Kevin Concannon

 Dr. Concannon graduated from the University of Missouri veterinary school in 1987.  He followed this training with an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and then a residency in anesthesia and critical care at the University of California-Davis.  He is board certified as a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiology.  Since his residency he has held anesthesia faculty positions at the University of California and NCSU schools of veterinary medicine and a research position at Duke University Medical Center.  He worked as a full-time emergency clinician for three years after VSH opened and is a founding partner in the hospital.  Currently Dr. Concannon serves as the hospital administrator for VSH.

Surgery
Gary Spodnick



 Dr. Spodnick is a board certified surgeon who was one of the original veterinarians and founding partners at VSH.  He earned his veterinary degree from Oklahoma State University in 1985.  His work took him to Massachusetts where he practiced in a large general and specialty practice for three years.  He completed a surgical residency program at Tufts University and then joined the faculty at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, where from 1991 to 1997, he worked first as a clinical instructor and then as an assistant professor of surgery.  At VSH, he performs both general and orthopedic surgery and has special interest in oncologic and reconstructive surgery.  Dr. Spodnick is the Chief of Surgery and oversees doctors in both the surgery and neurology departments at VSH..

James (Buck) Clark



 Dr. Clark pursued a career in general practice after graduating from the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  He practiced for three years in the Raleigh area before deciding to focus on veterinary surgery.  He completed a general internship at Mississippi State University and then a surgical internship at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center.  Competition for surgical residency positions is fierce and it’s not uncommon that veterinarians must show advanced skills and commitment to their goal prior to obtaining a position.  His experience enabled him to land a competitive surgery residency at the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Clark joined VSH in 2004 and has since brought several new techniques to our surgery department such as the use of stents for treatment of tracheal collapse and a new procedure for repair of cruciate ligament rupture.

David Lee



 Dr. Lee, a specialist in surgery, joined VSH in 1999.  Dr. Lee graduated from veterinary school at the University of Tennessee and then completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Cornell University.  He came to North Carolina to first complete an anesthesia and then surgical residency at the NCSU School of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Lee works with all types of surgical patients including those with orthopedic, intestinal, oncologic, thoracic, and neurologic diseases.  One of his primary interests is orthopedic disease and his goals involve expanding the range of techniques offered by VSH in this area.

Neurology/Neurosurgery

Peter Brofman



 Dr. Brofman is a veterinary neurologist and one of three VSH doctors who hold board certification in two separate specialties.  Dr. Brofman completed six years of post-graduate training after receiving his veterinary degree from Cornell University.  He completed an internship at the Veterinary Referral Center in Norwalk, CT prior to a two year residency in internal medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York.  The Animal Medical Center is one of the largest private referral hospitals in the country.  Dr. Brofman developed an interest in neurology and continued his training with a neurology/neurosurgery residency at The Ohio State University.  Dr. Brofman is board certified in both internal medicine and neurology and has been with VSH since 2004.  Dr. Brofman’s training at OSU and one on one work with our Chief of Surgery have made him well qualified to perform neurosurgery, primarily surgery of the spine and associated structures.

Internal Medicine
Carla Gartrell



 Dr. Carla Gartrell is a board certified specialist in veterinary internal medicine.  She works in all areas of internal medicine to include the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal, endocrine, respiratory, cardiovascular, hematologic, and immunologic diseases.  Dr. Gartrell completed veterinary school at Tuskegee University, an internship at the University of Tennessee and an Internal Medicine residency at Michigan State University.   Dr. Gartrell was an assistant professor at Michigan State for four years before taking a referral practice position in her home state of California.  She has been with VSH since 1998.  Dr. Gartrell is the Chief of Medicine at VSH and oversees the care given by the internal medicine and emergency doctors. One of her main goals is to ensure that the highest level of patient care is offered to our clients.

Roger Hostutler



 Dr. Hostutler is an internal medicine specialist at VSH.  He completed both his veterinary degree and residency training at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  Separating the two was a one year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Cornell University.  Dr. Hostutler came to VSH in July of 2004 and brought with him a strong background in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract diseases.  He has published numerous articles about urinary disease and is one of the few veterinarians in the country trained to use collagen injections as a treatment for urinary incontinence.

Sarah Love



 Dr. Love is one of three internal medicine specialists at VSH.  Dr. Love received her veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota in 2000.  She was an intern for one year at Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Atlanta, a private specialty practice very similar to VSH.  She went back to the University of Minnesota to pursue specialization in internal medicine.  During her residency she developed interests in hematology and sled dog physiology, serving as a trail veterinarian for sled dog races.  Dr. Love sees all types of internal medicine cases including those involving the intestinal, respiratory, cardiovascular, hematologic and immunologic systems.

Oncology

Jerry Waddle



 Dr. Waddle is one of a small group of veterinarians who hold board certification in two specialties.  His specialties are oncology and internal medicine with greater than 95% of his caseload at VSH being oncology patients.  Dr. Waddle graduated from The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1981 and spent three years in private practice.  He completed an internal medicine residency at The University of Pennsylvania in 1986 and then stayed on for seven years as a faculty member in oncology and internal medicine.  In 1993 he came to North Carolina for a faculty position in oncology at the NCSU School of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Waddle was in private practice in Durham before becoming one of the founders of VSH in 1997.  He is the Chief of Oncology services at VSH.


Dave Ruslander



 Dr. Ruslander’s primary specialty is radiation oncology, but he is board certified in medical oncology as well.  Prior to joining VSH in 2004, Dr. Ruslander had worked primarily in an academic environment with many publications to his credit.  He graduated with a veterinary degree from Cornell University in 1988 and started his career as an intern at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Canada.  Dr. Ruslander developed an early interest in oncology and he completed a medical oncology residency at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.  He first came to North Carolina in 1992 as a Visiting Assistant Professor at NCSU in the medical oncology department.  A desire for continued learning took him to the University of Zurich in Switzerland where he worked as an oncologist and received training in radiation oncology.  Dr. Ruslander was on the faculty at Tufts from 1997 to 2000 and then at NCSU from 2000-2004 before joining VSH.  Dr. Ruslander is currently president-elect of the Veterinary Cancer Society.

Cardiology
Dewey Carpenter



 Dr. Carpenter is the only veterinary cardiologist in private practice within North Carolina.  After a short career in the navy, Dr. Carpenter decided to return to school and pursue a veterinary degree.  He graduated from the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and was the valedictorian.  An internship in small animal medicine and surgery followed at Auburn University.  He completed a three year cardiology residency at the University of  Minnesota immediately prior to joining VSH.

Emergency/Critical Care Medicine

Trisha Venzke



 Dr. Venzke completed her undergraduate and veterinary degrees at the Ohio State University.  After graduating from veterinary school in 2003, Trisha entered a one year internship at Michigan Veterinary Specialists (MVS) outside of Detroit.  MVS is a large multi-specialty hospital with internship rotations through surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, ophthalmology, neurology, and dermatology.  The interns are the primary doctors for the MVS emergency service.  Trisha started working with VSH in July 2004.

Kimberly Piner



 Dr. Piner is another 2003 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  She traveled to Portland, Oregon after graduation to pursue an internship at the Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital.  Dove Lewis is a unique hospital  offering 24 hour emergency and critical care services only.  The facility is staffed by interns, emergency doctors, and critical care specialists with the specialists responsible for the overall quality of care and training of the interns.  Kim joined VSH in July of 2004.

Jeff Nunez



 Dr. Nunez is the most senior emergency doctor at VSH having been part of the team since August of 1998.  Jeff graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1996.  He interned at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston.  Angell is a 24 hour referral hospital with an annual caseload of over 45,000 patients per year.  Jeff came to the area to take a position at Timberlyne Animal Clinic, a general practice, where he worked for one year before coming to VSH.

Paul Manino



 Dr. Manino completed his veterinary degree at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003.  An internship at Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Greensboro initially brought him to North Carolina.  The internship was completed in 2004 and it emphasized training and work in emergency, internal medicine and surgery.  Paul started his position at VSH as soon as his internship training was complete.

Kimberly LoGuidice



 Dr. LoGuidice graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000.  She then completed a one year internship in emergency and critical care at the Animal Emergency and Critical Care Center in Bridgewater, Mass. where she worked with specialists in the areas of critical care, surgery and internal medicine.  Her interest and experience in critical care led to a staff position in emergency medicine at a specialty practice in Charlotte, NC and then to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital.  Dr. LoGuidice has been with VSH since January of 2003.

Kelly Reilly



 Dr. Reilly graduated third in her class from the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003.  She completed an additional year of clinical studies at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine and then entered a one year internship in small animal medicine and surgery.  The internship occurred at Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists, near New York City.  Dr. Reilly rotated through two 24 hour referral centers under the supervision of board certified specialists.  Areas of emphasis included surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, and emergency/critical care.  Kelly joined VSH after working for a short period of time at another emergency hospital in the Raleigh area.

Nursing

VSH is extremely proud of our veterinary technicians and assistants.  We search nationally for nursing staff who not only have the knowledge and initiative, but also the teamwork and compassion that is necessary to work in a demanding facility such as ours. 

To be called a veterinary technician, a person must complete a two or four year degree in veterinary technology and then pass national and state certifying examinations. Twelve different training programs are represented among our current nursing staff.  Fifty percent of our nurses having moved from another state to work with us. 

Many opportunities exist for the nurses to learn from each other and from our specialists.  We have created a lecture series for the nurses with increasing degrees of complexity that is presented by our doctors and outside experts.  This continuing education program is recognized by the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board.