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Nursing Care and Client Service Team

Veterinary nurses (also called "technicians") play a vital role in the care, safety, and comfort of every hospitalized patient. As in a human hospital, these skilled professionals interface closely with patients and doctors, ensuring that each patient receives expert attention around the clock. We are very proud of the team of caring and highly-skilled veterinary nurses on our staff; we believe they provide the finest level of care available.

Our skilled and compassionate client service team understands the challenges of caring for a sick or injured pet. These talented individuals have elected to work in the veterinary field because they, too, are "animal lovers." Their goal is to help you and your pet through a difficult time by providing consistently friendly and efficient service.

Emergency Team

It takes a special kind of person to dedicate her or himself to the veterinary emergency and critical care field - one willing to face long hours, challenging medical and surgical cases, distressed pet owners, and stressful working conditions. Despite these hardships, emergency doctors and technicians thrive on the opportunity to help clients and pets at a time of real need. They enjoy the intellectual challenge of managing diverse and complex medical conditions in a constantly changing, fast-paced environment. Succeeding in this field requires highly developed medical skills, strong empathy for clients, and true compassion for patients. Our emergency doctors have all received additional training specifically in the areas of emergency medicine and critical care. They are dedicated to providing the best care possible.

Dr. Jennifer McCown is thrilled to join the PETS team after completing her three year Small Animal Internal Medicine residency at the University of Florida in July 2009. She is certified as a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Dr. McCown obtained her B.S. in Zoology with Honors from the University of Florida in 2000. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree magna cum laude as the class valedictorian from the University of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine in 2005, after which she completed a one year small animal medicine and surgery internship at Florida Veterinary Specialists in Tampa, FL. She received numerous awards during her veterinary training, including being elected the Small Animal Resident of the Year by the graduating veterinary class two years in a row. She looks forward to providing the highest level of compassionate care for her patients, clients, and the local veterinary community. After relocating from Florida, Dr. McCown and her husband are excited to explore all their new home has to offer. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, and spending time with her two dogs, Betty and Piper.

Dr. Aarti Sabhlok was born in Columbus, Ohio and since then has lived in Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and finally California – first Los Angeles, and now San Francisco. She graduated from Cornell University in 1995. Dr. Sabhlok went on to continue her veterinary training at Ross University, finishing up her clinical year at Louisiana State University. Upon graduation, she completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio. She completed her residency in medical oncology at Animal Specialty Group with Veterinary Oncology, Inc. where she was trained extensively in both medical and radiation oncology. When not working, she enjoys cooking, reading, volleyball and traveling.

Dr. John Haburjak graduated from UC Davis Veterinary School in 1993 with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. He practiced as a general practitioner in Northern California for 5 years before returning to academics to complete a combined surgical residency program in San Diego and the University of Illinois. Dr. Haburjak is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons; and his research interests include orthopedic trauma and disorders of the carpus. He has presented his research data at several annual conferences. He has several publications in the Veterinary Orthopedic and Traumatology Journal, Journal of Small Animal Practice and the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. His clinical surgical interests include surgical oncologic procedures of the face, head and neck, corrective orthopedic procedures and neurosurgery (spinal). Dr. Haburjak’s hobbies include SCUBA diving, Oakland A’s baseball, road cycling and cooking (not to mention eating, too!). He shares his life with his wife, Aimee (also a veterinarian), daughter Eva, Calvin (many-toed, Siamese cross) and Noelle (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).

Dr. Andrea Sotirakopoulos is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and has extensive clinical interests in all aspects of veterinary internal medicine. Her special interests include gastroenterology, endocrinology, and cystoscopy for lower urinary tract evaluation. She is skilled in endoscopic procedures such as gastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, tracheobronchoscopy, rhinoscopy, cystoscopy, and vaginoscopy. She has been practicing in southern California for the past 5 years and has recently joined PETS Referral Center. In her free time she enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with family and friends

Dr. Mike Barlia is the Hospital Director for Pet Emergency Treatment Service. Mike completed both his undergraduate degree in physiology ('97) and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree ('01) at UC Davis. Following graduation, he completed an internship specifically in emergency medicine and critical care under the guidance of a critical care specialist at the Pet Emergency Specialty Center of La Mesa (San Diego) where he stayed on board for an additional 2 years prior to moving back to Northern California in 2004 to join the PETS team as a partner. Mike has always had a strong interest in emergency medicine and critical care and has practiced exclusively in this field since graduation. Outside of the ER Mike has a special interest in veterinary informatics; specifically with the use of computer technology for the advancement of education, research and communication between specialists, clients, and referring veterinarians. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, hiking, travel, and photography. He lives in Oakland with his wife Kara (also a veterinarian) and their two dogs, Sadie and Joey, along with their small herd of cats.

Dr. Christopher Rodi attended veterinary school at U.C. Davis, graduating in 1993. In search of advanced training, he then completed a one-year small animal medicine and surgery internship at Cornell University before going into private small animal practice. Over the years Chris has worked in a number of busy multi-doctor day and emergency practices as a staff veterinarian and hospital administrator. In 2000 he became certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline medicine. Since 2000 Chris has practiced exclusively in the emergency and critical care field. He and his wife (also a veterinarian) relocated their family to Marin in 2003. They now live in Novato with their two sons and two Boxers. Chris assists in managing several emergency practices as well as working as an emergency clinician at PETS. Chris' primary professional interests are in emergency and critical care medicine, practice management, and staff development. In his free time Chris enjoys running, woodworking, sailing, hiking, home improvement, and playing with his boys.

Dr. Kathy Lee graduated from UC Davis Veterinary School in 2002 and completed a one year internship in small animal emergency, medicine and surgery in San Diego. She stayed in San Diego an additional year working in emergency and critical care before joining the PETS team in 2004. In addition to practicing emergency medicine, Kathy also practices complementary veterinary medicine. She was certified in veterinary acupuncture by the Chi Institute in 2008 and is currently getting certified in veterinary Chinese herbology and food therapy. She advocates the benefit of using both Western medicine and complementary medicine in treating patients. Kathy enjoys hiking, camping, snowboarding, and digging around in the garden. She also loves to travel and is not too discriminate. A two day road trip to visit friends or a month long trip to hike in Nepal will both put a big smile on her face. Kathy shares her home in El Cerrito with both two- legged (her partner, Kevin) and four-legged (2 rambunctious dogs, 1 mellow cat, and an adorable tortoise) creatures..

Dr. Debbie Morey, an emergency and critical care specialist, joined the PETS team on a full time basis in 2012. The desire to be a veterinarian is one of Debbie's earliest memories. She obtained her DVM from UC Davis in 1992. After graduation she completed a year-long internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Sacramento Animal Medical Group. Debbie then moved to Fresno for a year of intensive emergency and critical care experience at the Veterinary Emergency Service before returning to Sacramento to head up the emergency department at the Sacramento Animal Medical Group for the next four years. In 1998 Dr. Morey embarked on a residency training program in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care while also working at several busy emergency practices and raising two children. In 2005, she successfully passed the rigorous examination to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Debbie's professional interests include shock resuscitation, critical care monitoring, nutrition, wound management, and training veterinarians and technicians in critical care techniques. When off duty, she enjoys spending time with her 2 boys, 2 dogs, and 5 cats. She also enjoys downhill skiing, running, hiking, and wine-tasting.

Dr. Shea Cox obtained her Veterinary Medical degree from Michigan State University in 2001. Following graduation, she moved to Colorado and spent 4 years working as an Emergency Veterinarian, alongside veterinary specialists, at a referral hospital in the Denver area. Following that experience, she spent a year in Grand Rapids, Michigan, continuing her passion in the area of emergency and critical care. In 2006, with great excitement, she relocated to the Berkeley area with her husband, Scott (also a veterinarian), and their two Dobermans. In her free time, she indulges in everything the Bay area has to offer... kayaking, hiking, fine foods, photographic opportunities, and (year round!) gardening.

Dr. Cindy Lamparter initially entered the animal world as a biologist in the field of outdoor education and wildlife rehabilitation. She has worked with a variety of animal species in zoos and rehabilitation centers. During that time she developed a special fondness for owls and river otters, but didn’t share the same enthusiasm for the tarantulas or hissing cockroaches. She was particularly drawn to the medical aspects within organizations and in 2002 she entered the veterinary program at UC Davis. Following completion of her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine she pursued advanced medical training during a 1yr internship at the Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of La Mesa (San Diego). During this time she developed a passion for emergency medicine and has been working in this field ever since. Outside of the veterinary world, she is an avid hiker/backpacker and loves spending time in the hills with her boxer/pitt mix Sollu. Her other favorite activities include traveling, spending time with her nieces and nephews, impromptu dinner parties, gardening and kayaking.

Dr. Erin Updegrove graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. During veterinary school, she discovered a passion for emergency medicine and pursued an emergency focused internship at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center in Virginia. Her other veterinary interest includes providing care for under-served popula- tions. She has volunteered with Rural Area Veterinary Services (HSVMA Field Services), Compassion without Borders, Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless, and Fix our Ferals, as well as organizations abroad. She enjoys traveling and trying new things. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her pit bull mix Enano, cooking, gardening, hanging out with friends, and exploring her new surroundings in the bay area.

Halle Alvarez, RVT, is our hospital manager. She graduated from Western Career College’s Veterinary Technician program in 1987 and passed the California AHT exam that same year. She worked at the UC Davis VMTH in Small Animal Surgery and Veterinary Dentistry from 1988 to 1993. She then moved to Cornell University and worked in the teaching hospital’s Small Animal ICU from 1993 – 2000. During that time she also completed a B.A. in History from Cornell University. She has been at PETS since 2002, and in her spare time volunteers at The Marine Mammal Center. She shares her El Cerrito home with 2 dogs and 1 cat, and enjoys hiking, running, traveling and reading.

Brenda Pane is PETS' Administrative Coordinator, overseeing many aspects of the hospital's business operations, as well as those at PETS' "sister hospital," the Solano-Napa Pet Emergency Clinic in Cordelia. Brenda has many years of experience in the veterinary management field, having worked in both general and emergency/specialty practice prior to joining SPEC/PETS. In 2004, Brenda obtained an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration. Brenda was attracted to the veterinary field due to her compassion for animals. She has volunteered regularly at an animal shelter since 1993 and at a feral cat spay/neuter clinic since 2003. Her hobbies include softball, soccer, attending professional sports, and spending time with family and friends. Brenda's animal family includes two dogs and one cat.