vca sfvs 2011-2012 interns (l to r: allison, sarah, kelby, elyse, sam, heidi)
Each summer, VCA SFVS welcomes a new intern class – graduates of top veterinary schools from around the country who want to pursue advanced postgraduate clinical training.
Our new intern class looks forward to meeting VCA SFVS clients and their pets, as well as working with our referring veterinarians! This year’s intern class includes:
Elyse Hammer, DVM
Elyse grew up in northern California. She started working as a vet tech in high school and got her bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of California at Davis in 2007, before being accepted to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is especially interested in internal medicine and emergency. In her spare time, she enjoys running and spending time with her fiancé and cat, Nyla.
Heidi Holley, DVM
Heidi is originally from Colorado and Wyoming, but has lived in Germany, Boston and Wisconsin prior to moving to San Francisco. Heidi received her B.S. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2007. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. Heidi is especially interested in internal medicine, emergency medicine and neurology. She enjoys traveling, reading and hiking, as well as spending time with friends, family and her two cats, Felix and Liesy.
Sarah Hughes, DVM
Sarah grew up in Mount Prospect, Ill. She received a B.S. in animal science and her DVM from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Sarah is interested in pursuing a residency after completing her internship. In her free time, Sarah enjoys baking and cake decorating, knitting, reading, playing with her cat, and exploring San Francisco with her husband.
Samantha Keat, DVM
Sam was born and raised in central New Jersey. After high school, she took a year off to travel to Costa Rica and volunteer for the national park system doing turtle conservation work. She went to New York University, where she majored in Africana studies with a concentration in Swahili. She minored in chemistry and biology while she fulfilled her prerequisites for veterinary school. She graduated from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in May 2011. She is interested in exotic pet medicine, ophthalmology and oncology. Sam is looking forward to spending a year in San Francisco before moving back to the East Coast.
Allison Ong, DVM
Allison received her B.S. in animal sciences from the University of Hawaii in 2004. After working as a research assistant for several years, she decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and attended Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Originally born and raised in Honolulu, Allison ultimately wants to be a general practitioner and return to the island of Oahu. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking and exploring new places.
Kelby Simison, DVM
Kelby received a B.A. in chemistry from Mills College and an M.S. in polymer chemistry and engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi. She received her DVM from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Kelby’s goal is to become a general practitioner with interests in pain management, dentistry, dermatology, surgery and emergency medicine. When not at work, Kelby enjoys watching films, reading, dance and exploring San Francisco. She shares her space with her Chihuahua and teacup poodle, while her llamas, cats and Scottish deerhound live at her family’s country home.
