Dr. Melani Poundstone graduated from Colorado State University in 1989. She practiced small animal medicine and surgery at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital from 1989 until 1992 and then at Tender Care Veterinary Medical Center from 1992 to 1994. She joined Hampden Family Pet Hospital in 1995 and became co-owner of the practice in January 1996. Dr. Poundstone earned her board certification in canine and feline practice in 1999 and holds an ABVP Diplomat status. Her current interests include small animal dentistry, internal medicine and soft tissue surgery. She has a wonderful daughter Jordan who lives in San Francisco. She shares her house with her dog Tiana.

Dr. Melissa Etheridge received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1999. She previously received her MA in international Environmental Law from Tufts University and BA from Colorado College. After graduation, she completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, California.

Prior to entering small animal practice, she worked with the Jane Goodall Institute in Uganda and as a legislative aid for the US Senate. Her interests include minimally invasive surgery, including laparoscopy and endoscopy, dentistry and internal medicine.

She is a proud mom to daughters Mara and Ella, cats Libby and Princess, and her dog Woody. When she is not in the clinic, she enjoys skiing, swimming, hiking and surfing with her kids.

Melissa Etheridge DVM, MA

Dr. Glawe was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Northern Arizona University where he obtained a B.S. in Zoology with a pre-professional emphasis and a minor in Chemistry. He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1993. Following graduation, he joined a progressive, multi-doctor hospital in Phoenix and served as the senior associate veterinarian for over 6 years. In 2000, he returned to Colorado and joined a unique, non-profit hospital dedicated to providing advanced-level veterinary care to underserved clients. As a result of his medical directorship and clinical training of fourth year veterinary medical students, he earned an affiliate faculty position at Colorado State University. He became board certified through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2001. His professional interests include orthopedic and minimally invasive soft tissue surgery. His wife, Phyllis is a practicing veterinary oncologist and the couple has two sons. Their current furry family consists of two dogs and one cat. Their family enjoys being outdoors and taking advantage of the wonderful Colorado seasons. Dr. Glawe is an avid skier and road cyclist.

Chris Glawe DVM, Diplomate ABVP

Dr Watterud grew up knowing she wanted to be a veterinarian. She was fortunate to have that goal realized in 1989 when she graduated with a DVM from CSU.

After graduation, she practiced in Southern California for 3 years. She returned to the Denver area in 1992 and has been with Hampden Family Pet Hospital since 1999.

Her current family includes, Lynyrd the curmudgeon cat, and litter mates “Bob” Seger & Zevon (who are much less curmudgeonly). Although she does not currently have a canine of her own, she has many friends with dogs, who allow her to live vicariously through them.

Her focus at HFPH is general practice, preventative care and establishing long term relationships with her patients.

Dr. Phyllis C. Glawe, a Board Certified Veterinary Oncologist with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), is now available at the Hampden facility to consult, perform diagnostic evaluations and provide treatment options for cancer patients.

Dr. Phyllis Glawe acquired her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 from The Ohio State University. Following completion of an internship at North Carolina State University, she entered into the medical oncology residency program at Colorado State University. Dr. Glawe completed her residency and board certification requirements for the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in 1993. She has practiced oncology for 22 years and has lived in Colorado for the past 15 years. Her particular interests include novel chemotherapeutic and immunologic therapies for cancer patients as well as palliative care for oncology patients.

Oncology
Dr. Phyllis Glawe, DVM MS, Diplomate ACVIM, Specialty of Oncology

Dr. Strauss is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. He practiced as a family veterinarian for two years before starting his Dermatology Residency. In 2004 he became a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist. He returned to Colorado in 2005 to work at the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado. After four years as an associate veterinarian, Dr. Strauss opened his own veterinary dermatology practice in Northern Colorado. As a graduate of Niwot High School, Dr. Strauss is excited to be returning to the area he grew up in.

Dr. Strauss is happily married with two daughters, two dogs and one cat. Sugar is a four-year-old German Shepherd and Daisy is a two-year-old, three-legged Pit Bull. Daisy was adopted after she was abandoned at the clinic with severe injuries from a car accident. Despite her significant injuries, she remained the sweetest dog. Pixel is a six-year-old cat that was rescued from euthanasia at an animal shelter (literally plucked out of the death chamber by Dr. Strauss's technician).

Dermatology
Dr. Tim Strauss, DVM Diplomate ACVD

Dr. Jennifer Grimm received her DVM degree from the University of Illinois in 1998. After a year in small animal practice, she returned to the University of Illinois to complete a three-year residency in radiology. Dr. Grimm is board certified in veterinary radiology and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology. After working as an associate professor of radiology at the University of Illinois for two years, she moved to Colorado to work for Diagnostic Imaging, P.C. She shares her home with her husband, also a veterinarian, three dogs, and three cats.

Carrie received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. She then went on to a small animal internship at the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Following her internship, Carrie completed a combined cardiology residency and Masters program at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. Immediately following her residency, she achieved board certification in the discipline of veterinary cardiology through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. During her time at Purdue, Carrie was thoroughly trained in echocardiography, the clinical discipline of veterinary cardiology and catheter-based techniques that offer minimally invasive options at correcting congenital heart disease. She has also performed research and published articles related to many aspects of veterinary cardiology. Topics she has covered include therapy for Atrial Fibrillation, anticoagulant therapy and pacemaker patients. Although she enjoyed her research, she is much happier pursuing her primary interest of helping family veterinarians and pet owners diagnose and treat their pets with heart disease. She has a special interest in the clinical treatment of Congestive Heart Failure, Congenital Heart Disease and Electrophysiology (including the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias).

Carrie is enjoying living in Summit County with her husband Rob, dog Hailey and cat Sophie. She does her best to take advantage of all that the beautiful state of Colorado has to offer.

Dr. Fick grew up in suburban Chicago and realized at a very young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

She completed her undergraduate training at Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota, where she majored in Biology. She attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota, graduating at the top of her class. She was then selected for a one-year rotating internship in Emergency, Medicine, and Surgery at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After the internship, she returned to the University of Minnesota for a three year Residency Program in Surgery.

Upon completion of her Residency, Dr. Fick accepted a Clinical Instructor position at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. During her year in Florida, she completed and passed the credentialing examination to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Following her dream of living in Colorado, Dr. Fick next accepted a position with Flatiron Veterinary Specialists in Longmont, where she worked both as a mobile surgeon in the northern Front Range, as well as a staff surgeon within the Longmont hospital for two years. She was then offered a position at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, where she worked as a staff surgeon for five and half years.

Dr. Fick joined Front Range Mobile Surgical Specialists in January 2014 and is happy to offer mobile surgical services to hospitals along the Front Range. Her passion is orthopedics, including fracture repair, TPLO, and arthroscopy, but she also brings a wide variety of soft tissue and neurologic surgical experience to the table. She understands the importance of developing great working relationships with referring veterinarians, and strives to achieve great client service and communication.

Dr. Fick lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, German Shepherd, and two cats. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, hiking, and running.

Dr. Sylvia Berns was born in Rochester, New York and grew up in Orlando, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors in Animal Sciences and a minor in Spanish in 2012. She then received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida in 2016 (Go Gators!).

She has always enjoyed working with animals, but even more-so enjoys seeing the bonds we have with our pets. The best part of her job is being able to help and take care of someone’s best friend.

After graduation, Dr. Berns worked at Seven Hills Animal Hospital in Aurora. She joined the Hampden Family Pet Hospital team in the spring of 2017. Her professional interests include preventative medicine, internal medicine, dentistry, and soft tissue surgery.

In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, camping, live music, and spending time with her friends and family. She currently shares her home with a sweet four-year-old Retriever-Collie mix named Lizzy.

Dr. Tracie Grubb has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder in the field of Kinesiology (the analysis of human movement). While working in the corporate world, she made the decision to follow her true dream of becoming a veterinarian. Dr. Grubb has been involved in the veterinary industry since 1999. In 2008, she was able to pursue her goal of becoming a veterinarian as a graduate of Colorado State University.

Dr. Grubb worked in a thriving small animal practice in the Denver area until 2013. She then spent two years working with a local company that manufactures veterinary orthotic and prosthetic devices for patients with orthopedic, neurologic, and/or congenital challenges affecting their mobility. This opportunity allowed her to gain insight on canine biomechanics and pain management while improving her patients' mobility and quality of life... Little did she know, she had come full circle and was now analyzing movement once again, but this time, for her veterinary patients.

Dr. Grubb is a certified canine rehabilitation therapist and veterinary acupuncturist at Hampden Family Pet Hospital. She is excited to meet you and help your pets move and feel better.

Tracie Grubb DVM, CCRT, cVMA

Dr. Christina Suhr was born in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in Michigan and Florida. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Louisiana State University where she was also part of the women's gymnastics team. After graduation she returned to Florida where she obtained her doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Florida in 2014. She moved across the country to beautiful Colorado shortly after graduation to perform a rotating internship in internal medicine and general surgery at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital and Veterinary Specialists. After her internship she worked as an associate veterinarian in Broomfield, Colorado prior to joining the team at Hampden Family Pet Hospital in 2018.

Dr. Suhr's veterinary interests include soft tissue surgery, dentistry, oncology and acupuncture. She recently became a certified veterinary acupuncturist through the Chi Institute and appreciates the many benefits for her patient’s health through the integrated practice of Eastern and western based medicine.

In her free time Dr. Suhr loves rock climbing, road and mountain biking, hiking and camping in colorful Colorado. She shares her home with her boyfriend and favorite orange tabby, Mr. Gumbeaux Finnegan.

Christina Suhr DVM, CVA

Dr. Rachel Lauria is a Colorado native. She stayed in Colorado to complete two bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences and Microbiology at Colorado State University in 2007. Pursuing her love of animals, she earned her veterinary degree at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.

Caring for animals has always been Rachel’s passion. She feels fortunate to be able to spend her life caring for and hopefully bettering the lives of all animals. She understands the important roles pets play in people’s lives and she treats her patients as if they were her own.

Rachel previously worked at Cherry Knolls veterinary clinic before joining Hampden Family Pet Hospital in the spring of 2018. She is thrilled to be a part of the team. Her current professional interests include preventative medicine, internal medicine, small animal dentistry, and soft tissue surgery.

Outside of the hospital she enjoys traveling, spending time outside, hiking, cooking and spending time with her dogs Bosco (Coconut Retriever) and Winston (Cattle Dog/Boxer mix), and her cat Tip (Domestic Short Hair).

Dr. Jeremiah Moorer grew up in South Georgia and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2008. He completed a 1 year rotating internship at Texas A&M University after graduation. He then spent 1 year at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center as a surgical intern before obtaining a residency in small animal surgery at Oklahoma State University. He completed the 3 year residency at OSU in 2013 and stayed on for a year as faculty. During that time he also passed the ACVS certification examination in 2014 to become board-certified in small animal surgery. After leaving OSU, Dr. Moorer spent 3 years in San Antonio in a multi-specialty hospital performing soft tissue, orthopedic, and neurologic surgeries. Dr. Moorer has been married to his wife since 2010 and they have a rambunctious 4 year old son. In his spare time Dr. Moorer enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, camping, hunting, and training for triathlons.

Dr. Julie Nelson grew up in Chicagoland Illinois. She received her Bachelor’s in Animal Science as well as her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She moved to Colorado shortly after graduation and completed a year-long rotating specialty internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. Dr. Nelson’s professional interests include soft tissue surgery, dentistry, ophthalmology, and radiology.

In her free time Dr. Nelson can be found attending many shows at Red Rocks, on the hiking trails with her dog Banjo, traveling the world, enjoying local breweries, or spending time at home with her boyfriend and their other 4 dogs and a cat! 

Mamie graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota. Her background in human physical therapy was in outpatient orthopedics and sports medicine with a manual therapy emphasis. In 2011, she received her certification as a Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, and in 2013, formed her company Dog Rehab Works-a mobile canine rehab service based in Aurora, CO. She is a faculty member at Canine Rehabilitation Institute. In her free time she enjoys fly fishing, hiking, water color painting, and hanging out with her 2 dogs.

Dr. Emily Bégin grew up on Long Island, New York and received her Bachelor of Science in Molecular/Cellular Biology with a minor in Psychology at Quinnipiac University in 2014. After graduation she moved to Columbus, Ohio to earn her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University in 2019 (Go Bucks!). She soon after moved across the country and began her career as a mixed animal practitioner on the eastern plains of Colorado.

Dr. Bégin joined the Hampden Family Pet Hospital team in early 2020, and her professional interests include behavior, preventative care, surgery, and internal medicine.

When not in the office, Dr. Bégin spends most of her free time practicing yoga, hiking, camping, skiing, checking out local live music, and exploring Denver’s colorful food/brewery scene with friends. She has two black cats named Margaery Tyrell and Peter Starlord Quill, a labrador mix named Forrest, and a three-legged blue heeler named Podrick.