Meet Our Doctors
Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal - Oncology
Board certification
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Canine and Feline)
Veterinary Education
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana India
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Internship
All Care Animal Referral Center, Fountain Valley, CAC
Residency
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Masters of Science
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Dr. Dhaliwal was born and raised in India. His love, passion and affection to understand the animal kingdom began at an early age and he was heavily influenced by his grandparents to enter the veterinary profession.
After completing the requirements for a DVM program at Iowa State University, he completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at All Care Animal Referral Center in Southern California. He then joined the University of Illinois for a residency and MS program in small animal clinical oncology. He is board-certified with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the specialty of oncology and he has further obtained board certification with American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline species.
Dr. Dhaliwal is considered an educator, and he voluntarily serves on various professional associations to expand veterinary internal medicine profession and educate the new, current and future veterinarians. He firmly believes in educating his clients about their pet’s health, managing their diseases and empowering them with the latest approaches available. Since all cancer cases do not need a procedure he is a firm believer of palliative care.
His special interest lies in challenging hematology cases. Over the years he has authored or co-authored 20 refereed publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, 8 research abstracts, and several book chapters and had the opportunity to speak at various scientific and professional forums. During his cancer training program he was a selected participant at the Molecular Biology of Cancer workshop in Aspen Colorado, sponsored by American Association for Cancer Research. Besides being an active member of several veterinary associations he is also an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Dhaliwal has lived in the Silicon Valley community for the past decade. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters as well as outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing. He has a special interest in theatre, music, drama and ballroom dancing.
Dr. Michael Moore – Internal Medicine
Certifications
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
DVM, Oklahoma State University
Master of Science, Washington State University
Department: Internal Medicine
Dr. Moore obtained his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University. After completing his post DVM education, he was on faculty at Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences. Dr. Moore accepted a position in private practice at All Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley California and later became a partner. He is now excited to be in practice in San Jose at Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists.
Dr. Moore has lectured extensively in gastroenterology, hepatology, respiratory diseases, endocrinology and neurology and has authored/co-authored over 100 publications. He has given numerous continuing education seminars to specialist and generalists, nationally, internationally and at local veterinary association meetings. While at WSU he was the head of the Small Animal Medicine Section and was responsible for faculty, house officers and staff. Among other duties Dr. Moore was a member of the Deans Advisory Council. Dr. Moore was instrumental in developing a highly significant neurology service while as WSU. He maintained and ran an electrodiagnostic service offering ancillary neurodiagnostic services including electromyography, nerve conduction studies, brain stem auditory evoked responses, electroencephalography, electroretinography, and somatosensory evoked potentials. Additionally, Dr. Moore has achieved excellence in ultrasonography and echocardiography. He has extensive skills in all types of endoscopy. Laparoscopy and interventional radiological procedures such as placement of stents (tracheal and urethral) are a keen area of interests.
Dr. Moore was employed at All Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley, CA as head of the internal medicine section. During his tenure there the internal medicine section grew from a 1 doctor practice to a 5 doctor practice. He influenced the development of a highly successful neurology service. In 2007 VCA purchased All Care Animal Referral Center. Soon thereafter, Dr. Moore was offered a unique opportunity to become part owner. In August of 2013 Dr. Moore divested from this partnership and relocated to San Jose to open Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists, serving as the Medical Director.
For leisurely activities, Dr. Moore enjoys spending time with his wife Beverly and his family including three four-legged members Petunia, Reba and Cowboy. He enjoys playing the guitar (rhythm and lead) and is a founding member of a band known as the Idiopathics located in Pullman, WA. He also enjoys carpentry, grilling on the barbeque and Sous vide cooking.
Dr. Robert W. Moore – Surgery
Certifications
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Dr. Robert Moore grew up in Florida surrounded by orange groves and family pets. After attending the University of Florida, he graduated from Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1978 and then completed internship and surgical residency training at Colorado State University along with a Masters in Science during the same period. He completed ACVS certification two years later after moving to Southern California and entering private practice. During his career he founded and served as director for 7 veterinary hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange County and received surgical referral cases during that time. He has worked extensively in the southwestern US region in multiple large surgical and specialty referral practices for the past 10 years.
Dr. Robert Moore’s surgical practice includes advanced orthopedics, soft tissue, neurologic and oncologic related procedures.
His outside of work activities revolve around his family (wife and 4 kids), working on the farm raising Devon cows, and enjoying time in the sky as a private pilot and builder of experimental aircraft.
Dr. Cheri Nielsen – Surgery
Dr. Cheri Nielsen has been providing innovative and compassionate surgical care in the SF Bay Area since 2006, and is thrilled to help South Bay pets at Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists. She has a particular passion for minimally invasive procedures (i.e.laparoscopy/thoracoscopy) and also for the advanced reconstruction techniques required with many cancer surgeries. Dr. Nielsen is skilled in a wide range of procedures and her surgical practice includes orthopedic, neurologic, soft tissue, and oncologic/reconstructive surgery. Patient comfort and client communication are top priorities for Dr. Nielsen, who feels fortunate to work with such a dedicated and skilled nursing staff round the clock at SVVS.
Dr. Nielsen earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering with a minor in applied mathematics. It wasn’t until her second year of medical school at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, when her own dog needed the services of a surgical specialist, that she became aware of veterinary surgery as a career option. This opened the door to a life-changing decision; she left Johns Hopkins to pursue a veterinary career. She earned her DVM degree at UC Davis while concurrently completing an MS degree in biomedical engineering then continued on to a one-year clinical internship at Colorado State University. She completed a three-year surgical residency at the University of Minnesota and successfully fulfilled the rigorous credentialing and examination requirements to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in small animal surgery.
Away from work, Dr. Nielsen and her husband (also a veterinarian) recently returned from hiking the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Canada to Mexico, pursuing a lifelong dream for them both. She also enjoys trail running, cycling, gardening, and most any type of active or outdoor activity. They share their home with Nigel, an aggressively social three-legged cat, who came to them by way of the Humane Society and who has never met a dog (or person) he doesn’t like.
Dr. Katrina Castaneda – Surgery
Katrina Castaneda, DVM is a veterinarian who is residency trained in Veterinary Surgery. A Bay Area native, Dr. Castaneda attended the University of California, Davis where she earned both Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. Following her graduation from veterinary school, she completed a year-long internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Medical & Surgical Group, in Ventura, California and a second internship in small animal surgery at Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital in Houston, Texas. She was the Chief Surgery Resident during her residency program in small animal surgery at MedVet Medical and Cancer Center for Pets in Columbus, Ohio.
While she enjoys all aspects of surgery, she has particular interests in minimally invasive, orthopedic, and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Castaneda believes treating the whole patient while providing exceptional care for the patient's family are the keys to success both inside and outside of the operating room. She is an advocate of continued education and has lectured at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Symposium and Veterinary Orthopedic Society Congress
When not treating patients. Dr. Castaneda enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding.
Dr. Baye Williamson – Neurology
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology) Dr. Williamson received her DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from the University of Tennessee in 2012. She then completed a small animal rotating internship at the University of Missouri, a neurology internship at Long Island Veterinary Specialists, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Missouri prior to entering in to her Neurology/Neurosurgery residency program at Cornell University.
Recently, Dr. Williamson has completed her residency and has become boarded. She has just moved to the Bay Area with her 2 dachshunds (Sonny and Pherb) and 1 cat (Jasper).
She is a member of the Veterinary Neurosurgical Society and is currently completing certification in veterinary acupuncture through the Chi Institute.
Dr. Williamson is a passionate clinician, whose interests include neurosurgery, feline neurology, and neurodegenerative diseases. She enjoys working with her patients, owners, and referral veterinarians to manage and treat neurologic diseases.
Dr. Carrie Jurney – Neurology
Certifications
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
Dr. Jurney completed her residency at the University of Pennsylvania and was boarded in 2009. She moved to the Bay Area and has practiced both locally and as a locum consultant. Dr. Jurney received her advanced neurosurgical certificate in 2011 and is a founding member of the Veterinary Neurosurgical Society.
She is an enthusiastic clinician, who particularly enjoys neurosurgery, neurocritical care and takes interest in inflammatory brain diseases. As a lover of neurology and an enthusiastic teacher, she takes delight in helping her patients, their owners and her referral veterinarians navigate the challenges of neurologic disease.
Dr. Lilian Good - Emergency
Dr. Lillian Good joined the team at SVVS as a Criticalist to better serve the needs of our most ill and injured patients. She completed her veterinary education at Cornell University, and pursued internship and residency training at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA. She obtained board certification with the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2004. Dr. Good has been practicing in Northern California for the past 13 years, and is excited to now be of service to the greater San Jose area. She loves taking care of patients and their families to speed their recovery and return to loving homes.
When not taking care of her veterinary patients, Dr. Good enjoys spending time with her 2 legged and 4 legged family. Hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, snowboarding, and playing with kids fills her out of work life with fun and happiness.
Dr. Ryan Wheeler - Emergency
Dr. Ryan Wheeler grew up in the East Bay always knowing he wanted to practice veterinary medicine. He graduated from Chico State University and attended veterinary school at Ross University with his clinical rotations done at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wheeler was the first non-University of Minnesota student to receive the emergency and critical-care award.
Dr. Wheeler pursued further training by doing a small animal emergency and surgery internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He completed his residency in emergency and critical care in the East Bay in January of 2016.
Dr. Wheeler's medical interest include fluid and electrolyte therapy, acid base analysis, the treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock, and the treatment of traumatic injuries. Dr. Wheeler has co-authored a chapter in the book "Monitoring and Intervention for the Critically Ill Small Animal: The Rule of 20" and he enjoys lecturing and teaching.
Dr. Wheeler enjoys all aspects of emergency and critical care medicine. He enjoys taking care of critically ill and injured animals in their time of need and supporting their owners through that difficult time. Dr. Wheeler looks forward to providing exceptional care to the pets and owners of the South Bay and is excited to be part of the Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists team.
In his free time Dr. Wheeler enjoys the outdoors, obstacle racing, CrossFit, and fly fishing.
Dr. Nicole Pacheco - Emergency
Dr. Nicole Pacheco was born and raised in the south Bay Area. She received her undergraduate education in biochemistry and molecular biology from UC Davis, graduating with honors. She continued on in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to receive her DVM, where she graduated with Phi Zeta honors. Dr. Pacheco then completed a rotating internship with intensive experiences in emergency medicine, internal medicine, surgery and general practice at PetCare Veterinary Hospital in Santa Rose before moving back to the south Bay Area. She has since been practicing as a small animal emergency clinician.
She loves caring for her patients and making them comfortable in the hospital environment. Her professional interests include emergency and internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, ophthalmology, and the human animal bond.
She lives in San Jose with her husband, and their adorable Mini Australian Shepherd, CJ. In her spare time, she enjoys backpacking, gardening, playing the piano, and spending time with their horses and goats.
Dr. Beau Bedell - Emergency
Dr. Bedell was born in Monterey, and raised in Santa Cruz county. He attended high school at Monterey High where his father worked as a teacher and principal. Dr. Bedell earned a B.S. in Biology from Santa Clara University in 2004 and spent the next two years working as a veterinary technician while completing prerequisite courses for veterinary school. Dr. Bedell was accepted to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006, earning his DVM in 2010.
After graduation, Dr. Bedell spent the next five years working in small animal general practices in Sacramento, Mountain View, Dublin and San Martin before making the transition to emergency medicine at SVVS in April 2015. Dr. Bedell relishes the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges presented by the complex cases seen in emergency medicine and loves the feeling of satisfaction that comes with seeing critical patients improve and go home with their happy owners.
Dr. Bedell lives in South San Jose with his wife (Coleen), daughter (Annabelle), son (Renn), two Labradors (Trinity, a former guide dog for the blind and Lucille), and three cats (Hubbard, Macey, and Rocky). Dr. Bedell is a fitness enthusiast and avid golfer who enjoys movies, music and reading.
Dr. Amy Hoover – Emergency
Dr. Hoover was born in Walnut Creek and raised in Livermore. She received her undergraduate degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from San Jose State University. She then moved to the South to receive her veterinary degree from Auburn University and graduated Cum Laude.
During her veterinary education she had an opportunity to volunteer her time at Noah's Arc. There she worked with multiple animals including "BLT" a trio made up of a Bengal tiger, an African lion, and an American black bear raised together after being rescued as juveniles. Dr. Hoover is currently completing her rotating internship at SVVS in emergency, surgery, oncology, internal medicine, and neurology.
Her veterinary interests include surgery, emergency medicine, and internal medicine.
She currently lives in San Jose with her husband (Travis) and her childhood cat (Flash). In her spare time she enjoys singing, going to the beach, and relaxing with friends and family.
Dr. Rebecca McQuitty - Emergency
Rebecca McQuitty was pursuing a research career in astronomy when her cat Bob got sick. After many trips to her wonderful veterinarian's office, Rebecca decided to change course and become a veterinarian. Bob made a full recovery and went on to support Rebecca through all of her pre-veterinary work, veterinary school at the University of California, Davis, and internships in Michigan and Texas.
Rebecca practiced in Texas for several years with a focus on emergency medicine. She then completed a three-year residency program in small animal emergency and critical care at ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital in the Los Angeles area. She is excited to bring her love of emergency and critical care to Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists.
Rebecca lives with a Labrador mix named Margot and cats Audrey and Fiona.
Dr. Kristine Chan – Cardiology
Originally from New York City, Dr. Kristine Chan received her BS and DVM degrees from Cornell University. She completed an internship at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston and a cardiology residency at the California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, where she achieved board certification in 2009. She subsequently joined Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Heart Institute as a post-doctoral fellow, for further cardiac training.
She is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, an Affiliate member of the American College of Cardiology, and a California Medical Reserve Corps disaster relief volunteer. She volunteers her time to the animals of the Oakland Zoo and Guide Dogs for the Blind.
After her training, she thought she would move back home, but met her husband who was born and bred in San Francisco. So Dr. Chan is here in the Bay to stay! In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking, yoga, and playing fetch with Butters, their rescue cat with an atrial septal defect.
Dr. Roger Repp - Emergency
Dr. Roger Repp has over 25 years of emergency medical practice and experience. He graduated in the top ten of his UC Davis class. After an internship in a busy multi-specialty referral practice, he stayed on briefly as part of the staff before joining the North Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic. After 6 years, he left to become a founding shareholder of the Monterey Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic where he helped manage and practiced as Chief of Staff for 7 years. After a short sabbatical and helping out at most of the emergency clinics in the bay area, he chose Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists, where he has been working since 2012.
Dr. Repp has a special interest in all aspects of small animal emergency medicine and surgery. Roger is an instrument-rated pilot and in his free time enjoys flying, river rafting, and skiing, although he mainly spends his free time with his adorable 9yr old son. He shares his life with his wife, son, 2 dogs and 1 cat with more on the way.
Dr. Amanda Montes-Rouse - Intern
Dr. Amanda Montes-Rouse is originally from Ventura County. She enjoyed a career in injury management and well being as a boarded massage therapist while pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Dr. Rouse earned her Bachelors of Science degree in biological sciences and psychology and graduated with the highest level honors. She then went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California Davis.
Dr. Rouse has cared for animals throughout her life. She places a high value on all living things and the wonderful place that animals have in our lives and hearts. She enjoys working with each animal’s individual needs, and is passionate about quality of life as well as high quality medicine.
Dr. Rouse’s veterinary interests include surgery, neurology, wound care, and pain management.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Rouse enjoys gardening, hiking, and generally any outdoor activities, as well as woodworking and spending time with her family and two lively terrier mixes Copper and Leo.
Dr. Emily Riddle- Intern
We are proud to have her back with us since she was a veterinary assistant right here at SVVS. We were so happy to see her go to vet school and now we are thrilled to have her here for a rotating internship.
Emily is originally from this area and she remembers when the SVVS building was a Blockbuster. She received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a minor in Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior from UC Davis. Emily attended Ross Veterinary School on the island of St. Kittsin the Caribbean. She completed her clinical year at Oregon State University the Friday before starting her internship here with us. She finished her last day at Oregon State and then drove home to San Jose with her rescued pitt-mix and her (less than well behaved) island-cat she rescued from St. Kitts. Welcome back Emily!
Dr. Alina Hernandez- Intern
Please welcome Alina Hernandez and who was born and raised here in San Jose. She luckily had wonderful parents that supported her passion for animals. She grew up with both large and small animals. She hopes to apply her knowledge gained to working with multiple species. Other than enjoying her pets which include horses, a rabbit, fish and two dogs, she loves to spend time outdoors. She enjoys hiking, fishing, camping and in general hanging out with friends and family. She also enjoys a good workout, yoga, meditating and an overall healthy lifestyle. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in San Jose, Cal Poly SLO and recently from Western University of Heath Sciences. She thrives working with animated yet focused groups of people that she can learn and grow with and is looking forward to being a part of our awesome team at SVVS.
We are thrilled to have Dr. Hernandez back in her home town and working with us here at SVVS.
At Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists, we are here when you need us.