Doctors - Pacific Veterinary Emergency + Specialty Hospital

The Bay Area’s most trusted emergency and specialty doctors.

Emergency Veterinarians

Sonya Sia, DVM - Chief of Emergency

Dr. Sonya Sia was born and raised in San Francisco and graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Animal Science & Management in 2007. She moved to St. Kitts and attended Ross University for her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and completed her clinical year at Purdue University in Indiana in 2012. Since graduating with her DVM, she completed a 1 year rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego and a second 1 year internship in surgery at Aspen Meadow Veterinary Specialists in sister hospitals in Boulder & Longmont, Colorado. Through all the specialty training, Sonya realized she enjoyed all aspects of veterinary medicine and has since pursued a career in emergency medicine.

Sonya loves the outdoors and enjoys rock climbing, back packing, hiking, biking, gardening and loves to travel. She recently moved to Oakland with her long time partner Michael, who she met when they both were in the 8th grade.

Leanne Taylor, DVM, CVA

A California native who spent her youth in various parts of the state, Dr. Leanne Taylor attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degrees in Integrative Biology and Celtic Studies and stayed in the area to attend UC Davis for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2006.

After completing a rotating internship on the east coast, she returned to the Bay Area and worked in general practice and urgent care for the last 14 years. She has branched out to emergency medicine and anesthesia with our neurology department after leaving general practice in 2020, and has recently become a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist.

Leanne spends her time outside of work pretending to control the chaos of a house with two young children, three cats—Saulter, Sokket and Flekket—and a California desert tortoise with her husband. She enjoys hiking, skiing, and all things related to wool, knitting and sheep in her free time.

Erin Nohava, DVM

Dr. Erin Nohava was born and raised on the San Francisco Peninsula. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Animal Science in 1994, and obtained her DVM in 1999 from UC Davis Veterinary School. She then moved to San Diego and completed a 1 year rotating small animal/exotics internship at VCA Animal Hospital and Referral Center. Loving San Diego but wanting to be closer to her family, she moved back to the Bay Area in 2000 and has been living in the East Bay and working as an emergency veterinarian since.

Erin found her love of the challenging and varied caseload of emergency medicine while working as a veterinary nurse before going off to veterinary school. This allowed her to focus her studies and experiences while at school and her internship.

Erin grew up riding hunter/jumper horses and competing extensively throughout the West Coast and Canada. She has now traded traveling to horse shows for traveling to volleyball tournaments to watch her son play. She and her husband of over 20 years enjoy traveling and playing golf. She also loves to quilt, read and spend time with their beloved Border Terrier, Fergus.

Erik Briner, DVM, MPH, CVA

Dr. Briner was born and raised in the East Bay and graduated locally from Acalanes High School. He received his BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from CU Boulder, and after working at the humane society and local vet clinics in Boulder, he went on to receive his DVM from St. George’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude, then completed his clinical year at the University of Georgia. During this time, he also received his Master’s in Public Health and became certified in veterinary acupuncture through the Chi Institute in Florida.

During his training Dr. Briner primarily focused on dogs and ats, but has a passion for exotics and wildlife as well. He has completed a zoo externship in Colorado as well and spent several months working with wildlife in South Africa; his work there included big cats, rhinos, various species of antelope, and reptiles.

In his free time, Dr. Briner enjoys spending time outdoors and remaining active. He is a big fan of live music, scuba diving, and any activity that connects him to the natural world.

Lindsay Hynek, DVM

Dr. Lindsay Hynek hails from the east coast where she discovered her passion for caring for those that cannot care for themselves. Dr. Hynek has been involved with wildlife rehabilitation, horse care, and equine competitions since she could walk and talk. It was her love of animals and the sciences that inspired her to pursue her calling as a veterinarian. Dr. Hynek earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine in the great white north of Canada at Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island, and was internship-trained in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery from Michigan Veterinary Specialists, in addition to being USDA certified. She has a passion for diagnostic imaging, emergency and internal medicine, nutrition and hospice care, with plans to expand her training into canine physical therapy, rehabilitation and veterinary acupuncture.

Dr. Hynek has volunteered at the California Wildlife Center as well as the Oakland zoo, and was even a nest guarder for the California Condor. She loves hiking with her husband Justin, her children Ella and Noah, and their German Shepherd, Duke. While in the wilderness, she strives to live by the mantra of “leave no trace”. It reminds her of the interconnectedness of all living things and how we all have to take care of each other.

Taylor Slabaugh, DVM

Dr. Taylor Slabaugh was born and raised in Northern California. She graduated from Sonoma State with a B.S. in biology in 2014, then worked for a year as a veterinary technician before going back to school. She continued to work as a technician through her schooling until earning her DVM from UC Davis in 2019.

Following graduation, she did a small animal rotating internship in Walnut Creek where she learned her passion for emergency medicine. She has been solely an emergency veterinarian since.

Taylor now lives in the Bay Area with her fiance and their 2 cats, Jarvis and Boo, as well as their dog, Eros. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, camping, exercising, checking out new breweries/wineries, reading, and binge-watching Netflix shows.

Valerie Fournier, DVM

Dr. Valerie Fournier is a 2007 graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. While there, she started a dual degree in public health, graduating in 2009 with a masters in public health (disaster preparedness/emergency response) from the University of Minnesota.

Immediately after graduating Dr. Val began working in small animal emergency medicine and she has practiced small animal emergency medicine nearly exclusively since graduating. Dr. Val worked all over Southeast and Northern Michigan at various 24 hour hospitals, learning new things at each. In 2017, she packed up her 2 Pittie mixes, Saaz and Cascade, and headed west to California. After a short stint in non clinical work, she found she missed the pace of the ER too much, and began doing relief at area hospitals. She is an active member of CAVMRC, having deployed to several wildfires in the past few years.

Professionally, her areas of interest include infectious/zoonotic disease, pain/anxiety management, and teaching. One of her favorite things is to mentor veterinary students and new graduates, and recently she got to have a very proud moment when a mentee she’d known since high school graduated with her doctorate.

Dr. Val and her husband, also a veterinarian, have 3 dogs between them now. The oldest is a 15+ (yes, really) Bassett mix named Cali who keeps the Pitties in line! They spend as much time outdoors as possible, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and enjoying all that Northern California has to offer.

Specialty Veterinarians

Tim Sellmeyer, DVM, DACVS – SA (Surgery)

Dr. Timothy Sellmeyer obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 2002. He then completed a rotating small animal internship at Kansas State University in 2003. Immediately following his internship, Dr. Sellmeyer began his surgical residency at Mission MedVet in Mission, Kansas. After completion of his residency in 2006 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area that same year as an associate surgeon with Veterinary Surgical Associates in Concord. He became board certified in small animal surgery in 2007, and started the Sage, Dublin surgical service in 2008. In 2018 he joined Northern California Veterinary Surgical.

Tim’s surgical interests include all orthopedic procedures, especially challenging fracture repairs, and joint surgery. He is a member of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society, attending their conference yearly. Tim also enjoys the placement of ureteral stents and subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUBs) systems.

Tim grew up in Missouri, with his early childhood in St. Louis and later moved to Craig, MO where he attended High School. He enjoys traveling, hiking, brewing beer, and cheering for his Mizzou Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Blues.

Emilee Luckring, DVM, DACVS – SA (Surgery)

Dr. Emilee Luckring grew up in Massillon, Ohio and received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 2015 where she graduated summa cum laude. She completed a 1-year rotating internship at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine near Boston, Massachusetts before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina to complete a 3-year residency in Small Animal Surgery from NC State University. Having always wanted to live along the stunning West Coast, she moved to California in 2019 and obtained board certification from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in early 2020.

Dr. Luckring’s specific areas of surgical interest include cardiothoracic surgery, trauma and reconstructive surgery, oncologic surgery, as well as minimally invasive and interventional procedures.

Outside of the hospital, Dr. Luckring enjoys spending time with her Pit Bull/Rottweiler mix, Kale, and her cat, Frankenstein. You can frequently catch her at local breweries and coffee shops as well as trying new restaurants and cuisines. She loves live music, traveling, as well as hiking and exploring the beautiful state of California.

Bianca Boudreau, DVM, DACVS – SA (Surgery)

Dr. Bianca Boudreau grew up in Canada and graduated with a DVM from the University of Montreal in 2008. After veterinary school, she moved to Southfield, Michigan where she completed a 1-year rotating internship at BluePearl Veterinary Partners followed by a 1-year surgical internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego, in California. She then completed a 3-year small animal surgery residency at Michigan State University. She became board certified in small animal surgery in 2014. Before joining Northern California Veterinary Surgical in 2018, Dr. Boudreau worked as an associate professor at Michigan State University as well as an associate surgeon at Sage in Dublin.

Bianca’s surgical interests include soft tissue, oncologic and reconstructive surgeries. She is a Society of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery member and attends their conference yearly.

Bianca enjoys spending time with her cat, Maya, and her dog, Archibald. She also likes hiking, swimming, reading, exploring the Bay Area, and a good glass of wine.

Erik Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Erik Johnson was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and soon realized that the West was calling. After a failed attempt at professional surfing, he received his veterinary degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. His education continued across the country, which included a small animal rotating internship at Colorado State University and a residency in neurology and neurosurgery at Auburn University. War Eagle! As the West was always calling him, Dr. Johnson landed in San Francisco after his veterinary training.

Although he treats all neurological conditions, his specific clinical interests include feline neurology, brain and spinal surgery, and immune-mediated diseases.

When Dr. Johnson is not at the hospital, he enjoys being a hack golfer, fly-fishing, exploring the US National Parks (most recently, Kenai Fjords), and vacuuming the seemingly never-ending supply of cat hair from his furniture.

Martin Crawford-Jakubiak, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine and Oncology)

Dr. Martin J. Crawford-Jakubiak grew up outside of Buffalo, NY. He has lived in the Bay Area for nearly 25 years. He obtained his BS in Microbiology from the University of Rochester. He then went on to obtain a Masters in Laboratory Animal Science from the Allegheny University of Health Sciences. In 2002, Martin earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Atlantic Veterinary College of the University of Prince Edward Island.

Martin completed a rotating internship at the Bay Area Veterinary Specialists in 2003. Immediately following his internship, Martin completed two consecutive residencies in Internal Medicine and Oncology at the same institution. He became board certified in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2006 and Medical Oncology in 2007.

Martin has provided care to thousands of patients. He is committed to ensuring that all pets, and the families who love and care for them, receive the same exacting level of care that he would expect for his own animals.

Cameron Wood, DVM, Practice Limited to Internal Medicine

Dr. Cameron Wood grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Southern California. He then completed a 1-year rotating internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego at their North County location followed by a 3-year residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the BluePearl Pet Hospital in Philadelphia. After completion of his residency in 2022, he moved back to the Bay Area to be near friends and family and start his new job here at Pacific Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital.

Dr. Wood’s medical interests include immune-mediated disease, endocrine disorders such as Addison’s disease and Diabetes, and gastrointestinal disease.

During his free time, he enjoys swimming, travelling, and finding new places to eat and explore. His pit bull Axel mostly enjoys napping on the couch all day and people watching from the apartment balcony.

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