Laura Cross, DVM
Dr. Cross was born and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, San Diego in 1994, and received her veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1998.
Following graduation, she completed a medical/surgical internship at the Texas A&M University, School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Cross returned to her home in Southern California and worked for six years in private practice locally before coming to Animal Urgent Care.
When she isn't working, Dr. Cross enjoys spending time with her adorable son, kitty named Ebin, running and playing tennis.
Kimberly Hanzlik, DVM
Dr. Hanzlik was born in a suburb of Detroit, MI but left the state to attend undergraduate school at Texas A&M University in Galveston. After obtaining a B.S. degree in Marine Biology, Dr. Hanzlik moved to San Diego, California, where she worked in the Aviculture Department of SeaWorld for 5 years. She then decided to return to school and pursue a career as a veterinarian. Dr. Hanzlik attended the University of California-Davis, where she graduated in 2007.
Since graduation from vet school, Dr. Hanzlik completed a small animal emergency medicine internship, followed by additional training with a surgery internship near Denver, Colorado and a multi-specialty internship in Los Angeles, before deciding to pursue a career in emergency medicine. Dr. Hanzlik has worked for 10 years as an emergency veterinarian at emergency and specialty hospitals in San Diego County before joining the team here at AUC-SOC.
In her free time, Dr. Hanzlik enjoys reading, watching ice hockey and relaxing with her husband when they are not keeping up with their 2 active children.
Eileen Ng, BVMS
Dr. Ng was born in Singapore and graduated from Murdoch University, Western Australia in 2007. She was inspired to become a veterinarian when she took her Chihuahua, E.T., to the vet for his puppy shots. She came to Southern California in 2008 and worked for 12 years as a family veterinarian. Dr. Ng enjoys surgeries and challenges and found herself drawn to caring for patients in the emergency setting. She has been working as an emergency veterinarian since 2018 and looks forward to serving the community.
Dr. Ng lives in Orange County with her husband, son and three pets - Bruiser (Chihuahua), Chip (Chihuahua mix) and Carrie (cat). She loves to travel and hopes to be able to see the Northern Lights one day.
Dr. Molly Backus is a California native who grew up in the Midwest and spent her undergraduate years on the East coast. She moved back to California after graduating college and worked at Animal Urgent Care as a veterinary technician assistant, floor nurse and receptionist. She met her now husband while working at AUC before going back to the East coast for veterinary school. Dr. Backus graduated from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts in 2018. She completed a small animal rotating internship and an emergency and surgery internship at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in Rhode Island before she and her husband moved back to Orange County permanently in 2020.
Dr. Backus is passionate about emergency surgery and has a soft spot for geriatric cats. She genuinely looks forward to coming to work as no two shifts are ever the same.
When she is not working or sleeping after overnights, she enjoys being out in the California sun, reading, discovering new breweries or at home with her husband and two cats, Martin and Julius trying new homemade pizza recipes.