Our Veterinarians, Technicians, and Staff
Home » Our Veterinarians, Technicians, and Staff
Dr. Mark Gottschalk – Veterinarian
Dr. Mark Gottschalk grew up on a family farm in Hays Kansas. After graduating Veterinary school in 1987 from Kansas State University, Dr. Gottschalk spent one year in the Caribbean in small animal practice and eventually settled in Richmond, Virginia.
He worked for Dr. Stephen Lickey at Lakeside Animal Hospital for ten years before opening Wellesley Animal Hospital in 2001 with his wife Dr. Kelly Gottschalk. Dr. Gottschalk has recently completed an acupuncture course at Colorado State and is now certified in veterinary acupuncture. During his time off Dr. Gottschalk enjoys K-State football (Go Wildcats!), golf, playing softball with his church, and spending time with his family which includes his wife and business partner, two children Rachel and Jacob, their four- legged crew of three dogs and one cat, and a cockatiel.Continue Reading
Dr. Kelly Gottschalk – Veterinarian
Dr. Kelly Gottschalk is a 1987 graduate of Texas A&M. Her first two years out of veterinary school were spent in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and then in Washington D.C. Her true love has always been zoo animal medicine and she moved to Richmond, Virginia to pursue this career.
Dr. Kelly Gottschalk has worked both in small animal medicine and zoo animal medicine until opening Wellesley Animal Hospital with her husband, Dr Mark Gottschalk in 2001. She served on the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association’s executive board as the secretary/treasurer from 2005-2009 and has recently taken over as the VVMA’s legislative chair. Dr. Gottschalk was appointed by the governor of Virginia to the Board of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and will serve a four year term. Clearly she is dedicated to her profession and recently was recognized by her colleagues with the Paul F. Landis Virginia Veterinarian of the Year award. In her free time she enjoys reading, running, and volunteering at her children’s school.Continue Reading
Dr. Kirsten Keller-Biehl – Veterinarian
Or “Dr. KB”, grew up in Hudson Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. She worked in the equestrian industry for most of her childhood, which lead her to pursue a degree in Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University.
From there, she continued her education as a member of the class of 2016 at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During her veterinary education, she pursued extra opportunities to enhance her skills with avian and exotic animals both in the USA and abroad. She worked for 2 years at an integrative small animal and exotic practice in southwest Ohio, where her passion for providing excellent quality care for all creatures great and small grew. Some of her additional professional interests include surgery, dentistry, holistic/integrative medicine, and cytology. Dr. KB resides resides in Richmond with her husband Lucas, who is a human doctor. Together they enjoy traveling/exploring new places, outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking, and spending time with their 2 rescue labrador retrievers, Gabby and Sam.Continue Reading
Dr. Allison Robbins – Veterinarian
Dr. Alli Robbins (maiden name Dr. Schnurrer) grew up in rural Minnesota on a hobby farm riding horses and raising poultry. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. When she wasn’t studying, Alli kept busy during vet school volunteering at the Gabbort Raptor Center rehabilitating birds of prey.
Alli served on the Foal Team helping care for hospitalized foals, was elected Class Representative, served on the Student Council, and was president of the Canine Club. After graduation, Dr. Robbins pursued advanced training in small animal medicine and surgery at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York – the top-ranked veterinary school in the country. Dr. Robbins moved to the Richmond area after her internship at Cornell and joined Veterinary Referral and Critical Care limiting her practice to emergency and critical care. Emergency medicine was exhilarating and rewarding, but after a few years, Dr. Alli longed for the opportunity to develop meaningful, lasting relationships with her patients and their people. Wellesley Animal Hospital combined top quality medicine with compassionate, loving care, and she has been proud to practice family medicine at WAH since 2012. Dr. Robbins’ professional interests include internal medicine, pediatrics, pain management, avian medicine, dentistry, and behavior. What most excites her about her work is the impact on welfare she can make within families – both for pets and their people. Dr. Robbins approaches animal health care with a holistic viewpoint that integrates the unique needs of each pet and their human loved ones. She strives to “hold a lantern” for her patients (and their people) while they navigate the trials and celebrations of their lives. When she is not saving lives with the fantastic team at WAH Alli enjoys camping, hiking, cooking, and a blossoming obsession with gardening. Alli and her husband Danny start more than 50 varieties of vegetables, annuals, and perennials from seed in their laundry room each spring. They share their home with two grouchy but beloved old kitties. Alli Robbins will be available for sick animal and wellness appointments and surgery most days during the week and some Saturdays.Continue ReadingAs a student, she was awarded the American College of Veterinary Radiology Award, Nestle Purina PetCare Nutrition Award, and the University of Minnesota Friends of the CVM Scholarship (recipient selected by classmates for service to the CVM community).
Dr. Evan Apotheker – Veterinarian
Dr. Evan Apotheker (Dr. Evan) is a Connecticut native who took a meandering path through Indiana, Wisconsin and Arizona before moving to and falling in love with Richmond.
Dr. Evan received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Purdue University in Indiana and completed a post-graduate internship in emergency and critical care at the Animal Emergency Center in Milwaukee. He worked in both day practice and a local emergency clinic before joining Wellesley. He has a deep love for veterinary medicine and wanted to be a veterinarian since he knew what one was. With his background in emergency medicine he is a jack of all trades but has a particular interest in orthopedics, dentistry and geriatrics. Outside of work he keeps busy kayaking, woodworking, gardening and trying to keep from getting too many projects started around his house. He occasionally runs road races as an Abraham Lincoln look alike. His pet family stars a very happy golden mix named Sorkin and two trouble making cats named Archie and the Fonz. He is very proud to be part of the Wellesley team and be here for your furry, feathered or scaled family.Continue Reading
Dr. Lucy Haile – Veterinarian
Dr. Lucy Haile is from Bicester, England and she graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London. She moved to Virginia in August 2016 to be with her husband, Alex.
Her first few months here were spent at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. She then joined Pender Exotics Veterinary Centre where she worked as an exotic animal veterinarian for the past year. Lucy’s passions are exotic animal medicine and preventive care and she is keen to encourage wellness and routine visits in all your pets whether they be furred, feathered or scaled! In her spare time, Lucy continues to volunteer at the Wildlife Center of Virginia and helps run Operation Catnip; a charity for feral cats.Continue Reading
Katie Smith – Office Manager
The Office Manager at Wellesley Animal Hospital is the “glue” that holds the practice together, performing a variety of tasks. She is the liaison between the doctors and the staff. She meets with vendors to learn about new products and technology.
She coordinates the schedules for the clinic and all employees. She orders all supplies and special foods, and with staff assistance tracks inventory. She also plans educational activities, staff development, training and social events. She is the chief problem solver for many intangible issues which crop up on a daily basis in a busy practice.Continue Reading
Licensed Veterinary Technicians
At Wellesley Animal Hospital our veterinarians rely on Licensed Veterinary Technicians just as your human physician would rely on their nurse. Our LVT’s play a vital role in your pet’s health care.
LVT’s earn an Associate degree in Veterinary Technology and must pass a National Board Exam. They are regulated by the Board of Veterinary Medicine and are required to obtain six hours of continuing education each year. Tasks performed by LVT’s include: filling your pet’s prescription medications (including heartworm and flea products); performing in-house laboratory procedures (blood tests, fecal tests, urinalysis); monitoring anesthesia and assisting during surgeries; nursing care for hospitalized patients; and providing clients with post-op instructions. LVT’s also see appointments for nail trims, anal gland expression, and subcutaneous fluid administration.Continue Reading
Reception Staff
Our friendly reception staff at Wellesley Animal Hospital will greet you at the front desk or on the phone and make every effort to facilitate the needs of you and your pet. Their duties include: setting up appointments, maintaining medical records, answering phones, checking clients and patients in and out, and communicating messages and other requests with appropriate staff.
Kennel Staff
Our kennel assistants help keep Wellesley Animal Hospital spic and span. They can be seen bustling around the hospital cleaning at various times throughout the day. Their duties include: cleaning cages after surgery and drop off patients have been discharged, vacuuming and mopping the clinic, washing windows, cleaning exam rooms, doing laundry, and restocking supplies. Their hard work is much appreciated.
Veterinary Assistants
Our veterinary assistants will guide you and your pet throughout your visit. They assist the Doctor in the exam room and the LVT’s with laboratory samples. For drop off appointments or surgical procedures, our surgery assistant Erika, will greet you and your pet in the morning. She will carefully go over what to expect while your pet stays at our hospital and make sure your pet is as comfortable as possible during the stay. If your pet loves treats and affection, our assistants are the people they will want to know.
Meet Our Team
