BluePearl Pet Hospital Waltham, MA Our Vets

Dr. Molly Allen is passionate about local and regional anesthesia, balanced and multimodal techniques to minimize systemic opioid use, and anesthesia for high-risk and critical patients.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia
• Residency, Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
• Internship, Equine Surgery & Anesthesia, Ballarat Veterinary Practice, Miners Rest, Victoria, Australia
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Bachelor of Arts, Biochemistry, Smith College, Northampton, MA

Dr. Allen and her husband have a son, a dog named Madison, and cats Cameron and Charlie. Favorite pastimes include running, camping and hiking.

Dr. Johnattan Arango is trained in minimally invasive orthopedic and soft tissue procedures like TPLO, thoracic surgery, oncologic resection and more. He finds fracture repair, wound reconstruction and hemilaminectomies for thoracolumbar disk herniation gratifying to treat.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Resident, Small Animal Surgery, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Intern, Small Animal Surgery, Hollywood Animal Hospital, Hollywood, FL
• Intern, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Arango enjoys all things outdoors with his wife, Kristen, and their four dogs, Siena, Luna, Mason and Eddie, while their cat, Amadeus, holds down the fort at home. He is especially looking forward to skiing more often now that he’s back in the northeast.

Dr. Jessica Byrne is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in managing endocrine diseases, ultrasonography and anesthesia protocols.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Bachelor of Science, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

Dr. Byrne enjoys hiking, visiting the beach, watching the New England Patriots and spending time with her fiancé and two cats, Tucker and Ranch.

Dr. Heather Chalfant is particularly interested in the emergency presentation of endocrine disorders.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine/Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Lafayette College, Easton PA

Dr. Chalfant and her family, which includes two daughters, love anything outdoors, but especially biking, swimming, skiing, sledding and gardening.

Dr. Joseph Collins is most interested in treating renal failure, hemoabdomen and congestive heart failure.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Waltham, MA
• Master of ​Laboratory ​Animal Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Bachelor of Science, ​Chemical Biology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

At the end of a long day, Dr. Collins feels lucky to go home to his wife, two black cats and French bulldog.

Dr. Kristina DePaula's particular clinical interests include trauma, coagulation disorders and sepsis.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, New York City NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Bachelor of Arts, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA

Dr. DePaula loves spending time outdoors with her husband and two dogs, River and Turner, and lounging on the couch with her two cats, Finn and Maki. Other favorite pastimes include travel, miniature golf, karaoke and cooking.

Dr. Mattisen DiRubio is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is especially interested in radiology, emergency medicine, wound management, trachea collapse, cherry eyes and exotic animal conservation.

• Clinical Rotation, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

Dr. DiRubio has a dog named Guava who was adopted from the streets of Grenada and a cat named Binx who joined her family after he was treated for a degloving injury.

As a small animal medicine & surgery intern, Dr. Jacquelyn Foley finds trauma cases gratifying because they allow room for creativity in finding the best treatment. She especially enjoys being able to send pets home to their families after caring for them.

• Clinical Rotation, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science and Technology, University of Rhode Island, Kingstown

Dr. Foley enjoys going to the gym, running and yoga. She loves snacks, sloths, naps and testing out new food and drink spots. Her family consists of her brother, sister, mom, dad, nana and the newest addition, a goldendoodle named Guinness.

Dr. Kristina Foyo’s clinical interests include trauma, shock, immune-mediated disorders and toxicity cases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, New England Animal Medical Center, West Bridgewater MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville FL

Dr. Foyo and her husband enjoy hiking, rocking climbing and running Spartan races. They have three dachshunds, Fred, Ethel and Louie, and a bearded dragon.

Dr. Goldstein has a special interest in emergency treatment of endocrine diseases, toxins and feline medicine.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA South Shore Animal Hospital, Weymouth MA
• Bachelor of Science, Lafayette College, Easton PA

Dr. Goldstein enjoys traveling, hiking, reading and spending time with her family and friends, including her four cats.

Dr. Hill is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. In her clinical work, she likes to focus on radiology and ultrasound testing.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Dr. Hill likes to hike and kayak with her fiancé and her 2-year-old pug named Olive. She also enjoys white water rafting, camping and any outdoors activity.

Dr. Kathleen Kanjer has years of experience working in emergency medicine, critical care and general practice. Her special interests include emergency procedures and critical care cases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Physiology and Neuroscience, University of California, Davis

Dr. Kanjer enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, young son and terrier mix, Molly.

Dr. Erin McGowan's clinical interests include coagulopathies, fluid therapy, systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Tinton Falls NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry, Colby College, Waterville ME

Dr. McGowan's favorite pastimes include boxing, hiking and traveling with her husband. They share their home with pit bull mix Barnie, and cats Frank, Kyle and Ozzie.

Dr. Caleb Murphy's professional interests include shock, trauma, and urinary and reproductive emergencies.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, New York City
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Arts, Amherst College, Amherst MA

Dr. Murphy lives in Waltham with his wife and young son, as well as two cats and a lazy greyhound. Dr. Murphy moved his family from Brooklyn in order to be closer to the Boston Red Sox.

Before joining us, Dr. Mary Ann Nieves taught clinical and didactic small animal surgery and dentistry at Iowa State University. She has served as a surgeon as the need arose at several other teaching institutions including the Atlantic Veterinary College, Mississippi State University and Louisiana State University. She performs and enjoys soft tissue, orthopedic and neurosurgery, but has a special interest in surgical oncology, orthopedic and maxillofacial surgery, and pain management. Dr. Nieves is a reviewer for the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association.

• Certification, Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy
• Certification, PennHip Evaluation
• Certification, Advanced Total Hip Replacement Workshop
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Surgery, Iowa State University, Ames
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Master of Science, Veterinary Surgery, Iowa State University, Ames
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Colorado, Boulder

Dr. Nieves enjoys time with her family including her four-footed family Ginger, Milo, Twiggy and Lucy, coastal and deep sea fishing, sailing, hiking, gardening, and traveling to see friends and family.

Dr. Melisa Rosenthal has a particular interest in nephrology and all manner of kidney diseases. She is excited about the advances in dialysis as well as all types of minimally invasive interventional procedures.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston TX
• Bachelor of Arts, Hispanic Studies, Rice University, Houston TX

Dr. Rosenthal enjoys reading and bird watching, a hobby she developed while working in ecological research in college. She and her husband, a doctor of human medicine, have three cats, Naomi, Aria and Nora.

Dr. Lana Scherrer is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in animal welfare and pain management.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sydney, Australia
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

Dr. Scherrer founded an animal rescue in Boca Raton, Florida with her mother in 2003. The non-profit provides full medical care to homeless animals and helps them get adopted into forever homes. She also enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Dr. Leslie Schwarz’s professional interests include small animal radiology, abdominal and non-cardiac thoracic ultrasound and CT. She has a particular interest in the imaging of oncology patients.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Veterinary Radiology, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, Boston MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Master of Science, Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
• Bachelor of Science, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ

When Dr. Schwarz is not busy attending her children’s various sports, music, or school events, she enjoys skiing, traveling with her family, and keeping her yellow lab, Chica, out of trouble.

Dr. Bari Spielman has a strong interest in gastroenterology and GI endoscopy as well as endocrinology, hepatic and renal disease, and immune mediated disorders. In 2001, she became head of internal medicine at the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of New England, which is now BluePearl Veterinary Partners.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• Residency, Internal Medicine, Animal Medical Center, New York City
• Internship, General Medicine & Surgery, Oradell Animal Hospital, Oradell NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Dr. Spielman is a maniacal sports fan, especially loyal to the Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox and Volunteers. She is knee deep in dirt all summer, tending to her many gardens.

Dr. Suter is a small animal medicine and surgery intern. Her clinical interests include diagnostic imaging and ultrasound use with emergency patients.

Away from the hospital, Dr. Suter enjoys spending time with her husband and their cats, Chippy and Seaborg. She also likes collecting antique dishes.

Dr. Marcia Biber Whiteley is an active lecturer on imaging topics for veterinarians and veterinary technicians throughout the Midwest and Northeast. She is especially interested in non-cardiac and abdominal ultrasound and radiology.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Veterinary Radiology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
• Bachelor of Science, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ

You can find Dr. Whitely wrapped up in a good book, cooking, at the theatre, or cheering on her beloved St. Louis Cardinals.

Some or Dr. Alexis Zallas' favorites include internal medicine cases like diabetes or Addison’s disease, oncologic emergencies such as hemangiosarcoma, and surgical emergencies like gastric dilatation volvulus and laceration repairs. She also enjoys treating clotting disorders and pericardial effusion.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Shoreline & VCA Norwalk Veterinary Referral and Emergency Centers, CT
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Regis College, Weston MA

Passionate about her Greek heritage, Dr. Zallas has been to Greece multiple times. She actively participates in Greek events in the Boston community and loves cooking with her mother while listening to Greek music. She also participates in 18th century historical interpretation.

Robyn loves the every-day-is-different aspect of emergency medicine, and the prospect of making a positive difference in a pet’s life. She is RECOVER certified in basic and advanced life support. A champion roller skater, Robyn has a full house of pets, with cats Sherlock, Dillon, Inspector Gadget and Molly; and golden retriever Tyler – all of whom hit the wilderness with her on camping trips.