Hospital

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jena Valdez oversees our most innovative and impactful veterinary care programs, which are designed to offer quality, compassionate care to shelter animals and affordable, non-judgmental veterinary care to clients and their pets.

In addition to overseeing veterinary services at the SF SPCA, Dr. Valdez pioneered the launch of the Community Veterinary Clinic, a first-of-its-kind, preventative care center in San Francisco’s Excelsior district (a longstanding veterinary-resource desert). She is also working to export the scalable Community Clinic model to under-resourced communities throughout California.

A graduate of Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Valdez has extensive experience in private practice, sheltering, and high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter services. She’s a nationally recognized advocate for increasing access to veterinary care and increasing diversity within the fields of veterinary medicine and animal welfare.

Dr. Valdez shares her San Francisco home with her husband, their ball-obsessed Dachshund mix, and a regal brown tabby.

When I was a kid, my father started a veterinarian-technician training program at a local community college. I would go with him to work and was fascinated by the animals there and the profession in general. As soon as I expressed interest in becoming a veterinarian, he encouraged me to explore my interest whenever the opportunity arose. Today, I’m so lucky to have realized my childhood dream.

Upon graduating from college, I knew I wanted to work with animals, but I wasn’t sure in what capacity, because I also wanted to start a family. I found work in a small animal hospital with women who were both mothers and vets. I quickly saw that becoming a veterinarian would allow me to have a rewarding career and be a mother at the same time. Today, I am both, and I love it!

It’s important to me to be of service to my community and the people around me. I believe in supporting pet parents with the knowledge they need to care for their pets and to provide a wide spectrum of care to every patient, no matter their socio-economic status.

What I enjoy most about being a veterinarian is being able to interact daily with so many different animal patients. My days are never the same. In addition, I love working at a hospital where the goal is to support families and their pets, no matter their socioeconomic status, and to provide access to care for all animals in the San Francisco area.

My parents sparked my passion for working with animals. When my father had the chance to meet Jane Goodall, a revolutionary in the field of animal behavior, he brought back a postcard she signed for me. It read: “Ana Clara, together, we can make the world a better place.” I knew then that I wanted to study veterinary medicine and learn as much as possible about animal behavior to help pets and their people. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do this at the SF SPCA.

Even though I’ve been practicing veterinary medicine since 1993, I still enjoy being with, observing, and working with animals and wildlife. I love drawing on my own personal and work experiences to connect with our clients and have a positive impact on people and their pets. 

As a child, I rescued stray kittens, injured squirrels, and skunks; and I always took note when our own pets were sick. Throughout my life, my father repeatedly told me I should pursue veterinary medicine. Finally, after graduating from college, I listened to him, and I have never looked back.

It wasn’t until I rescued my first dog in college that I thought about becoming a veterinarian. He was a sick puppy and was frequently in and out of the vet hospital near my house. I feel in love with him instantly and was drawn to the camaraderie of the veterinary field. Dogs make the world a better place and I’m beyond grateful to get to meet and help so many new ones each day!

I love working with animals on a daily basis, and I enjoy teaching their people how to keep them healthy and prevent future medical problems. I love the detective work of solving a mystery and learning new surgeries and techniques to help clients who might not be able to afford specialty-level care. I’m also excited to support healthy communities by teaching a new generation of veterinarians to provide compassionate care for all animals.

During college, I worked at an animal rescue center in a Guatemalan jungle. I was so inspired by the veterinarians who took care of rescued wildlife there, I decided to become a veterinarian.