BluePearl Pet Hospital
Tampa, FL

Dr. Samantha Aumann completed her internship and residency at the BluePearl Tampa hospital. Her clinical interests include emergency and critical care medicine and 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. Barbara Avalos Cavero is particularly interested in treating gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, endocrine disorders, toxicities and feline urinary tract diseases.

In her spare time, Dr. Avalos Cavero enjoys exercising at the gym, salsa dancing, painting and traveling. She loves to spoil her dog, Koko Puff.

Dr. Terri Baldwin finds restoring vision through cataract removal surgery particularly rewarding. She also enjoys repairing eye injuries to save an eye, and diagnosing systemic disease by evaluating the eyes and helping to save an animal’s life.

Dr. Baldwin and her husband have two children, one of whom has autism, so she stays active as an autism advocate. She enjoys playing in the hand bell choir at her church, swimming, needlepoint and playing Sudoku. The family has four dogs and five cats.

Dr. Tony Blanco joined BluePearl to extend his formal training in veterinary medicine through a one-year specialty internship.

Dr. Blanco spends time outside kayaking, cycling and playing tennis. He also enjoys horror shows or movies, cooking, and listening to music. Leia is his miniature Australian Shepherd who befriends everyone and gets all the attention.

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 Plateau Leveling Osteotomy procedure for anterior cruciate ligament tears, as well as numerous other orthopedic and soft tissue procedures.

Dr. Bleyaert enjoys horseback riding, boating 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. 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. Rebecca Cassidy brings her talents to our emergency medicine service. Her interests include avian and exotics, neurology and endocrine disorders.

Dr. Cassidy enjoys painting and drawing. She has three dogs, a leopard gecko and a snake.

Dr. Dana Clark is an emergency clinician. Her interests include zoo, exotic, and wildlife species and nutritional management.

Dr. Clark and her husband share their home with a pit bull, five cats, a rabbit and a turtle. In her free time, Dr. Clark enjoys opportunities to observe wildlife and spend time outdoors.

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. Nadine Cross finds all aspects of emergency medicine rewarding. She especially enjoys working with feline patients.

Dr. Cross admits her life is run by two very special tabby cats and a big fluffy mixed-breed dog. She enjoys spending her free time outdoors.

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. 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.

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. 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.

As a veterinary criticalist and cardiology resident, Dr. Bradley Harris is particularly interested in congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, respiratory disorders, sepsis and coagulation disorders. He has pioneered pilot studies using a novel bedside viscoelastic coagulation monitors to better assess patients’ coagulation statuses in real time.

Outside of work, Dr. Harris enjoys spending time with his young child. He likes to participate in outdoor activities like running, hiking, hunting and coaching youth cross country and track. He also watches baseball and cheers on the St. Louis Cardinals.

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 mixed breed dog Red, 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 knew from the start of her veterinary career that she wanted to be a surgeon and finds it particularly gratifying. She has a strong interest in orthopedic and soft tissue procedures, postoperative pain management and physical rehabilitation.

Dr. Human enjoys activities with her husband, especially training at the gym, rollerblading, watching documentaries and movies. Her relaxation time includes gardening and sewing. The family has two Bengal cats, Bonsai and Koi, and a wonderful tripod cat named Bento.

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 has a background in wildlife rehabilitation and is quite interested in avian and exotic medicine. She particularly enjoys treating gastrointestinal and dermatological conditions, as it can bring so much relief to both the owner and the pet.

Dr. Itzkow currently shares her life with a very sweet and aged Amazon Parrot, a very fluffy and ridiculous Belgian sheepdog, and one very patient fiancé.

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

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

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

Dr. Michelle Kenig is a dedicated clinician and is especially interested in surgery and emergency & critical care.

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 an emergency clinician. In addition to small animals, she is interested in zoo and exotic animals. Her clinical interests include internal medicine, emergency care and integrative medicine.

In her free time, Dr. Lang enjoys being hiking, biking, traveling, and painting.

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.

Fond of all aspects of emergency medicine, Dr. Melanie Madsen is particularly interested in clinical pharmacology.

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

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 surgical 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. Laison Nguyen is a resident 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.

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

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. Nicholas Olson is a specialty intern with our surgery department. He is especially interested in fracture repair, arthroscopy, and cranial cruciate ligament disease.

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. 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 a resident with our internal medicine service. She particularly enjoys the management of gastrointestinal (GI) disease.

Dr. Prabhakar has a kitten named Chikki, who loves playing, cuddling and eating treats.

Dr. Alejandra Príncipe Martínez is a resident 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. Sherrie Satmary is an emergency & critical care resident.

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 a resident in our ophthalmology service. She particularly enjoys treating diseases of the eyelids, cornea and sclera, which is the white part of the eye.

Dr. Schechtmann loves playing tennis, barre method classes, current events, watching films and going to music events. She has a dog named Jameson.

Dr. Kali Sherman enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine, especially 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.

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. 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. Jessica Yousif has been an ER doctor her entire career and thrives in the fast-paced environment. She is a mentor for new doctors in BluePearl’s EmERge emergency medicine training program, as well as for interns.

Dr. Yousif’s hobbies include playing and coaching soccer, kayaking and crafting. She and her significant other have two dogs, a cat and a snake.

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.