BluePearl Pet Hospital
Tampa, FL

Dr. Samantha Aumann is a critical care resident and is particularly interested in feline medicine and surgery.

Dr. Aumann likes to backpack, hike, kayak and watch movies with her husband. They have three cats: Zelda, Gypsy and Cricket.

Dr. Eduardo Benjamin is particularly interested in cardiovascular pathophysiology and likes managing cases of congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac tamponade, or fluid around the heart.

Dr. Benjamin likes dinners out with his wife, shopping and visiting parks. He also enjoys watching basketball, football, and track and field; managing his fantasy football and basketball teams; and playing sports video games. The family pets include cat Ryu Alejandro, and lab/beagle mix Pogo Emanuel.

Dr. Helga Bleyaert has extensive experience and specialized training in minimally invasive surgical procedures such as arthroscopy and laparoscopy. She also has completed specialized training in total hip replacement, tibial tuberosity advancement procedure for anterior cruciate ligament tears, and external skeletal fixation.

Dr. Bleyaert enjoys horseback riding, hunting small sea creatures at the beach with her children and woodworking in her garage.

Dr. Maxie Bowen is a resident in our critical care service. Her particular interests include neonatal and pediatric medicine, wound management and trauma.

Some of Dr. Bowen’s favorite pastimes include running, baking and crafting. She has four dogs and three cats.

Dr. Kristine Brown is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. Her clinical interests include surgery, avian and exotic medicine, and nutrition, especially discussing how it can be used as a therapeutic tool.

Dr. Brown is originally from Minnesota. She has two cats she calls the ying yang twins – Jiji is all black, and Rocky is all white.

Dr. Amanda Burke is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. Prior to vet school, she was a zookeeper and worked with many different species to include giraffes, ostriches, zebras, gazelles and red river hogs.

Dr. Burke and her girlfriend keep a miniature zoo at home including dogs, cats, fish, snakes and a crested gecko.

Dr. Sarah Camlic is a small animal and medicine intern with an interest in surgery and exotic animal medicine.

Dr. Camlic has two tuxedo cats, Duncan and Domino. Her hobbies include running, cooking, painting and Krav Maga, a type of self-defense training.

Dr. Dana Clark is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. She enjoys toxicity cases and working with wildlife, in addition to small animals.

Dr. Clark and her husband have one dog, four cats, a rabbit and a tortoise. She loves the sunshine and observing wildlife.

Dr. Lauren Cochran’s research experience includes boxer colitis, pancreatitis, and nutritional management (including effects of esophageal feeding tube placement) in cats with chronic kidney disease. Her primary clinical interests include gastroenterology, renal and lower urinary tract disease and immune-mediated disease.

Dr. Cochran enjoys riding horses, as well as traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking and cheering on Georgia and Auburn. Her mixed breed dog is named Tater.

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

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. Trysta Dionne is a resident in our internal medicine service. Her clinical interests include endocrine disorders, renal disease and gastrointestinal diseases.

Dr. Dionne enjoys working out and going to the beach. She has a dog named Benson.

Dr. Kourtney Dowler is an intern in our ophthalmology service. Her clinical interests include corneal and retinal diseases and all types of ophthalmic surgery.

Dr. Dowler enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and watching documentaries. She has a longhaired dachshund named Rumour and a cat named Isla who has cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition in which the cerebellum of the brain fails to develop properly.

Dr. Dugger enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

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

Dr. Sloane Everett is a resident in our cardiology service.

Dr. Everett likes to cook, travel and spend time with friends. Her cat is named McLemore.

Prior to veterinary medicine, Dr. Merrick Fultz worked in the comparative medicine department at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently a resident in our cardiology service.

Dr. Merrick enjoys golf, tennis, assorted outdoor activities, any kind of international sporting event and spending time with his friends and his Mississippi shelter dog, Miss Wendy.

Dr. John Gicking enjoys all aspects of critical care medicine and can often be found training others and presenting continuing education to the veterinary community.

Dr. Gicking enjoys K9 sports, including agility and obedience. He also spends time outdoors, scuba diving, and participating in competitive chili cooking.

Dr. Kristin Gill enjoys all aspects of avian and exotics medicine.

Dr. Gill's favorite pastimes include knitting, reading, kayaking and bird training. Her pets include Juno, a mixed-breed rabbit; Pia, a moustached parakeet; Mai, a corn snake; and Cooper, a gargoyle gecko.

Dr. Nat Goolik enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine and has a particular interest in diagnostic imaging.

An avid runner and sports fan, Dr. Goolik faithfully cheers on the Hoosiers. She loves cooking but admits that when she cooks, she tends to use every dish in the kitchen. She has an Australian shepherd named Brody.

Dr. Wendy Gwin enjoys all aspects of diagnostic imaging.

Dr. Gwin’s family includes four dogs named Pup, Dino, Siman and Jake. Her interests include exercising, music and art.

Dr. Chelsea Gyure enjoys the variety of cases, challenges, and fast-paced, organized chaos that is emergency veterinary medicine. She finds neurologic and toxicity cases to be particularly gratifying.

Dr. Gyure enjoys all types of outdoor exercise, traveling, singing in the shower, coloring, Netflix, cleaning, shopping and all things Disney. Her Dutch mix rabbit Beatrix is named after Beatrix Potter.

Dr. Dalal Hares' clinical interests include surgical emergencies, thoracic surgeries, trauma and critical care.

A fan of outdoor activities like kayaking, horseback riding and scuba diving, Dr. Hares admits that her favorite pastime is traveling to new places around the world. She has a Manx cat named Cleopatra.

Dr. Bradley Harris is a resident in our critical care service.

An outdoorsmen, Dr. Harris can often be found running, camping and fishing. He also enjoys watching Cardinals baseball and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Peter Helmer came to BluePearl with almost 20 years of experience in both small animal and avian and exotics medicine. He lectures at national conferences on topics such as avian orthopedics, radiology and physical exam. His special interests include senior pet care, especially long-lived birds, orthopedics, surgery and treatment of rabbit and rodent dental disease. Dr. Helmer treats birds of all types, including backyard poultry; non-venomous reptiles; amphibians; and small non-domestic mammals such as rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, sugar gliders, hamsters and rats.

Dr. Helmer’s home is filled with the kind of a menagerie of animals you might expect from an avian specialist: there is golden retriever Davis, Shih Tzu Fergie, and cat Boots, plus a Derbyan parakeet named Big Bird and a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, Sonny, who is almost as old as Dr. Helmer is. His favorite pastimes include kayaking, fishing, growing orchids, cooking and enjoying fine wine.

Dr. Kelsey Human is a resident in our surgery service.

Dr. Human enjoys activities with her husband, especially training at the gym, hiking, rock climbing, rollerblading, watching documentaries and cooking. Fascinated by small ruminants and camelids, she hopes to have a hobby farm one day to raise them. The family has two Bengal cats, Bonsai and Koi.

Dr. Anthony Ishak enjoys all aspects of cardiology and internal medicine.

Dr. Ishak’s family includes two dogs named Stanley and Pumba, and two cats named Ramses and Siptah.

Dr. Eleanor Itzkow is a small animal medicine and surgery intern with interests in avian and exotic medicine, internal medicine and dentistry.

Dr. Itzkow has two large fluffy dogs and an aged Amazon parrot.

Dr. Meghan Johnson is a resident in our critical care service. Her particular clinical interests include liver diseases, sepsis and trauma.

Dr. Johnson enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their two mutts. Her favorite pastimes include kayaking and exploring the city looking for quality caffeinated beverages and curry.

Dr. Curtis Kane enjoys all aspects of oncology.

Dr. Kane enjoys spending time with his family, which includes four dogs. He is also a soccer fanatic.

Dr. Michalina Kenig is a small animal medicine and surgery intern.

Dr. Kenig likes the outdoors, especially hiking or going to the beach. Other favorite pastimes include cooking, exploring new cities and cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team.

Dr. Kelly Kezer’s clinical interests include lymphoma, osteosarcoma and histiocytic sarcoma, and she is excited about new treatment options, to include targeted and combination therapy and immunotherapy.

Dr. Kezer enjoys traveling, cooking and hiking with her dogs – a golden retriever named Charlie and Eddie, a Labrador.

After veterinary school, Dr. Michael Kimura worked in his native Japan as a family veterinarian for two years. He enjoys all aspects of neurology.

Dr. Kimura enjoys fresh water fly-fishing, hiking, camping, tennis and cooking Japanese cuisine.

Dr. Danielle Lang is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. In addition to small animals, she is interested in zoo and exotic animals. Her clinical interests include internal medicine, emergency care and integrative medicine.

Dr. Lang spends time away from the hospital hiking, going to the beach, painting, and playing the violin and ukulele.

Dr. Melinda Larson is especially interested in endocrine diseases, as well as abdominal ultrasonography and endoscopic procedures such as gastroduodenoscopy, cystoscopy and rhinoscopy.

Dr. Larson enjoys running, reading or spending time with her Labrador retriever and two cats. She also enjoys traveling to Arkansas to visit her family.

Dr. Sylvia Lee sees surgeons as “fixers,” and the types of surgical cases she especially likes to “fix” include advanced orthopedics, oncology and regenerative medicine for chronic osteoarthritis. She also finds minimally invasive surgery gratifying.

Dr. Lee's favorite pastimes include trail running and cooking (but not baking). She has two animal companions, boxer mix Bailey and cat Slinky.

Dr. Andy Leung likes trauma cases and wound care. He also finds diabetic ketoacidosis cases rewarding.

Dr. Leung’s favorite pastimes include traveling, recreational sports, and playing music and attending concerts.

Dr. Melanie Madsen is a small animal medicine and surgery intern.

Dr. Madsen enjoys meditation, watching documentaries and geocaching. She has a Great Pyrenees named Bear and a Maine coon cat named Waylan.

Dr. Andrea Marquiss is a small animal medicine and surgery intern with an interest in surgery, wildlife and exotics.

Dr. Marquiss has a variety of interests including outdoor sports, video games, art, foreign languages and horticulture. She has three rats for pets.

Dr. Kathy Martinez-Rodriguez is a small animal medicine and surgery intern.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Martinez-Rodriguez is fluent in both Spanish and English. She enjoys the beach, yoga and sipping tea or wine. She adopted a cat in Grenada named Zeus.

Dr. Mears has been with BluePearl, and its predecessor, Florida Veterinary Specialists, since 1997.

Erick enjoys spending time with his family and Bosco, the family cat.

Dr. Rachel Melvin is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. She enjoys zoo and exotics medicine, surgery, and treating wounds and abscesses.

Dr. Melvin taught herself to crochet, braid paracord and sew surgery caps. She has two cats, Smudge and Ouija.

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

A diehard sports fan, Dr. Minchin’s favorite teams are the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Lightning. She loves biking and hiking and enjoys playing cards, reading biographies and watching World War II movies. Caleb is her Siamese cat mix.

Dr. Laison Nguyen is an intern in our ophthalmology service.

A fan of the outdoors, Dr. Nguyen can often be found playing soccer or ultimate Frisbee. He has a German shepherd named Junior.

Dr. Thao Nguyen is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians.

Dr. Nguyen enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, baking and cheering on the Florida Gators. She is a proud dog mom of Cakeiyo, a Maltese, and Rua, the “golden Irish” she brought back from vet school in Ireland.

Dr. Nicholas Olson is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. He is particularly interested in surgery.

Dr. Olson enjoys camping and cheering on the Florida Gators with. His wife and son. Their furry family members include two cats, two dogs and a horse.

Dr. Cameron Owens is an intern in our ophthalmology service.

Dr. Owens enjoys watching Auburn football, adding coffee mugs to his ever-growing collection, listening to old and new records on his record player and playing board games with friends. He has a lab/terrier mix named Izzie and a cat named Paddington.

Dr. Corinna Palko particularly enjoys surgery and critical care.

Dr. Palko likes playing basketball, working out and spending time with her two dogs, Pixie and Sven, who she adopted while in vet school in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Dr. Ashley Patterson is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. Her particular interests include emergency triage and trauma.

Dr. Patterson spends her free time hiking and snowboarding. She has a cat and a dog who she loves to train.

Dr. Tessa Phillips is a resident in our surgery service. Her particular clinical interests include all soft tissue procedures, minimally invasive techniques (arthroscopy/laparoscopy) and wound and skin reconstruction.

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

Dr. Mallika Prabhakar is an intern in our internal medicine service.

Dr. Prabhakar is an avid tennis player and fan. She is trained in voice and piano and is learning to play the guitar. To unwind, she cooks and bakes. Cookie is her Rhodesian ridgeback/yellow lab mix.

Dr. Alejandra Príncipe Martínez is an intern in our internal medicine service. She particularly enjoys treating gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders.

Dr. Príncipe Martínez considers the water her happy place, enjoying the beach, scuba diving and snorkeling. She also likes to hike and play video games. Carmelo is her island cat from Grenada.

Dr. Michael Reems has particular interest in both surgical oncology, including cancer removal and reconstruction, and minimally invasive surgery arthroscopy, laparoscopy, and thoracoscopy. He has performed urinary bladder stone, lung lobe tumor, adrenal gland/mass, cryptorchid retained testicle, and gall bladder removals minimally invasively, in addition to prophylactic gastropexy fixation of stomach for prevention of gastric-dilatation volvulus and laparoscopic liver biopsy. He has also completed specialized training in circular external skeletal fixation fracture repair, and tibial tuberosity advancement TTA and tibial plateau leveling osteotomy TPLO procedures for anterior cruciate ligament tears.

Dr. Reems volunteers examinations and surgical treatments for service dogs. He enjoys spending time with his wife, a criticalist at BluePearl, cat Fat Bobby, and dogs, Emma and Maggie. His favorite pastimes include saltwater fishing, mountain biking, and fly fishing.

Dr. Miryam Seems enjoys all aspects of emergency and critical care.

Dr. Reems’ family includes cats named Fat Bobby and Sagan as well as a dog named Emma.

Dr. Rick Samu is a small animal medicine and surgery intern.

Dr. Samu likes keeping fit with soccer and hockey and playing piano and drums for relaxation. He is also passionate about traveling and has been to over 20 countries.

Dr. Sherrie Satmary is a small animal medicine and surgery intern.

Passionate about going to the gym, Dr. Satmary also likes outdoor activities with her dog Jack, like hiking, fishing and horseback riding.

Dr. Simone Schechtmann is an intern in our ophthalmology service.

A fan of travel, bilingual in Spanish and conversational in French, Dr. Schechtmann has studied in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Paris and Dublin. She loves playing tennis and is interested in current events, foreign films and classical music.

Dr. Kali Sherman is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. She enjoys treating toxicology cases and wound management.

Away from the hospital, Dr. Sherman’s favorite pastimes include photography and time with her beagle.

Dr. Heather Siemon is a resident in our surgery service. Her clinical interests include total hip arthroplasty, fracture repair and neurosurgery.

Dr. Siemon and her husband have a dachshund named Nico and a dachshund mix, Lulu. Her favorite pastimes include traveling, cooking and photography.

Dr. Will Smith is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. His particular interests include surgery and zoo/exotic medicine.

Dr. Smith relaxes by playing video games, ukulele and guitar. He grew up on a farm and gets a big dose of farm animals when he goes home.

Before coming to BluePearl, Dr. Alan Spier was an assistant professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He enjoys all aspects of cardiology.

An avid — and vocal — Green Bay Packer fan, Dr. Spier enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Dr. Steven Tutela enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

Dr. Tutela enjoys lifting weights and the endless outdoor activities found in Florida, although he admits to missing family and friends back in New Jersey.

Dr. Eric van Eerde’s particular interests include hand-on modalities such as ultrasound, as well as building relationships with referring veterinarians through telemedicine. He also enjoys working with a variety of animals and feels fortunate to have been able to take images of a number of species at the local zoo during his residency.

Dr. van Eerde enjoys travel, woodworking and Florida Gator sports. He and his wife have two sons, and a number of pets: miniature schnauzer Daisy, Florida brown dog Demodexter, Havanese Boo, and a green-cheeked conure bird named Kiwi.

Dr. Autumn Vetter is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. Particularly fond of cats, she likes treating feline chronic kidney disease. Endocrine disorders in both dogs and cats are also a special interest.

Dr. Vetter and her husband have seven cats, a Great Pyrenees mix (who thinks he's a cat) and a crested gecko named Ichabod. They love cheering on the Georgia Dawgs. Other favorite pastimes include running, cycling, hiking and crocheting sweaters for her pets.

Dr. Jessica Weeks' special interests include ocular disease, dystocia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and gastrointestinal foreign bodies. Before vet school, she worked as a dolphin trainer at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon FL.

A former NCAA division I All-American swimmer, Dr. Weeks enjoys any activity associated with water: scuba diving, spearfishing, surfing and underwater hockey. Dr. Weeks is also a concert pianist. She has a cat named Tamale.

Dr. Clarence Williams is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians.

Dr. Laura Wilson loves to work closely with pet owners to determine the underlying condition(s) affecting their pet and creating the best treatment plan for both the pet and owner. Her particular clinical interests include auto-immune conditions, ear infections and surgery.

Dr. Wilson enjoys riding mountain and road bikes and taking on DIY projects. She even overhauled a 1914 house in California. Dog walks and paddle boarding are two other favorite pastimes.

Dr. Janine Wing is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. She enjoys diagnosing and treating metabolic disorders like diabetes and Addison’s disease, and treating toxin ingestions.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Wing met her husband in college. She loves running and reading at the beach.

Dr. Jessica Yousif enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

Dr. Yousif’s favorite pastimes include photography, soccer, weight lifting and creative writing. She is also an avid Chicago sports fan. Her pets include greyhound Shandy and cat Roti.

Dr. Nadine Znajda enjoys all aspects of dermatology.

In addition to spending time with friends and family, like so many of us in the veterinary world, Dr. Znajda enjoys her many pets.

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.