WRAH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Veterinarian ( Surgery )
Dr. Megret Gonzalez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico. After that, she moved to Iowa to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University. Her professional interests include surgery and neurology and plans of pursue a residency in the future.
During her free time, she enjoys dancing salsa, playing soccer and hiking with her fiance and two dogs, Carambola and Kiwi. She also loves going to the beach with her family whenever she is back home in Puerto Rico.
Education
University of Puerto Rico
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Iowa State University
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Bill Cicero graduated from the State University of New York with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. He worked as the Director for an…
Job Titles:
- Hospital Services Manager
Brooke joined the WRAH team in 2016, after returning to Colorado for the second time in her life. Born in Florida, she traveled…
Dr. Claire Stuhlmann received her undergraduate degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation, she spent two years…
Dr. Alexis Gale completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania for veterinary school. She moved to…
Job Titles:
- Veterinary Cardiologist ( CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets )
Dr. Allison Heaney started her veterinary career as both an emergency and a primary care veterinarian. She draws on this experience to truly…
Job Titles:
- Veterinary Cardiologist ( CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets )
Dr. Amy Dixon-Jimenez graduated from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002, followed by three years working as a general practice…
Dr. Brooke Jensen received her Bachelor of Science in biology at Colorado State University in 2000. After graduation, she researched and photographed humpback whales off the coast of Boston. She returned home to continue her education at Colorado State University and obtain her veterinary degree in 2005. She then completed an internship at the Veterinary Medical & Surgical Group in Ventura, California, followed by a year as a staff emergency doctor. After two years in California, Dr. Jensen moved back to Colorado and began practicing at a general practice. She could not stay away from emergency medicine and spent the next five years commuting from Denver to California working as an emergency doctor at the Veterinary Medical & Surgical Group. In July 2014, Dr. Jensen found a permanent position with the emergency team at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital.
Education
Colorado State University
Bachelor of Science
Colorado State University
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Job Titles:
- Primary Care Veterinarian
Dr. Bryce Engelhardt grew up in western NY where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from SUNY Geneseo. She then earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University and moved to sunny Colorado. She completed a rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, working with the various specialty departments before being offered to stay on as a member of the general practice team.
Dr. Engelhardt enjoys connecting with her patients and their families, and her special interests include preventative care, dentistry, and surgery. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and camping with her dogs.
Dr. Cameo Carbone graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 1998, a Master of Science in anatomy in 1999 and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2003, all from Colorado State University. She completed a small animal rotating internship in 2004 in the Denver area and has been working in emergency medicine and critical care. She joined the emergency team at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in 2015.
Her interests include polytrauma (injuries to multiple areas of the body and organ systems) such as; hit-by-car cases.
Education
Colorado State University
Bachelor of Science
Colorado State University
Dr. Christina Copple attended North Carolina State University for her undergraduate and veterinary degrees. After veterinary school, she completed a one-year small animal…
Dr. Claire Quinn received her Bachelors degree in Animal Science at Auburn University (War Eagle!) and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State University. She aspires to be a veterinary medical oncologist, and has a special interest in the role of nutrition for veterinary cancer patients.
When she is not at the clinic, she enjoys baking, playing disc golf with her husband, and spending time with her fur babies, Harper the dog, and Morgan and Oscar the bottle-baby kittens.
Dr. Darin Dell completed two years of undergraduate studies at Iowa State University before being accepted to the University of Illinois College of…
Dr. Dave Raczek graduated veterinary school at Cornell University and completed a rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. After finishing his training…
Dr. Deborah Grimaldi completed her undergraduate studies at Fairfield University before earning her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Florida.
Her professional interests include emergency and critical care, surgery, and cardiology. In her free time, she enjoys spin class, hiking, and exploring local breweries with her husband and her dog.
Education
Fairfield University
Bachelor of Science
University of Florida
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Gavin McKibben completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, and received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota. His professional interests include emergency medicine, critical care, and internal medicine.
In his free time, Dr. McKibben enjoys skiing, playing ultimate frisbee and pickleball, and spending time with his wife, Lillian, and their three cats Temperance, Constance, and Jean-Luc.
Education
University of Oregon
Dr. Hillary Mikulak was born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania where she worked as an emergency technician. During this time, Dr. Mikulak decided she wanted to attend veterinary school. She moved to Minnesota for veterinary school, and stayed to complete a rotating internship, before moving here to Colorado to complete her critical care internship on her way to (hopefully) a cardiology residency.
When away from the clinic, Dr. Mikulak enjoys road tripping around the United States and soaking in as much hiking and outdoors as she can with her fiance and their two four-legged children, Gretta and Gus.
Dr. Jake Siewert received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 2012 and 2018,…
Dr. Jessica Schmidt obtained her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of California, San Diego. She then received her Doctor of Veterinary…
Job Titles:
- Primary Care Veterinarian
Dr. Jill Hickey is originally from Oswego, Illinois. She earned both her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has a very handsome mixed breed dog, Obie, who loves beds and belly rubs. In her free time, Dr. Hickey enjoys playing volleyball, gardening, skiing and hiking. She loves watching college football and is always looking forward to her next tailgate.
Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bachelor of Science - Animal Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Julia Engelien is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. She earned both her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Florida. She plans to pursue a residency in medical oncology in the future and has a special interest in feline medicine.
In her free time, she loves hiking and spending time with friends, her dog, Twain, and her two cats, Rowan and Arlo.
Dr. Kaitlyn McNamara is a small animal surgeon at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Colorado. She is a Colorado native and obtained her…
Job Titles:
- Associate Veterinarian - Neurology & Neurosurgery
Dr. Kara Majors is originally from Lexington, South Carolina. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences with a minor in Genetics from Clemson University. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State University and completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship last year at University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center.
Her professional interests include intracranial surgery and inflammatory conditions of the nervous system. She plans to pursue a residency in neurology and neurosurgery next year.
In her free time, Dr. Majors enjoys hiking with her two dogs (Benji and Moose), reading, and doing yoga.
Education
University of Mississippi School of Veterinary Medicine
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center
Dr. Katelyn Cordle earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and her veterinary degree at North Carolina State University. She completed…
Dr. Katie Swift attended the University of Wyoming for undergraduate studies. She earned her bachelor's degree in Animal Science with heavy attention to…
Dr. Kayla Harding was born in Boulder, Colorado. She received her bachelor's degrees at the University of Colorado at Boulder in Integrative Physiology…
Job Titles:
- Veterinary Cardiologist ( CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets )
Dr. Kendra LaFauci received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tufts University. After a few years working in both the human and…
Job Titles:
- DACVS, Founding Fellow - Surgical Oncology
Dr. Larie Allen completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida in 1993. After graduation, she was accepted to a program at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, followed by a surgical residency at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. She then pursued additional expertise in surgical oncology by completing a fellowship at Colorado State University in 1999. Dr. Allen became board-certified in surgery in 1999.
Dr. Allen's primary interest lies in oncologic surgeries but also enjoys performing various surgeries including orthopedic surgeries such as TPLOs and TTAs, advanced soft tissue surgeries, neurosurgery, laparoscopy, and thoracoscopy. Dr. Allen is one of the few surgeons in the country included in the Veterinary Society for Surgical Oncology.
Prior to joining the surgery team Wheat Ridge team, Dr. Allen lived and practiced in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Education
University of Florida
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
The Animal Medical Center
Job Titles:
- Primary Care Veterinarian
Dr. Laura Williams aspired to be a veterinarian at an early age, growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago with cats, dogs, and horses. She completed her undergraduate and veterinary degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she dabbled in a variety of jobs including wildlife rehabilitation, dairy husbandry, equine medicine, and canine ophthalmology research. She finally settled on her true love of canine and fel ine general practice. After completing her veterinary degree in 2011, Dr. Williams gained valuable experience during her small animal rotating internship before working in general practice for five years. We are excited to have her join our general practice team here at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital.
Her goal is to educate clients on preventative care, weight and disease management. She focuses on effective client communication so that your pets diagnostic and treatment plans are clear every step of the way. Her areas of interest and expertise include dentistry, surgery, and geriatric care.
Education
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Leila Worth earned her college degree at Williams College, then a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.…
Dr. Lindsay Phillips received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Michigan State University. She worked as a small…
Dr. Matthew Lazarus is originally from New York and left for veterinary school right after college. After school, he completed multiple specialty training programs across the country and ultimately decided on working emergency medicine in Colorado.
Outside of work, Dr. Lazarus loves staying active with snowboarding, hockey, mountain biking, and hiking with his fiancé and dogs.
Dr. Patrick Khalife was born and raised in the Denver area and attended Colorado State University for his undergraduate education where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After graduation, he worked at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital Diagnostic Laboratory before moving to Southern California to attend Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine. During his veterinary training, he discovered a special interest in medical oncology.
He couldn't be happier to be back in Colorado to care for the pets (and their people!) of his home state. When not at work, he can be found recreating outdoors with friends, family, and his partner Sara.
Dr. Rachel Hritz was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Colorado State University and continued at CSU to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary interest is oncology, and she feels passionate about helping our patients maintain a good quality of life in the face of chronic disease.
She is an avid fly fisherman and enjoys traveling around the country exploring new places to fish. She also loves skiing, reading, and spending quality time with her partner and three dogs Luna, Leroy, and Earl.
Dr. Rebecca Windsor graduated from the University of Southern California in 2001 with a degree in Psychobiology. She then attended the University of…
Dr. Ruchita Ahuja graduated from Syracuse University in 2009 with a BS in Biology. She entered the working world in Boston, MA until…
Job Titles:
- Hospital Services Manager
Jamie Stevenson grew up in Connecticut and moved to Colorado in 2003 after falling in love with the state after a cross country…
Dr. Margaret Richards completed her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before earning her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at University of California, Davis.
Her professional interests include emergency medicine. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, attending concerts, and spending time with her dog, Willow.
Education
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Science in Animal Science
University of California, Davis
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Maureen Finke received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University in 2002. After completing an internship at the Ohio…
Job Titles:
- Regional Facilities Coordinator
Dr. Monique Ramras transplanted to Colorado from the Pacific Northwest, and received both her Bachelors of Science and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine…
Dr. Samantha Sotillo earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University. She moved to Colorado with her husband to join Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital as an Associate Veterinarian.
Her professional interests include cardiology and equine neonatology. She plans to pursue a residency in the future.
In addition to veterinary medicine, Dr. Sotillo previously worked in the human medicine field as a registered nurse where she obtained national specialty certification as a Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN). She worked in the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She also lived abroad in South Korea with her husband for over five years where she was closely involved in animal welfare and veterinary education at Chungnam National University's College of Veterinary Medicine. She is fluent in Korean.
During her free time, she enjoys hiking with her three dogs (Fawn, Boram and Kaelie) in the beautiful Colorado mountains. When at home she works on watercolor art with her ragdoll cat, Mollymauk, who enjoys playing with her brushes while she practices.
Dr. Stacy Meola attended the University of Utah and received her Bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry, and her Master's degree in Medical…
Dr. Tyler Dugard Scott grew up in the heart of Mississippi riding, training, and showing horses in speed events. He completed his undergraduate studies in Animal & Dairy Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State University in 2011 and 2015, respectively. He then pulled up his roots and moved to the Washington DC Metro area and completed a rotating small animal internship at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center. Following his passion for surgery, Dr. Scott moved to Colorado to complete two surgical internships: one at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, and a second at Aspen Meadow Veterinary Specialists in Longmont & Boulder, CO. In 2018, he joined the emergency team at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital.
Dr. Scott has a special interest in emergency surgery, treatment of chronic wounds, lacerations, and polytrauma.
Education
Mississippi State University
Bachelor of Animal & Dairy Science
Mississippi State University
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Regional Veterinary Referral Center