Our Team

Leah Isaacson, DVM

Urgent Care

Dr. Leah Isaacson has been working as a veterinarian in the Bay Area since 2007. She grew up in Southern California and completed her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. She attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts in the Caribbean and finished her clinical year at University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. She has currently stepped out of her usual role as a general practitioner to take on the Urgent Care role at PETS Referral Center.

Dr. Isaacson lives in Berkeley with her husband (also a veterinarian) and her 3 “spirited” daughters. She has 3 dogs: Lou (a beagle/dachshund mix), Piper (a Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd mix), and Cheese Sandwich (a Heeler mix), as well as 2 cats: GusGus (an orange tabby) and Fiona (a brown tabby cat and household dictator). When Dr. Isaacson isn’t herding cats, dogs and children, she spends her time running, doing Barre classes, hiking, skiing, and camping.

Lynsey Petersen, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Lynsey Petersen grew up in the Los Angeles area. She completed her undergraduate degree at Holy Cross in Massachusetts. She attended UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she completed a rotating small animal internship at VCA Loomis Basin where she found a passion for emergency medicine. While not at work, she can be found enjoying hot yoga classes, snowboarding, camping, cooking and hiking with her partner and their two dogs, Kona and Snoop.

Meagan Hines, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Meagan grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, and moved to Colorado in 1998. She received her B.A. in Sociology from CU Boulder. She earned her Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University. She also became certified in veterinary medical acupuncture while at CSU. After vet school, Meagan completed a specialty internship in emergency and critical care in Milwaukee, WI, and then moved to the Bay Area. She has a special interest in pain management, critical care stabilization, and managing ongoing care for patients in the ICU. Meagan has lived in the Galapagos Islands working with giant tortoises and has traveled throughout Southeast Asia working with gibbons and elephants. She enjoys being active outdoors (especially near the ocean), traveling, and socializing and has a soft spot for flat-faced animals.

Jessica Jennings, DVM

Medical Director

Dr. Jessica Jennings is a California native who grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She went to UC Davis majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. She graduated from Western University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. Afterward, she continued her training in a rotating small animal internship in Walnut Creek, CA. Due to a love of learning, she completed two years of an Emergency and Critical Care Residency (ACVECC) before deciding to follow her true passion of Emergency Medicine. She joined the PETS team in 2013, initially as a relief, then full-time in 2015. Four years later, she stepped into the role of Medical Director.

When not at the hospital, she enjoys reading, running, hot yoga, sailing, and camping. Her busy family includes one husband, two children, two dogs, six chickens, and one tarantula.

Mike Barlia, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Mike Barlia is the Hospital Director for the PETS Referral Center. Mike completed both his undergraduate degree in physiology (‘97) and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree (‘01) at UC Davis. Following graduation, he completed an internship specifically in emergency medicine and critical care under the guidance of a critical care specialist at the Pet Emergency Specialty Center of La Mesa (San Diego), where he stayed on board for an additional 2 years prior to moving back to Northern California in 2004 to join the PETS team as a partner. Mike has always had a strong interest in emergency medicine and critical care and has practiced exclusively since graduation. Outside of the ER, Mike has a special interest in veterinary informatics, specifically the use of computer technology for the advancement of education, research, and communication between specialists, clients, and referring veterinarians. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, travel, and photography. He lives in Oakland with his wife Kara (also a veterinarian) and their two dogs, Zinnia and Annie, along with their small herd of cats.

Kathy Lee, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Kathy Lee graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and completed an internship in small animal emergency medicine and surgery in San Diego. Although she currently practices mostly emergency medicine, she’s also received certifications in acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine herbology, and food medicine from Chi University. Dr. Lee shares her life and home with her partner, children, dog, and chickens. Outside work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, yoga, snowboarding, and knitting.

Tiana Jarvis, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Tiana Jarvis was born and raised in the California Bay Area. She attended the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and then completed a year-long rotating internship at East Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency, where she kindled a passion for emergency medicine.

Her interests include multi-modal pain management, trauma and wound care, and hospice care.

She is currently pursuing certification in veterinary acupuncture and, when not in the clinic, can usually be found reading, in the garden, or exploring the East Bay trails with her husband and dog (the cats prefer to stay indoors).

Amanda Mamo, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Ever since I can remember, I have had a strong passion for working with animals. I pursued my interest by completing a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biology at the University of Windsor back home in Canada. During my degree, I worked as a research assistant in a conservation ecology laboratory. I loved contributing to wildlife preservation. However, I strongly loved medicine and wanted to pursue my Veterinary dream.

I decided to attend Veterinary school in Australia, where I would have the opportunity to work with exotic wildlife. Through my University of Melbourne connections, I found work in Napa in General Practice for several years before making the move to Emergency Medicine. I spend my days off hiking and camping throughout California!

Stephanie Burr, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Stephanie Burr grew up in the Bay Area, California. She attended the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she completed a year-long emergency and surgery-focused rotating internship at VCA Encina and East Bay Veterinary Emergency. When not working at the clinic, Dr. Burr spends her time doing yoga, spinning, traveling, and spending time with her cat Lily and chocolate lab Rusty.

Lillian Gilbert, DVM

Emergency and Critical Care

I grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. I attended Delaware Valley University and received a Bachelor’s in Science with a Pre-Veterinary Specialization. I then attended St. Georges University in Grenada, West Indies, for three years and completed my final year at Texas A&M. After graduating in 2022 I continued my education in a small animal rotating internship in Dublin, CA.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling as much as possible, gardening, and constantly redecorating the house. At home, my partner and I have one dog (Ranger) and three cats (Ozzie, Arthur, and Valor), with more to come in the future!

Marcus Dela Cruz

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Marcus Dela Cruz joined PETS Referral Center as an emergency veterinarian in 2022. He grew up in Sacramento, CA, and attended Sonoma State University, where he earned a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He then went on to graduate from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.

What Dr. Dela Cruz enjoys most about veterinary medicine is being a voice for the voiceless and working to improve the human-animal bond. At the start of 2021, he started a blog with the goal of being a resource for pet owners, providing helpful information and advice related to veterinary medicine. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and his goal is to be a transparent and reliable source of information for pet parents looking to do the best for their pets.

On his days off, he loves exploring the Bay Area with his wife, Allyson, and their Labrador Retriever, Charlie.

Dr. Nate Kane

Emergency and Critical Care

Dr. Kane was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He received his BS in Physiology from CU Boulder in 2008 and DVM with Honors from Colorado State University in 2013. Following graduation, he returned home to Oakland to serve the local community and has been here since. The majority of his career has taken place in emergency rooms, starting as a receptionist in 2008. During veterinary school, he pursued research in avian medicine, later spending the first several years in practice as an avian veterinarian. Since then, he has been focused on critical care and considers the ER a home away from home.

​Professional interests include medical ethics, communication, and optimizing the human-animal bond – all unique for each patient and family.

Outside work, he enjoys gardening, cooking, art, exercising, and live music.