BluePearl Pet Hospital
Seattle, WA

Dr. Laura Ahlgrim loves emergency and critical care medicine and is especially interested in anesthesia.

Dr. Ahlgrim lives with her two cats, Pizza and Yeti, and a brindle pit bull named Ginger. She enjoys hiking, backpacking and yoga, and volunteers with the Seattle Youth Garden Works.

Dr. Heather Ashcraft was drawn to cancer treatment and radiation therapy because of the diversity of treatment options. She particularly enjoys treating brain and nasal tumors and is trained in half-body irradiation as a treatment option for canine lymphoma.

Dr. Ashcraft has a variety of favorite pastimes, including rock climbing, hiking, swimming, running, biking, painting, journaling, arts and crafts, and sometimes just sitting down to a good book with a warm drink. She has two cats, an orange tabby and a grey tabby, who are good travel buddies.

Dr. Melissa Chow particularly enjoys treating ophthalmology cases.

Dr. Chow’s furry family members include a dog and two cats.

Dr. Gill has devoted his career to veterinary emergency medicine. He serves on the executive board of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Gill enjoys the company of his wife, two daughters, one cat, two guinea pigs, 12 hens and three dogs – a Labrador, a Doberman mix and a pit bull.

Dr. Meghan Harmon's particular clinical interests include coagulation disorders, immune-mediated blood disorders, sepsis and polytrauma cases. She also enjoys treating patients who require the use of a mechanical ventilator. As a clinical instructor at the University of Missouri, Dr. Harmon was involved in the investigation of platelet dysfunction during controlled surgical trauma and the evaluation of platelet function using thromboelastography with platelet mapping. She is excited to be able to perform the procedure at our Seattle hospital to assist in detecting coagulation disturbances in patients suffering from uncontrolled hemorrhage and monitoring their anticoagulant and anti-platelet medical treatment.

Dr. Harmon enjoys running, hiking, rock climbing and spending time with her husband, Mark who is a BluePearl clinician in the cardiology service. Their pets include Juneau the Newfoundland dog, Lizzi the fox terrier mix and Lexie, the cantankerous calico cat.

Dr. Mark Harmon especially enjoys cardiac imaging, heart failure treatment, cardiomyopathies, pulmonary hypertension, congenital cardiac diseases and interventional therapies, to include pacemakers, balloon valvuloplasty and minimally invasive shunt occlusion.

Dr. Harmon likes to hike, watch Seattle sports teams and cook with his wife, who also is a veterinarian. They have a Newfoundland who has lived a happy and healthy life after receiving treatment for multiple heart defects.

Dr. Claire Johnston’s particular clinical interests include endoscopic procedures and treating endocrine, gastrointestinal and airway disorders.

An outdoor enthusiast, Dr. Johnston likes hiking, paddle boarding and climbing. She has two cats, Tortellini and Alfredo.

Dr. Amanda Karch particularly enjoys treating surgical emergencies, sepsis and immune-mediated diseases.

Dr. Karch has three rescue dogs and enjoys hiking, mountaineering and rock climbing, along with crafting.

Experienced in both general practice and emergency medicine, Dr. Misty McNeil's clinical interests include surgical emergencies, metabolic disturbances and ocular diseases.

Dr. McNeil enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing and taking road trips with her husband, baby and three furry children: border collie Blaze, Cairn terrier mix Axel, and Shrimp, a very sassy cat.

Dr. Nidhi Menon has worked on poultry, dairy and sheep farms in India and Scotland, and in general and emergency practices in the U.S. She particularly enjoys surgical procedures and treating trauma, diabetic ketoacidosis, and Addisonian crisis.

Dr. Menon's favorite pastimes include hiking, diving, reading fiction and finding new music to listen to. She also admits to spending time worrying about whether or not her adopted dog Asha, a rescued Plott hound mix, has a good life.

Dr. Duane Robinson was an assistant professor at both the University of California, Davis and Louisiana State University. His research focus has been on complications associated with veterinary orthopedic implant infections and implant properties to reduce infection. His focus within the surgery specialty is orthopedic procedures, and he is especially interested in new methods and instruments that allow for a less invasive approach to treating fractures. Soft tissue procedures he enjoys include intestinal foreign bodies, gastric dilatation with volvulus and splenectomies.

Dr. Robinson’s hobbies include travel, trying new foods and restaurants, and beer/wine tastings. His pets include lab mix Elsa, yellow lab Gryphon, and Trakehner horse Ebony.

Interested in oncologic research, Dr. Katherine Robinson likes the challenge of a comparative medicine approach, allowing for cutting edge research to be translated into novel treatments for both people and animals; she earned an award in the field during her residency. One thing on the horizon that excites Dr. Robinson is the development of immunotherapies for use in conjunction with conventional treatment options.

Dr. Robinson enjoys basketball, golf, kayaking, hiking and cycling. She also likes to travel and go to movies and concerts. Boots is her tuxedo cat and Sampson her Norwegian forest cat.

Dr. Laura Smith Lee was a high school teacher for two years before entering the veterinary field. She particularly enjoys surgery and pain management.

Dr. Lee enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and spending time with her husband. Their furry family members include a pit bull mix named Senta, and a cat named Tinton.

Dr. Waldrop’s interests are varied and include hypoadrenal disorders, pediatrics, and metabolic emergencies. She enjoys teaching and lectures at national conferences.

Dr. Waldrop’s household includes her husband, two children, rescued terrier/cattle dog mix Leo, two guinea pigs, and senior cat Moe. She is an avid sports fan and runner and enjoys outdoor adventures.

Dr. Wassink enjoys the daily challenges of emergency medicine and has a special interest in pain management.

Dr. Akiko Westerhout’s special areas of interest within emergency medicine include cardiology and internal medicine.