A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Dr. Greer has extensive experience in, but not limited to, the stabilization of severe traumas, intoxications, mechanical ventilation and pain management. As a criticalist, her interests include emergency ultrasound techniques, sepsis and postoperative care.

Dr. Greer is a native Missourian but her family traveled internationally extensively during her
childhood. She returned to Missouri to complete high school and then graduated from Union College in Lincoln, NE. After receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Greer returned to Lincoln accepting a position as an assistant professor of biology at Union College. During the summers, she worked full time in a mixed animal private practice in Missouri and during the school year, part time in a small animal practice in Lincoln. After five years of teaching and working in private practice, Dr. Greer took an internship at the Animal Emergency Center in Glendale, WI. She returned to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine to complete her residency in emergency and critical care, concurrently earning a Master of Science degree.

When she is off-duty, Dr. Greer enjoys traveling, hiking and spending time with her husband and two daughters.

A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Dr. Koors has extensive experience in, but not limited to, the stabilization of severe traumas, intoxications, mechanical ventilation and pain management. His professional interests include trauma, sepsis, and cardiovascular emergencies.

Dr. Koors received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. He moved to Saint Louis after graduation and began his career as an emergency doctor gaining valuable experience at a local emergency clinic. In 2008, Dr. Koors
accepted a one year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Northbrook, Illinois. He then moved back to Saint Louis and commenced a three year residency in emergency and critical care here at Veterinary Specialty Services. After successful completion of his residency, Dr. Koors remained on staff at VSS to provide the highest level of care to the most critical patients in the Saint Louis area.

When not at work, Dr. Koors enjoys spending time with his wife (who is also a veterinarian), three kids, and Labrador retriever. You may find him attending a Cardinals game, or traveling the world in search of the perfect beach or bottle of wine.

Dr. Mays is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and has special clinical interest and research experience in trauma resuscitation, transfusion therapy, and disorders of coagulation. Following graduation from University of Illinois in 2008, she was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. She completed a year-long internship at the Military Working Dog Veterinary Service, a specialty hospital exclusively for government-owned animals. The following year she was deployed to Iraq where she served as the Officer in charge of the sole working dog medical and surgical hospital in Iraq. Following her return, she spent time as Commander of a deployable veterinary unit before transitioning to U.S. Army Special Operations Command as a Civil Affairs Veterinarian. She deployed to Afghanistan during this assignment where she worked with government officials and rural Afghan farmers, veterinarians and midwives to develop sustainable agriculture and public health programs.

After over five years in the Army, Dr. Mays returned to academia to pursue her passion for critical care medicine at NC State University. She has ongoing research in trauma hemostasis and development of novel transfusion products and strategies. She serves as a consultant for a biotechnology company dedicated to blood cell stabilization for both humans and animals. Additional clinical and research interests include implementation of ICU quality improvement programs, geriatric medicine, and delivery of humane and ethical critical care.

Dr. Mays enjoys laughing and hanging out with her husband and extended family, running, cycling, and pursuing sustainable agriculture on their homestead. She feels blessed to be able to care for people and their pets in times of greatest need. Dr. Mays continues her military service as a veterinarian in the Army Reserves.

Dr. Sherman joined VSS on May 20, 2013 as an emergency and critical care veterinarian.

A native Saint Louisan, Dr. Sherman graduated from Westminster Christian Academy. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. After graduation, Dr. Sherman began her career as an emergency doctor gaining valuable experience at Veterinary Specialty Services. With a desire to advance her medical skills and a dedication to the human-animal bond, Dr. Sherman choose VSS for her three year residency in emergency and critical care because of their commitment to and advance of the team approach for exceptional veterinary care.

Dr. Sherman and her husband currently have two hound dogs and a cat who runs the show.

Dr. Blake Sutton grew up in Everett, Washington. Dr. Sutton received his bachelors of science from the University of Notre Dame and his doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at VCA Aurora outside of Chicago and plans to pursue a residency in emergency and critical care.
Dr. Sutton shares his home with his wife, a pediatric resident as St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and his cat Eevee. He enjoys cooking and traveling in his free time.

Dr. Broyles joined VSS on April 4, 2009 as an emergency and critical care veterinarian driven by the desire to work collaboratively with specialists in order to optimize patient care. She has an undying compassion and her commitment to provide excellent care for her patients is of highest priority.

Dr. Broyles received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. In veterinary school, Dr. Broyles took both emergency and surgical electives during her clinical rotations. She also used her off-site rotations to observe emergency surgeries and medical cases at a local emergency facility. With over seventeen years of emergency experience, she is thankful for the opportunity at VSS to work with such dedicated doctors and technicians and is proud to be able to provide emergency care after hours.

Dr. Broyles’ husband, Damon, is a primary care physician in town. In their free time, they enjoy hiking, sailing, camping and rock climbing with their three children. Dr. Broyles is also involved in church activities, is a Girl Scout leader, room mom and chauffeur for multiple sports and music activities. At home they have two dogs, three cats (all rescues) and twelve chickens.

Dr. Jennifer Eisele graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. After completing her doctoral degree, she went into private practice for 5.5 years before joining Veterinary Specialty Services Emergency Center in 2012. She loves bringing the highest quality of care to her patients and having the support of the doctors and staff at VSS. She finds that emergency care can be very complicated but rewarding as the collaborative approach employed at VSS provides the patient with the best care.

Dr. Eisele’s husband, Dr. Howard Eisele, is also a veterinarian who currently works in private practice. They have 2 children and love outdoor activities such as horseback riding and travelling in their free time. They currently enjoy the company of two dogs, one cat and six horses.

Dr. Zufall joined VSS on June 5, 2015 as an emergency and critical care veterinarian. Her professional areas of interest include surgery, trauma and intoxications.

Dr. Zufall earned her Bachelor of Science in pre-medicine from the University of Dayton. She then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, Dr. Zufall began her career as an emergency doctor at VSS.

Dr. Zufall was born and raised in Ballwin, Missouri. She and her husband recently welcomed a baby boy. They have an eleven year old poodle mix named Josie and a one year old cat named Chloe. In her free time, Dr. Zufall enjoys spending time with her twin sister and family, restoring furniture and watching Friends.

Dr. Nichols received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from St. Matthew’s University and completed his clinical rotation at North Carolina State University. During his time at St. Matthew’s, he volunteered with the Grand Cayman Department of Environment assisting in monitoring, cataloging, and releasing green sea turtles.

After completing his doctorate, he moved back home to St. Louis in 2011 where he joined VSS as an emergency doctor and has been practicing with us ever since.

Outside of emergency medicine, Dr. Nichols enjoys scuba diving, nature and wildlife photography, backpacking through national parks, and spending time at home with his dogs Sashi, Cookie, and Jack, and cat Tinkerbell.

Dr. Beverly Thompson has always been a science and animal lover. After she received her Bachelor’s degree, she earned a Post Baccalaureate in Zoos and Aquaria at Shedd Aquarium prior to deciding to return to academia for her doctorate degree. She studied Veterinary Medicine at University of Missouri. During her time there, she was a part of several research projects working with criticalists in the ICU. She dabbled in general practice following graduation, but her desire and love for emergency medicine brought her to VSS.

During her time away from work, she enjoys traveling, tennis, hiking and exploring new places. She has two dogs who are very demanding of her time, Oreo Francis and Gemma Marie.

Dr. Katrina Pioli earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to her academic and clinical work at the University of Illinois, Dr. Pioli gained valuable surgical experience at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Also, Dr. Pioli has travelled internationally to provide animal care and surgical services in under-served areas.

Prior to attending veterinary medicine school, Dr. Pioli earned her Bachelor of Science in animal sciences with a minor in chemistry. During her undergraduate education, Dr. Pioli worked at the University of Illinois Dairy Research Farm and also earned a biology research fellowship.

Outside of work, Dr. Pioli enjoys exploring St. Louis parks and trails with her two dogs, Clark and Kenyon.

Dr. Kelly Joseph received her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois. She has had a passion for emergency medicine since the beginning of her veterinary career and has a special interest in shelter medicine and animal rescue.
Before becoming an Illini, Dr. Joseph attended Iowa State University for three years where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.
In her free time, Dr. Joseph enjoys gardening, reading, exploring new places with her dogs, and trail running. She lives with her husband and two black lab mixes, Lotus and Dahlia.

Dr. Swatek joined VSS on June 1, 2016 as an emergency and critical care veterinarian. Within the field of emergency veterinary medicine, Dr. Swatek enjoys treating patients in need of surgical intervention as well as trauma patients.

Dr. Swatek completed his undergraduate coursework at Northwest Missouri State University with a major in pre-professional zoology. He then received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. As a native St. Louisan, Dr. Swatek was happy to come back home to begin his career as an emergency veterinarian gaining 5 years of valuable experience at Associated Veterinary Specialists. With a desire to advance his skills and to work collaboratively with specialists in order to optimize patient care, Dr. Swatek embraced the opportunity and the challenges of working with the team at VSS.

Dr. Swatek’s wife, Dr. Melanie Santiago, is a primary care veterinarian with emergency and critical care experience. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with their son and with their extended family that includes 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Dr. Bowen joined VSS on August 15, 2016 as an emergency and critical care veterinarian. Her professional areas of interest, in addition to emergency medicine, include preventative medicine, geriatrics, hospice, and end-of-life care.

Dr. Bowen received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. She began her veterinary career at a busy private practice in Brentwood, Missouri, where she gained three years of valuable general practice experience. Dr. Bowen brought to VSS her a passion for educating pet parents and providing the gold standard of medical care in a team-oriented environment.

Prior to beginning her veterinary studies, Dr. Bowen worked as an administrative assistant for the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, and she has over ten years of professional experience outside of veterinary medicine. Growing up in rural Missouri, Dr. Bowen was always surrounded by the family’s menagerie of animals, which included their pet cats and dogs, in addition to the cows, pigs, and chickens raised for food. She even helped care for an occasional orphaned squirrel and raccoon. While working at the University of Missouri, Dr. Bowen attended evening classes to complete her undergraduate studies. In 2008, she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and was accepted into veterinary school the following year.

Dr. Bowen currently resides in Maplewood with her two cats, a hound mix and an energetic Labrador retriever mix, all rescues. In her free time she enjoys taking the dogs for walks around Maplewood, going to concerts, reading, drawing, and powerlifting.

Dr. Abby Whiting earned her bachelor’s from Saint Louis University and her DVM from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

She joined Veterinary Specialty Services in March of 2018 after 7 years in private practice. Her areas of special interest include: pain management, care of working dogs, exotics, and surgery.

She was the previous recipient of the Student Surgery Award for excellence in small animal surgery, The Mary T. Wernert Award for exhibiting a high standard of patient care, and the Virginia Busch scholarship for integrity, leadership, and character.

She spends her days with her two Boston Terriers, “Piglet” (an albino) and “Bean”. When not at work she enjoys hiking, kayaking, cooking, and traveling.

Dr. Bria Ozment earned her Doctorate from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ozment grew to love emergency medicine as well as surgery, taking elective courses and completing externships in emergency and critical care as well as shelter medicine.

Dr. Ozment received her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Southern Illinois University. She received a research grant for work on a mouse model of neurodegenerative disease during her undergraduate education.

In her free time, Dr. Ozment enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening, and trying new restaurants in the St. Louis area with her Fiancé. They live with a menagerie of rescue pets including four hounds, three felines, and a hedgehog.

James Lee is a graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, with an interest in surgery and emergency medicine. He was a member of the Raptor Rehabilitation Project during all four years of veterinary school, and has an interest in avian medicine and wildlife rehabilitation. He was part of the Veterinary Research Scholars Program, where he studied the possible use of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy using current clinical equipment.

He graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked in his spare time with the Energy Biotechnology Institute, assisting in research for alternative energy sources from soy and prairie grasses. He was also one of the founding members of the Illini Automotive Group, an official club of the University who’s mission is to educate and assist students in learning and driving in motorsports.

In his spare time, he enjoys automotive racing of all kinds, rock climbing or fishing in the summer, and skiing in the winter. He married his old anatomy lab partner and classmate, Donna, and lives with three dogs and two cats.