Washington State University Welcomes New House Officers

The new house officers will contribute to multiple specialties within the hospital, including emergency and critical care, equine medicine, small animal surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, and wildlife care, among others. The WSU community encourages everyone to extend a warm welcome to these outgoing professionals as they integrate into the campus.

The following individuals comprise the new cohorts:

- Dr. Julia Amaral Piolla Rego, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, holds a DVM degree (2025) from Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil.

- Dr. Emily Austin, Small Animal Surgery Resident, earned a DVM in 2024 from WSU and completed internships at Texas A&M and WestVet.

- Dr. Lola Bouquet, Small Animal Internal Medicine Resident, obtained her DVM from VetAgro Sup in France, followed by a specialized internship in Internal Medicine in Canada.

- Dr. Laura Diaz Arranz, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, received her DVM from the University Complutense of Madrid in 2024 and completed an internship at Puchol Veterinary Hospital in Madrid.

- Dr. Karla Garcia Rojas Quilantan, Emergency and Critical Care Resident, earned her DVM in 2019 in Mexico, followed by internships related to her specialty at WSU.

- Dr. Maria Jose Gonzales Vigil de Cardenas, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, holds a DVM from Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (2017).

- Dr. Joao “Jo” Guerra Cascais, Equine Medicine & Surgery Intern, earned his DVM in 2023 from the University of Lisbon and has completed a fellowship and internship in related fields.

- Dr. Jules Janin-Sartor, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, received his DVM in 2025 from the University of Liège in Belgium and completed a rotating internship there.

- Dr. Harim Kim is a Cardiology Resident.

- Dr. Tsai-Yu Lee, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, holds a DVM from National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan (2021) and completed a small animal rotating internship in Canada.

- Dr. Steven Leo, Clinical Oncology Intern, earned a DVM from Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia (2014).

- Dr. Melissa Maffio-Montero, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, is a 2020 DVM graduate from Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica and has completed several externships in Europe.

- Dr. Alejandro Mata Cordero, Clinical Oncology Intern, obtained his DVM from the National University of Costa Rica in 2024 and trained in veterinary medicine in Germany.

- Dr. Mehrnaz Niazi, Comparative Theriogenology Intern, earned her DVM from Azad University in 2019.

- Dr. Zoe Owen, Small Animal Internal Medicine Intern, has a veterinary science degree from the University of Queensland (2025).

- Dr. Lais Paganelli De Oliveira, Anesthesia Resident, acquired her DVM in 2020 from University of Jaguariuna in Brazil.

- Dr. Jolaine Polak, Small Animal Surgery Intern, holds a DVM from Colorado State University (2023) and completed internships across the US.

- Dr. Apisit (Max) Pornthummawat, Clinical Pathology Resident, earned his DVM in 2014 from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and a PhD in pathology in 2021.

- Dr. Julio Andres Ruiz Cordero, ECC Intern, received a DVM from Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica in 2020.

- Dr. Lara Patricia Santos Carrasco, Emergency and Critical Care Intern, earned her DVM from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro in 2014.

- Dr. Allison Snopek, Small Animal Surgery Intern, graduated with a DVM from the University of Guelph in Canada (2024) and has completed additional surgical training.

- Dr. Daniela Solis, Small Animal Surgery Resident, holds a DVM from the University of Saskatchewan (2023) and has experience in emergency and surgical internships.

- Dr. Taylor Sommer-Kohrt, Comparative Theriogenology Resident, graduated from Iowa State University (2023) and has completed several internships in her field.

- Dr. Caroline Thornberry, Small Animal Internal Medicine Resident, earned her DVM from WSU in 2025 and has a rotating internship planned.

- Dr. Florentine Timmenga, Equine Medicine Resident, obtained her DVM from Utrecht University (2022) and completed an equine internship.

- Dr. Janice Viary, Clinical Oncology Resident, graduated in 2021 from Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed a rotating internship.

- Dr. Elisabeth Welch, Equine Medicine Intern, earned a DVM from Massey University (2023) with various internships.

- Dr. Emily Winn, Small Animal Surgery Intern, holds a DVM from Michigan State University (2024) and has completed large animal internships.

- Dr. Vivian Wong, Cardiology Intern, received her DVM from Ross University (2025) and completed a rotating internship.

- Dr. Yuanyuan Xia, Clinical Oncology Resident, graduated from Zhejiang University in China (2016) and holds a PhD in veterinary clinical oncology.

- Dr. Abhiram (Ram) Yellamilli, Wildlife Intern, earned his DVM from the University of California, Davis (2025).

- Dr. Alexandra (Alex) Zwiebel, Equine Medicine and Surgery Intern, obtained her DVM from the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest (2025) and completed a rotating internship at Cornell University.