out at the gym, rock climbing, spending time on trail runs and going to the beach with her dog, Deysi.

Dr. Roger Pettigrew has worked all over the United States at different universities and private practices, which has exposed him to a lot of unique and challenging cases. He is most passionate about surgeries and MRI interpretations, and he finds it extremely gratifying to make a neuroanatomical localization, confirm the lesion on MRI and, in some cases, do surgery to fix it.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Residency, Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Internship, Small Animal Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Georgia, Athens
• Internship, Surgery, Long Island Veterinary Specialists, New York
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Glendale, CA
• Clinical Rotation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Pettigrew enjoys biking, swimming and spending time with his wife, two daughters, three dogs, two cats, fish and 80lb sulcate tortoise.

Dr. Silvia Pryor’s clinical interests include managing corneal diseases, cataract surgery and providing various medical and surgical options for clients and their pets.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology
• Residency, Comparative Ophthalmology, University of Georgia, Athens
• Internship, Comparative Ophthalmology, University of Georgia, Athens
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

A fan of the outdoors, Dr. Pryor’s favorite pastimes include horseback riding, surfing, skiing, snowboarding and scuba diving. She lives with her husband, who is also a veterinarian, one dog, one horse and two cats.

Dr. Tracey Rossi likes treating patients with immune-mediated disorders. She has also taken a number of interventional radiology courses to be able to provide patients with lesser invasive methods for treating conditions like tracheal collapse and ectopic ureters. Another particular interest is treating dogs with aspergillosis, a fungal infection in the nasal sinuses.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center, Norwalk CT
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Dr. Rossi enjoys boat time and time with her fur babies, Colton, Chicken, Jax and Reagan. She also likes traveling and has been to Kenya to help raise awareness for a school.

Dr. Emily Southward has been practicing emergency & critical care medicine for over 20 years. She thrives on opportunities when she can think outside the box to find unique solutions to daily problems, whether it involves creating a missing piece or solving a clinical sign puzzle.

Dr. Southward finds metabolic derangements, traumatic brain injuries, multimodal anesthesia and analgesia and trauma the most gratifying to treat.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Master of Science, Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small & Large Animal Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Clinical Rotation, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of California, San Diego

Although Dr. Southward admits that she’s not very creative, she does enjoy painting, writing and drawing whenever she can. When she’s not feeling artistic, Dr. Southward spends her time hiking, exploring new places, traveling or relaxing with her spouse and four cats.

Dr. Amy Vail worked as a veterinary technician for almost 20 years before attending vet school. She loves working in an emergency medicine service in a specialty hospital, and particularly enjoys surgery, both the technical aspects and the aftercare and healing process.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego, La Jolla CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland
• Bachelor of Science, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona

Dr. Vail married her Scottish vet school sweetheart who now loves living in the sunshine of California. They have a family of felines who provide them with an immense amount of love and loads of funny anecdotes.

Dr. TingTing Xia is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She prides herself on her customer service skills, team player mindset and her professional and positive attitude.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Philosophy, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
• Bachelor of Science, Biotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

Dr. Xia enjoys cooking and playing musical instruments. She has a husband who works in biological scientific research, a 6-year-old son and two black and white cats.

Dr. Amy Zide is an experienced surgeon with a particular interest in head and neck surgery and arthroscopic treatment of orthopedic disease.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Master of Comparative Veterinary Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Business Administration, Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX

When not at work, Dr. Zide enjoys spending time outside in the sun, especially horseback riding and traveling. She has one cat named Lola.

Dr. Sara Zimmers enjoys soft tissue surgery and finds stabilizing a critical patient very gratifying.

Dr. Zimmers enjoys playing piano, horseback riding, hiking and traveling. She and her husband have one son and a variety of pets, including two parrots, two cats and three dogs

Scarlette is passionate about continuing education and often lectures at local and national levels. Her clinical interests include her two specialties as well as advanced imaging and ventilator patient care, a subject in which she was published in the Veterinary Nursing Journal in 2017.