Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group is home to a highly competitive post-graduate internship training program, certified by the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) [1]. VMSG admits only ten veterinarian doctors who have graduated at the top of their respective Veterinary Schools.
These Intern Doctors apply and are placed though the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). [2] They have been chosen to take part in this additional year of intensive training instead of pursuing private practice, in order to gain advanced skills, to go on to Residency or become eligible for board certification.
Interns
Dr. Hillary Conant
Dr. Hillary Conant graduated from UC Santa Barbara with bachelor degrees in Environmental Science and Latin American Studies. She spent a year living in Costa Rica, traveled throughout New Zealand and became certified to scuba dive before attending Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in Indiana. Prior to receiving her DVM, she worked as a veterinary assistant in several small animal practices and volunteered with wildlife and animal shelter organizations in both California and Indiana.
After surviving the icy Midwest winters for four years, Dr. Conant is happy to be back home again, where she, her husband, Bryan, and their three dogs can go backpacking together and play at the beach. They have a crazy but loveable cat, Annie, who reluctantly tolerates the dogs. Dr. Conant feels very fortunate to have discovered her dream job and truly enjoys the art and science of veterinary medicine. In addition to dogs and cats, she has a particularly strong interest in pet birds and hopes to pursue this further following her internship at VMSG.
Dr. Stephanie "Kellye" Harmon
Dr. Kellye Harmon graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1996 with a degree in zoology. She then spent the next 7 years working at a small animal clinic in Santa Barbara prior to attending UC Davis Veterinary School.
Dr. Harmon’s professional interests include internal and critical care medicine as well as business management. When not at work, she enjoys relaxing at the beach and hiking with her great dane Jersey. Her time spent at home is also shared with a handsome orange tabby cat, Riley.
Dr. Harmon is looking forward to staying in Southern California following her internship and is planning on joining a small animal practice in Santa Barbara.
Dr. Daniel Gasso
Dr. Daniel Gasso was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University where he minored in Spanish/Portuguese and Linguistics. He obtained his DVM degree at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in June of 2007.
During his free time, Dr. Gasso enjoys watching movies, spending time with family, playing with his adorable cat Bobby, reading mystery and sci-fi novels, and indulging in reality T.V.
Dr. Gasso has a particular interest in veterinary imaging, and after his internship at VMSG, wishes to pursue a Radiology residency.
Dr. Stephanie Wan
Dr. Stephanie Wan obtained a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of California, Berkeley. Upon graduation, she continued to enjoy the Bay Area while building her veterinary experience through working in general and emergency practices, and getting involved in wildlife rehabilitation. Having spent a couple years away from school, she finally embarked on her journey at UC Davis Veterinary School to realize her dream to become a veterinarian.
Dr. Wan lives with Katya, her feisty feline friend. She enjoys reading, being outdoors, and spending idle afternoons with friends. During her time at UC Davis, Dr. Wan developed a strong interest in small animal medicine, and wildlife conservation and medicine. Her clinical year inspired her to pursue an internship, and she is very excited to become part of the team at VMSG. Dr. Wan is currently debating between an internal medicine and emergency and critical care residency, and would like to eventually settle down in the Bay Area.
Dr. Catherine Welch
Dr. Cathy Welch graduated from Whitworth College with a BA in English and Sociology as well as a teaching credential which she put to use teaching 5thhgrade in northern California. In a twist of fate, her plan of working at the Carter Center in Atlanta with former President Jimmy Carter was derailed, and she found herself happily pursuing a new career in veterinary medicine. Dr. Welch received a BS in Animal Science from UC Davis before attending UC Davis Veterinary School. She is excited to be joining VMSG and looks forward to providing quality medical care with compassion to her patients.
Dr. Welch enjoys tennis, book collecting, traveling and fine art performances. She shares her home with Juliet (a very pretty bluepoint Ragdoll), Musetta (a cuddly black and white domestic shorthair) and Ma Rainey (a seriously silly poodle mix rescued from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina). Dr. Welch is looking to stay in California after her internship at VMSG has been completed. She would like to join a small animal general veterinary practice.
Dr. Sibyl Polanco
Dr. Sibyl Polanco was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA with a BA in Animal Science before attending Western University College of Heath Sciences for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She has 3 dogs Chula, Chiquita and Princess. She enjoys spending any free time with her fiancé, family, friends and dogs. Her other activities include going to the gym and watching movies. Following her internship at VMSG, Dr. Polanco hopes to be working in Southern California in a small animal general practice hospital.
Dr. Laruen Matzuka
Dr. Lauren Matzuka grew up in a small Midwest town an hour and a half south of Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biochemistry in 2003. Upon college graduation, she became a member of the charter class at Western University Veterinary School in Pomona, California. When Dr. Matzuka isn’t attending to the needs of furry friends, she enjoys running half marathons and marathons, going to the beach, dancing, horseback riding, and watching movies. Currently, the two loves in her life are her two cats, Ferguson and Jade.
Dr. Matzuka is delighted to be out of the cold Midwest, and plans on staying in California after her internship. Upon completion of her internship at VMSG, she plans on joining a
small animal general practice that includes treating exotics. After several years of private practice, she may pursue a residence in her special interest of internal medicine.
Dr. Pamela Jeffry
Dr. Pamela Jeffry graduated from James Madison University with a BS in Biology and Chemistry. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Ross University after completing her clinical year at Louisiana State University. In her spare time, Dr. Jeffry enjoys hiking, playing softball, snow skiing and taking photographs of nature. She especially likes spending time at home with her two dogs, a goofy Rottweiler and an energetic rescue from the Caribbean.
Following the completion of her internship at VMSG, Dr. Jeffry is planning to continue her training with a residency in medical and surgical oncology. She is excited about joining the VMSG team and experiencing all that the west coast has to offer.
Dr. Catherine Sohn
Dr. Catherine Sohn was born and raised in Eden Prairie, MN. She graduated from University of Michigan with a B.S. in cellular, molecular biology. Before attending vet school at Western University of Health Sciences, she worked in research at UCLA in a biological chemistry lab. While in vet school, she joined a parasitology lab at UCLA and studied Neospora caninum. In her free time, she enjoys baking, snowboarding and spending time with her bunny, Sophie. Sophie is a very soft and sweet mini Rex. She was adopted from the O.C. shelter during one of her mom’s veterinary externships. Sophie has a fun and energetic personality and loved attention. She goes crazy for carrot tops, and she loves to wake her mom up super early in the morning for breakfast.
Dr. Sohn would like to stay in Southern California after her internship at VMSG. She’s interested in small animal internal medicine and pathology.
Dr. Tiffany Ma
Dr. Tiffany Ma was born and raised in Hong Kong, though her whole family immigrated to San Francisco 10 years ago. She received her BS degree in Animal Science and Management at UC Davis. After taking a year off and working in a 24-hours emergency clinic, she was admitted to the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. She earned her DVM degree in June of 2006, and she worked in a general practice hospital in Bay Area for two months before joining VMSG. She's very excited about being an intern at VMSG as she gets to work with the specialists and receive more advanced hands-on training.
She plans to return to Bay Area to use her trilingual skills (English, Cantonese, and Mandarin) to provide veterinary care to the community upon her completion of the internship program in September of 2007. In her spare time in Ventura, she loves going to the beach to enjoy the sunshine, driving to LA to hang out with her college friends and eat yummy Chinese food, or simply staying home to recharge herself.
