Veterinary Team

Dr. Mason is a 1988 graduate of the University of California – Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, he completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Mason joined Pets Unlimited in 1991 and became Medical Director in 1994.  In 2014 he played an integral role in Pets Unlimited’s merger with the San Francisco SPCA and he is thrilled to...

Dr. Emily Adamson grew up in San Diego and received her B.S. in Marine Biology from UCLA in 2007. She worked as a zookeeper and wildlife educator for 2 years before earning her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, located in St. Kitts, West Indies, in 2013.  She spent her year-long clinical rotations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before completing a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery...

Dr. Jamila Cherry is originally from Oakland, CA. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a BS in Animal Science and went on to earn her DVM degree from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Cherry completed a Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship in Sacramento, California. She is primarily interested in emergency medicine as well as integrative medicine. In her spare time Dr. Cherry is a...

Dr. Chu grew up in Oahu and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dr. Chu received his Bachelor’s from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He graduated from Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997 and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in NYC from 1997-1998. He joined the Pets Unlimited (now SF SPCA Pacific Heights) veterinary team in August 1999 and has an...

Dr. Murali Gadde relocated to the Bay Area from Oklahoma in February, 2013 with his wife, Usha and their dachshund, Taj. Dr. Gadde worked for several years in a large, 24-hour, referral practice in Oklahoma City. He spent a year practicing veterinary medicine in India. He has experience with abdominal and cardiac ultrasound, intensive care and surgery, as well as general medicine. In his spare time, Dr. Gadde enjoys road trips,...

Dr. Goh was born and raised in Singapore. When she was 15, her family (dogs and all) left the equator for Calgary, Alberta. In 1997, she completed her BSc at the University of Calgary with a major in Zoology and a minor in English Literature. She spent an additional year working for the university veterinarian, and then moved to Boston to attend veterinary school. After she received her DVM from Tufts University in 2002, she worked...

On May 1, 2010, Dr. Helmers re-joined the SF SPCA Mission Campus staff as a full-time veterinarian. He previously worked as a staff veterinarian from 1991-1992 and 2000 to 2006. He worked at East Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency in Antioch and Walnut Creek for four years, but always remained dedicated to the SF SPCA community, commuting from Tracy, CA to cover relief shifts at our Hospital.

Dr. Helmers is known for his...

Dr. Dorothy Hoppe was born in Poland and moved to the US at the age of 9. She spent most of her life in Florida.

Dr. Hoppe received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from New College in Sarasota, FL. After completing an initial year of medical school at the University of Florida, she realized veterinary medicine was her calling.  Dr. Hoppe worked as a veterinary technician for several years and graduated from Tufts University...

Dr. Hwang grew up in Los Angeles, then moved north to earn a B.S. in Biology at Stanford University.

Dr. Hwang graduated from Tufts University Vet School in Massachusetts in 2002, then completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York. Prior to joining our staff at the Pacific Heights Campus in September of 2006, she worked as an emergency veterinarian at a specialty and...

 Dr. Amie Knieper grew up in Texas and attended veterinary school at Cornell University in upstate New York before relocating to the favorable climate of the Bay Area. She especially enjoys treating cats and takes pride in the fact that her days are spent improving the lives of her patients.  Dr. Knieper is a staff veterinarian for the Pacific Heights Campus, seeing only feline patients 4 days per week at our Feline Wellness Center...

Dr. Lacey LaVigna grew up on a ranch in the North Bay and was exposed to many species of animals early in life.  This sparked her love and interest in all aspects of animal health and welfare.  With this in mind, she set off to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.  After completing an undergraduate degree in biology from Univeristy of California, San Diego, she earned her veterinary degree at St. Matthew's School of Veterinary...

Dr. Caroline Li joined the SF SPCA Mission Campus veterinary staff in October, 2013. She is a member of our General Practice and Emergency Services Teams. After attending college at Rutgers University in native New Jersey, she worked for the USDA and an environmental consulting firm. 

She arrived in the Bay Area in 2006, via a cross-country journey with her cat, Atticus and Cocker Spaniel, Diego.  While preparing for her...

Dr. Lundy received her Bachelor’s and veterinary medicine degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Dr. Lundy joined the Pets Unlimited (now SF SPCA Pacific Heights Campus) veterinary team in 2006 and has special interests in surgery, emergency and critical care.

Outside of work, she is a national class runner, having competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials, 2007 Pan American Games, and in the...

After growing up in a quiet suburb just outside of Boston, Laurie completed her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University.  She then went on to earn her veterinary degree from Ross University with the completion of her clinical year at Louisiana State.

Laurie originally joined the Pets Unlimited team in 2007 as a full-time staff member and, after a brief leave, returned as a part-time veterinarian dedicated to our PAWS...

Lauren Park majored in Psychology at U.C. Berkeley. After college, she did research and clinical work with adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and other conditions. She became interested in veterinary medicine when she was exposed to the emotional and physical benefits provided her client's by their participation in animal assisted therapy. 

She graduated with highest honors from U.C Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and...

Dr. Sierra was born and raised in the small San Joaquin Valley town of Madera, CA.

After earning his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at UC Davis, he stayed in Davis for Veterinary School, graduating in 2004.  He then completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura.  He joined Pets Unlimited as an associate veterinarian in May 2007. Dr. Sierra...

Dr Jena Valdez fell in love with the Bay Area as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. She is a graduate of Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and is an active volunteer with RAVS, or Rural Area Veterinary Services, a non-profit group which provides veterinary care to underserved areas. Her professional interests include feline medicine, pain management and acupuncture. She is a...

Dr. Emily Young grew up in England, Hong Kong and Spain but returned to the United States for her undergraduate education at Tufts University in Boston, MA, graduating in 2009. She fell in love with New England (even the snow!) but moved to Philadelphia for veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated in 2014. After veterinary school she moved out to California for an internship in small animal...

Registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) assist in the delivery of medical care to patients at the SF SPCA Hospital. RVTs provide nursing care and assist in medical treatments, animal handling, and procedures as directed by staff veterinarians.

The Spay/Neuter Clinic provides high quality, surgical care for over 10,000 patients annually.  Veterinary technicians and assistants provide medical care as directed by staff veterinarians. The administrative and front desk representatives provide support for both clients and staff.

Client service representatives (CSRs) engage clients and the general public in-person and by telephone for the Veterinary Hospital, Shelter Medicine Program, Spay/Neuter Clinic, Community Cats Program, pharmacy, and reception kiosk. CSRs provide administrative support to the medical staff.