Our staff is knowledgeable and understanding...
Every patient at our hospital receives personalized care from the entire staff. Everyone involved with your pet pursues continuing education to keep current on the latest medical advances and techniques. Our doctors use the online Veterinary Information Network to link themselves to specialists across the country. Certified technicians monitor surgical patients using the latest intraoperative monitoring equipment. We are strong advocates of prevention and management of pain, and we use a wide variety of agents and techniques to provide pain relief for our patients.

Dr. Jennifer Leddy
Dr. Leddy was born and raised in North Miami Beach, Florida. She attended undergraduate school at Tulane University. She was awarded a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine by the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to Oregon in 1993, and lives with her children Nina and Adrien. Currently, they share their home with Andrew, the world's crankiest cat and Jojo, the world's friendliest cat. Lula, Dr. Leddy's black lab/deerhound cross, can often be seen hanging around in back at Valley Vet. Doctor Leddy worked at Murrayhill before opening Valley Veterinary Hospital with Robin in 2000 upon Dr. Hoffman's retirement. Doctor Leddy has served on various boards, including the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, and the Portland Community College Veterinary Technician Advisory Board.

Robin Jacobson, C.V.T.
Robin was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She went to college at Ithaca College in upstate New York, earning a B.A. in Anthropology. She and her husband Joe moved to Oregon in 1990. She completed the Animal Health Technician program at PCC, and passed the exam in 1993. They have two sons, Simon and Ezra. They share their home with the Greyhound, Truman, Dachshund, Marley and Chihuahua, Polly Pocket. She also has four felines: Saki, Petunia, Herman, and Winnie. She met Dr. Leddy when they both worked at Murrayhill, and decided to start a practice together. She's been VVH's practice manager since we first opened, almost seven years ago, and was awarded the Advantage National Technician of the Year in 1998.

Dr. Nia Hansen
Born and raised in Portland, Dr. Hansen studied Veterinary Medicine Washington State. The Owner of "Home is Where the Heart Is" house call veterinary service, Dr. Hansen brings 22 years of experience to Valley Veterinary Hospital. She has a son named Dan, and a Devon Rex cat at home named Beamer, who thinks he's a dog. She has done relief work here at the clinic for years, and will be seeing clients every Thursday and one Saturday a month, starting in 2006.

Alex Lopeman, C.V. T.
Alex was born and raised in Portland. She passed her Veterinary Technician exam in 1999. She has worked at Murrayhill, Dove Lewis, and Northwest Veterinary Specialist as the oncologist technician. This decade of experience has provided her with great critical care skills, and we're proud that she's been with us full-time for the past two years. She shares her home with Alexis, and their canine and feline friends, Sally, Austin, Flint, Titan, Caleb, Byron and Nemo.

Juan Gomez
Juan was born and raised in El Salvador, and moved to California when he was 18. He moved to Oregon 13 years ago, where he met his wife Emma. They have three children, Emma, Sandra and Nicholas. They share their home with the cat, Romeo, and the Dachshund, Lily. Juan has devoted the past 13 years to working with animals, including Murrayhill and Groves Animal Hospital. A professionally trained chef, he sometimes cooks lunch for the staff. He has been a valued member of the VVH team for the past four and-a-half years.

Akiko Nagai
Akiko was born and raised in Japan. She moved to Oregon three years ago to further her education. She is a student in the Portland Community College Veterinary Technician program, and plans to graduate in June of 2006. She doesn't have any pets of her own right now while attending college, but she does get to play with her roommate's two retired racing Greyhounds, Kobe and Jump. Akiko started here as an intern, and now works part-time. She's been with us since August of 2005.

Mare Stern, R.N.
Mare was born in Hawaii, and raised in California, New York and Texas. She earned her degrees in Nursing and Early Childhood Education from Mt. San Antonio College in California. Mare moved to Oregon in August of 2005. She and Jan have two kids: Isabeau, who is going to college at U.C. Davis (but not the Vet school!); and Griffin, who is in middle school. They have a cat, Elf, and three Arabian horses, Paris, Lyrical, and Guppy. She has been with us since October of 2005.