WILMINGTON ANIMAL HEALTHCARE VETERINARY HOSPITAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Hospital Manager
- Hospital Manager / Hospital Manager
Alison was born and raised in Michigan before deciding to settle down and grow some roots in Wilmington, NC.
She began working at Wilmington Animal Healthcare in October of 2016 as a Client Service Associate and joined the management team in 2021. Alison has always harbored a deep passion for animals and feels she finally found her calling with Veterinary Medicine. She has a love for learning and a desire to expand her knowledge base at every opportunity. She is honored to be a part of the WAHC team and is committed to providing the highest standard of care for our clients and patients.
Alison has an overwhelming love for hound dogs and hopes to one day help rescue beagles. Her own beagle, Gracie, keeps her pretty busy but in her free time, she enjoys hiking and spending time at the beach.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Hospital Manager
- Assistant Hospital Manager / Assistant Hospital Manager
April Hannigan is a 25-year veteran in the field of veterinary medicine.
April was in general medicine for 16 years in Maryland where she is a native prior to moving to NC where she was a Medical Oncology Technician at North Carolina State Veterinary Medicine for many years practicing the highest gold standard care for her patients. April's technical skills are exceptional as is her calm demeanor, gift for teaching and care for her co-workers making her a natural leader and manager. Her special interests medically are oncology and internal medicine.
April shares her home with her husband, 16 -year- old daughter Mary, 8-year-old son and her Otterhound, Einstein. She loves time at the beach and time with her kids and is excited to be in Wilmington and be a part of helping to make Wilmington Animal Healthcare the best it can be. Her attention to detail, compassion for clients and patients and exceptional people skills make her a wonderful addition to our team.
Dr. Haley Gunter graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor in Animal Science and continued to NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2019.
Dr. Gunter's collegiate research experience included coyote behavior and conservation efforts, and infectious disease work with wildlife rabies vaccination. She is Fear-free handling certified and her special interests include dentistry, flexible endoscopy, dermatology, internal medicine, and geriatric pet care.
Dr. Gunter resides on Topsail Island with her dog (Renley) and cat (Scotty). She enjoys traveling, cooking classes, yoga, hiking, and spending time at the beach with friends and family.
Dr. Katie Horne is a graduate of the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine, where she received her DVM degree in 2008.
She graduated with Honors as a member of the Phi Zeta Veterinary Medicine Honor Society and was ranked 11th in her class. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, where she was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Dr. Horne grew up in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Following graduation from veterinary school, Dr. Horne decided to begin her career as a general practitioner in the Wilmington area, where the rest of her immediate family currently resides. She enjoys all aspects of small animal practice but has a particular interest in dermatology. She is so proud to be a part of the WAHC team and its commitment to excellence.
Dr. Horne and her husband B.J., a special education teacher and athletic director at Topsail High School, were married after her first year of vet school. They are both so happy to finally be back home in North Carolina with their dogs, Birdie and Bogey, and cat, Dinah. In June of 2012, they welcomed their first child, a beautiful daughter named Bailey Grace. In November of 2015, Dr. Horne welcomed her very handsome son Judson!
Dr. Katie Wagner-Lewis is a native of Seattle, WA but spent most of her childhood in Cary, NC.
She obtained her BS in Biology with minors in Math and Chemistry at Saint Mary's of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. She then went on to Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in the spring of 2004. Since then, she has practiced locally in the Wilmington area before becoming a part of the Wilmington Animal Healthcare team in August of 2012.
In her spare time, she enjoys competing in the sport of triathlon, traveling, and spending time with family. Katie has a particular fondness for Boxers!
Dr. Sara Lewis is a 2011 graduate of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in Auburn, Alabama.
Dr. Lewis graduated with honors in the top ten percent of her class, and she was a member of the Phi Zeta distinguished veterinary honor society. While in veterinary school, she was involved in numerous organizations and served on several missionary teams that traveled to Central and South America. She has special interests in critical care, dermatology, and soft tissue surgery.
Dr. Lewis is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, and the middle of five children. Her mother is a small animal veterinarian and helped to develop her love of veterinary medicine from early on. Sara attended undergraduate school at the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!) and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Biology and Spanish. She relocated to North Carolina to be with her husband, Jon, while he was serving in the Marine Corps. They loved the Wilmington area and have settled down here!
Dr. Lewis has been blessed with 3 beautiful daughters that keep her pretty busy... but in her spare time, she loves to bake, work out, and spend time at the beach. Her furry family currently includes a fiery bobtail kitty Miss Scarlett and a rescue mutt Tilly that loves coming with her to Wilmington Animal Healthcare Veterinary Hospital every day. She has a secret affection for smushed face cats and is hoping she'll be able to take one home one day.
Dr. Stacy Ward is a 1999 graduate of North Carolina State University of College of Veterinary Medicine (although her undergraduate alma mater is UNC-Chapel Hill...Go Heels!).
She was a member of the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society and graduated fifth in her class. She was the recipient of the Portia Milbrandt Scholarship for Veterinary Geriatrics. Along with Dr. Jeff Ward, she also completed an intensive 13-month internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University Of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville, TN. Veterinary interns are selected from the top graduates through a competitive selection process. Following completion of her internship, Dr. Ward practiced at two excellent multi-doctors small animal practices in Charlotte and Calabash, North Carolina.
Dr. Ward has been a practicing veterinarian since 1999. Dr. Ward feels that it is extremely special to be a part of the local community as a veterinarian. Getting to know people and their pets is very personally rewarding. She was honored to be named Encore Magazine's 'Best Veterinarian' in 2007 and was personally recognized again by a Star News poll in 2018.
Dr. Ward's special interests are internal medicine (especially endocrine disease), oncology, geriatrics, radiology, cardiology, and the management of long-term heart patients. Dr. Ward is mother to humans, dogs, and horses (thankfully not dragons, though she wouldn't totally rule it out).
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support
- Administrative Support / Administrative Support
Linda was born in Buffalo, NY, raised in Winter Park, FL, and did a 5-year stint in Seattle before making Wilmington her home in August of 2009.
She began working at Wilmington Animal Healthcare Veterinary Hospital two days after arriving in Wilmington as a Client Service Associate, was our Boarding and Daycare Manager for four years, and is now in administration.
Originally in social work, Linda decided animals were more her thing and has been working in veterinary medicine since 2007. Linda has always loved all animals from scaly to furry (with a special fondness for the pitties!) and is happy to have found her home at Wilmington Animal Healthcare Veterinary Hospital.