VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center

Bios

• Matthew Palmisano

  DVM

  Dr. Palmisano graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing an internship at Oradell Animal Hospital, he returned to OSU to complete his surgical residency and achieved Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) in 2001. Dr. Palmisano's clinical and research interests include the biomechanics of the ACL, Total Hip Replacement, and Wobblers disease. He is available for appointments Monday through Friday. Dr. Palmisano has been with VCA VREC since 2000.

• Beth Whitney

  DVM

  Dr. Whitney was born and raised in New Hampshire. She completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in French from Providence College in 1991. After spending time abroad in Europe and working in a financial institution in New York she decided to pursue her true passion with animals. She then obtained her DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1999. During her four years in veterinary school she spent time in Vietnam and a summer in Indonesia studying orangutans. Dr. Whitney then moved to New York City to complete her Internship and Residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at The Animal Medical Center in 2002. She then received her board certification from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). She currently works at the VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk. Although she enjoys all aspects of internal medicine, her specific interests are in renal, endocrine and gastrointestinal disease and enjoys ultrasound and endoscopic procedures. Dr. Whitney loves spending her free time with her two young daughters, her husband and their Labrador retriever. She loves outdoor activities with her family, yoga, running, and reading and shares a passion for food and travel with her husband. Dr. Whitney has been with VCA VREC since 2002.

• Dianne Kittrell

  DVM

  Dr. Kittrell was born and raised in Massachusetts. She spent the majority of life prior to veterinary school competitively showing Morgan and Saddlebred horses. She graduated from The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. Although she loves horses, she decided to pursue training in small animal medicine. Dr. Kittrell then moved to New York City to complete her Internship and Residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at The Animal Medical Center. Immediately following, she successfully completed certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). She currently works at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, Connecticut, with the Internal Medicine Department. She enjoys diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal, renal and endocrine disorders. She particularly enjoys endoscopic procedures. Her passions outside of work include spending time with her family and traveling. Weekends are spent hiking with her sons, husband, and dog and relaxing with yoga.

• Joseph Stefanacci

  VMD

  Dr. Stefanacci graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and spent the next six years in private practice. He then completed a three year residency in radiology and alternate imaging (ultrasound, CT, MRI and nuclear scintigraphy) at North Carolina State University and became board certified in 1993. Dr. Stefanacci spent the next ten years chairing the Radiology Department at The Animal Medical Center in New York. He has lectured extensively both nationally and internationally. He has worked with VCA VREC since 2003.

• Nina Shoulberg

  DVM

  Dr. Shoulberg is a graduate of Cornell University Veterinary School. Her internship and residency training in dermatology were completed at The Animal Medical Center in New York. Dr. Shoulberg has broad interests that include the diagnosis and treatment of allergic inhalant dermatitis, endocrine-related dermatoses, and the treatment of acral lick dermatitis. A full complement of dermatologic services are available with Dr. Shoulberg here at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center. Intradermal testing for allergic dermatoses, skin biopsy with dermatopathologic evaluation, and hypersensitization vaccination are readily performed. Dr. Shoulberg is available for consultations on Tuesdays and Saturdays at VCA VREC. For more information about Dr. Shoulberg, please visit http://www.ninashoulbergdvm.com/</a>.

• Spencer Lutchen

  DVM

  Spencer Lutchen is an Associate Veterinarian at Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center. He attended and received his veterinary degree from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

• Laura Maston

  DVM

  Laura Maston is an Associate Veterinarian at Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center. She attended and received her veterinary degree from University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She performed her rotating internship at Oklahoma State University.

• April Durtschi

  DVM

  Originally from the desert southwest, Dr. Durtschi graduated from the University of Arizona magna cum laude in microbiology and completed vet school cum laude from Colorado State University in 2002. Following an internship at the Animal Medical Center of New York, Dr. Durtschi worked in emergency and general medicine at VCA Sacramento Animal Medical Group while volunteering at University of California Davis department of cardiology. She went on to complete post graduate research and fellowship at the University of Missouri in gender cardiac and electrophysiology. She was accepted to the University of Tennessee for a cardiology residency and successfully completed her residency and credentials for cardiology specialty. She has received ACVIM board certification in cardiolgoy. She is excited to be a member of the VCA veterinary specialty hospitals. Her interests include feline cardiology, cardiac nutrition, and electrophysiology. Dr. Durtschi joins our future minimally invasive radiology team to provide solutions for cardiac arrhythmias, pacemaker therapy, airway disorders, vascular and chemoembolization therapies, and some congenital cardiac repairs. Current services include heart failure hospitalization and management, electrocardiology, telemetry, holter monitoring, echocardiography and thoracic ultrasound, and digital radiography. Pre-anesthetic, chemotherapy and feline cardiac screenings are offered for your veterinarian to help guide and manage cardiac safety. Dr. Durtschi has flexible night and weekend appointments to best accommodate both clients and referring veterinarians. Contact: <a href="mailto:VRECcardiology@gmail.com">VRECcardiology@gmail.com</a>.

• Elizabeth Cowan

  DVM

  Dr. Elizabeth Cowan, DVM is an Associate Veterinarian with VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center.

• Melissa Salgado

  DVM

  Dr. Melissa Salgado is residency trained in the field of veterinary emergency and critical care. She obtained her degree in veterinary medicine from Cornell University in 2006. After veterinary school, she went on to complete a one year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center. After her internship, she worked as an emergency doctor at the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center until she went on to complete a zoological medicine internship at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. She completed her residency in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ in 2012. She worked at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital until her move to VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center. Dr. Salgado is an avid movie enthusiast and enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters outside of work.

• Margaret Musser

  DVM

  **Coming soon to our VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency family**. Dr. Musser was born and raised in Delaware, Ohio. She received her B.A. cum laude in Biology from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with minors in Chemistry and Theater. After her undergraduate studies, she worked as an oncology veterinary assistant at MedVet in Worthington, Ohio. In 2010 she graduated with honors from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. Dr. Musser then completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal veterinary medicine at VCA West Los Angeles before beginning her residency in medical oncology at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Upon finishing her residency in 2014, she will join the team at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk. In her spare time, Dr. Musser enjoys running, yoga and sailing.