Before joining BluePearl, Dr. Aarstad worked in Arizona for several years as medical director of an emergency animal hospital and as a primary care veterinarian.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Mesa Veterinary Hospital, Mesa AZ
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Dr. Aarstad enjoys spending time with his family and his dog, Lightning. His hobbies include hiking, camping, bird watching, hunting, fishing and working on his house.
Interested in all types of surgery, Dr. Brenna Barger’s particular interests include orthopedic surgery, particularly fractures, and emergency surgery for trauma patients.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgery-Small Animal
Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
Bachelor of Arts, Microbiology, University of Kansas, Lawrence
Some of Dr. Barger’s favorite pastimes include cycling, hiking, gardening, knitting and quilting. She has two Portuguese water dogs who love to hike and swim.
Dr. Ryan Bragg is especially interested in mechanical ventilation, arterial blood gas monitoring, derangements in pulmonary function and tissue oxygenation, acute abdominal disorders and the management of associated postoperative complications. He also is interested in enteral and parenteral nutrition, continuous renal replacement therapy, and coagulation abnormalities – particularly disorders of hemostasis in the critical patient.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA South Shore Animal Hospital, Boston MA
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Bragg shares a home with his wife and child, two poorly behaved mutts, Billie and Wallace, and Elvis, an even more poorly behaved cat. He enjoys movies, traveling, running and raising show lambs.
Some of Dr. Brent Chance's favorite conditions to treat are simple and bring quick relief to pets and their owners, like hypoglycemic puppies and fish hooks in the lip.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Pittsburg State University, Kansas
Dr. Chance is married and has four children. He enjoys four-wheeling, fishing and updating old houses. The family has two dogs, Rosie and Maggie, a cat named Cory Cordelia, and two cows, Jessie and Daisy.
Dr. Allison Duquaine particularly enjoys suturing lacerations and is gratified to see the faces of the owners when they see how much better their pets’ injuries look.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Kansas City
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
Bachelor of Arts, Biology, University of North Texas, Denton
Dr. Duquaine enjoys gardening and spending time with her family and pets, Labrador Shelby and cats Beau and Reggie.
Dr. Mary Gardner is an emergency clinician who provides compassionate care for pets with urgent medical needs. She has a special interest in surgery.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Outside of work, Dr. Gardner enjoys running, reading and cheering on her favorite sports teams, the Chiefs, Royals and Sporting KC. She also likes spending time with her two daughters and her cat.
Dr. Heather Gill enjoys all aspects of internal medicine.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Kansas City
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Biology, State University of New York at Geneseo
Dr. Gill has three children. When not driving them everywhere, she samples the guacamole and queso options in town. The family has two wild dogs, Wallace P. Jones and Lieutenant Dan, and a demanding cat, Elvis.
Dr. Grauberger enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.
Internship, Surgery, Indiana
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Mississippi State University
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Dr. Grauberger’s family includes Cooper, a treeing Walker coonhound, and Beau, a large Munsterlander. She enjoys fly fishing, especially when she hooks something other than herself or shrubbery.
Dr. Laura Hatton is particularly interested in performing echocardiograms cardiac ultrasounds, and managing congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, and congenital heart disease.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology)
Residency, Cardiology, Animal Medical Center, New York City NY
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Referral and Emergency Clinic, Norwalk CT
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
Bachelor of Arts, Wright State University, Dayton OH
Dr. Hatton spends her free time with her husband and family, which includes a pit bull terrier mix, a Chihuahua and two cats. She also enjoys cooking, playing the piano and traveling.
Dr. Kristin Holcomb-Wallace enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Carolina Veterinary Specialists, Charlotte NC
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
When not nursing animals back to health, Dr. Wallace enjoys hiking, camping and horseback riding with her husband or snuggling with her two dogs, Gus and Junebug, and cat, Trot.
Ralph Millard
DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Surgery
Ralph Millard
DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Board Certified in Veterinary Surgery-Small Animal
Before joining us, Dr. Ralph Millard was a clinical assistant professor in small animal surgery at Purdue University. His specific interests include complex and open fractures and minimally invasive methods of fracture repair as well as other methods of minimally invasive surgery laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and arthroscopy.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Master of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, Dallas TX
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Dr. Millard enjoys spending time with his family and pets, as well as hiking, canoeing, biking and traveling.
Heather Millard
DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Surgery
Heather Millard
DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Board Certified in Veterinary Surgery-Small Animal
Prior to joining the BluePearl team, Dr. Millard spent six years as a surgery instructor and clinical assistant professor of small animal surgery at Kansas State University and Purdue University. Her interests include any soft tissue surgery, particularly reconstruction and oncologic, minimally invasive procedures, such as laparoscopy, ureter stent placement and SUB placement re-routing from kidney to urinary bladder and general orthopedic procedures.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
Residency, Surgery, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of IL, Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
Dr. Millard’s husband is also a veterinary surgeon at BluePearl and together they keep busy with their twin boys, golden retriever Gracie Lyn, and cat Snickers. Her favorite activities include walking Gracie Lyn, hiking, fishing and biking. She’s also an avid traveler and enjoys scrapbooking.
Dr. Steve Riley performs surgeries at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Lee's Summit, MO. He specializes in orthopedic surgery and arthroscopy, with an emphasis on cruciate disease, hip surgery, and developmental diseases of the elbow and shoulder.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Residency, Surgery, University of Guelph Ontario’s Veterinary College, Canada
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College, Canada
Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Dr. Riley can be found spending time with his yellow Labrador retriever, flying aerobatic aircraft, and water-skiing.
Dr. Connie Schulte started in human healthcare and spent the first 16 years of her career treating people. In addition to her canine rehabilitation certification, she is also certified in canine massage.
Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Creighton University, Omaha NE
Bachelor of Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence
Dr. Schulte spends much of her free time training her three dogs to compete in conformation, obedience, agility, rally and tracking. She also enjoys relaxing at the lake with her family.
Dr. Selman is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. She is interested in the initial triage and stabilization of critical patients. In addition to emergency work, she is drawn to cases that involve Internal Medicine and Neurology.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia
Dr. Selman enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and exploring new hiking trails with her dog, Ralph. She also loves cheering on her favorite sports team – the St. Louis Blues.