Neurology/Neurosurgery Personnel
Veterinarians
Dr. Dickinson obtained his veterinary degree (BVSc) from the University of Liverpool in 1989, followed by a surgical internship at the University of Glasgow which he completed in 1993. In 1995 he completed a PhD with the Applied Neurobiology Group at the University of Glasgow. Dr. Dickinson completed a Neurology/Neurosurgery residency in 2000, and achieved board certification the same year. He is currently an Associate Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery at UC Davis, and Chief of Service. He is the Director of the Petersen Brain Tumor Laboratory. Dr. Dickinson's research interests are Neurooncology and the development and translation of novel therapeutic strategies for primary brain tumors.
Dr. Knipe was born and raised in Redondo Beach, California. She received her DVM from the University of California at Davis, followed by a one-year rotating internship at Purdue University. She completed her residency in Neurology/Neurosurgery at UC Davis and has remained on staff as an associate veterinarian, training veterinary students and residents. Dr. Knipe was worked as a specialist in private practice at the Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park, California. She recently was a locum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Neurology/Neurosurgery service. She co-edited the 2008 Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice – Neuroanatomy and Neurodiagnostics. Dr. Knipe's research interests include disc disease, spinal fractures/instability and brain tumors.
Dr. LeCouteur received his Veterinary degree (BVSc) in 1975 from the University of Sydney in Australia. After a year in small animal practice in Sydney, he did an internship and a residency in surgery at the University of Guelph in Canada (1976 to 1978). He completed his Neurology/Neurosurgery residency training and a PhD in comparative pathology at the University of California-Davis and then joined the faculty of Colorado State University from 1984 to 1989. In 1989, he returned to Australia and established a Neurology/Neurosurgery specialty practice in Sydney. Dr.LeCouteur returned to the USA in 1995 to assume the position of Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery at the University of California-Davis. In 1996 he also became the Director of the Neuromuscular Disease Laboratory and Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory. He was the chairman of the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences from 2000 - 2004. Dr. LeCouteur is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology), and a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology. From 1996 to 1999 he was President of the ACVIM specialty of Neurology, and is currently the President of ACVIM. Dr. LeCouteur's research interests include brain tumors and neuromuscular disease. Dr. LeCouteur has three orange cats (Sam, OB and Benito)
Dr. Sturges completed a BS with high honors from Andrews University in 1980. Between 1980-1981, Dr. Sturges was a graduate researcher in Immunoparasitology. She received her DVM degree cum laude, from Oregon State University in 1986. Dr. Sturges practiced mixed animal medicine and surgery between 1986-1988 and small animal medicine and surgery from 1988-1991. She then moved to Sydney, Australia, where she was a small animal practitioner between 1991-1995. Dr. Sturges returned to the USA in 1995 and completed a Neurology/Neurosugery residency at the VMTH UC Davis in 1998. That same year she achieved American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology) certification. From 1998 to the present, she has held a Lecturer position in Neurology/Neurosurgery at the VMTH UC Davis. Dr. Sturges' reseach interests include brain tumor research, intracranial and spinal neurosurgery. Dr. Sturges has two dogs, a dachshund cross named Stewy and a mixed breed terrier named Reggie. She also has a Devon Rex cat named Smeagol.
Dr. Vernau completed three years of an Honors BSc degree before acceptance into Veterinary School. She received her DVM degree with distinction from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in 1991. After graduation she worked in a small animal practice in Canada for one year before moving to Sydney, Australia. In Sydney she was a small animal practitioner in two large practices until 1994. She moved to California in 1994 in order to complete a Neurology/Neurosurgery residency at UC Davis. In 1997 she was the recipient of the Favorite Small Animal Resident Award from the veterinary class of 1997. She achieved American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology) specialty certification the same year. In 2006, she completed a master’s degree in clinical research. She is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery at UC Davis. Dr. Vernau's research interests include inflammatory brain disease, cerebrospinal fluid, metabolic encephalopathies, and brain tumors. Dr. Vernau has one mixed-breed dog (Bessie), one abyssinian cat (Rojo) and one rabbit (Tanner).
Caroline Altenhoefer, DVM
Caroline Altenhoefer received her DVM from the University of Munich, Germany, in 2006. As part of her doctorade on electrodiagnostics in dogs, she was working there at the teaching hospital at the Neurology Service before she was accepted into the Neurology/Neurosurgery Program at the VMTH, UC Davis. Most of the time, her cats (Schnurri, Kimmy, Micky, Otto) allow her to stay with them. The Greek tortoise Eddy plans to follow them to Davis, soon.
Jason King, DVM
Dr. King graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Marine Biology in 1997. He recieved his DVM Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2006. After completing the Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship program at Virginia Tech in 2007, he was accepted into the Neurology/Neurosurgery Residency Program at the UC Davis VMTH. Dr. King and his wife brought their 3 dogs with them from the east coast, 2 Carolina Dogs named Duke and Sheba, and a spry little terrier named Scout.
Sophie Petersen, DVM, PhD
Dr. Sophie Petersen received a BA in biology from Reed College in Portland Oregon in 1993. She went on to the University of California at Berkeley where she researched topics in molecular neurobiology and received a PhD in 1998. Dr. Petersen earned her DVM from the University of California at Davis in 2004, and completed a one-year small animal rotating internship in medicine and surgery at North Carolina State University prior to being accepted into the Neurology/Neurosurgery residency program at UC Davis in August 2005. She will be eligible to take the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine general examination in June 2007. She will be eligible to take the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Neurology certifying examination in June 2008. Dr. Petersen has a German shepherd dog and a Dachshund.
Liran Tzipory, DVM
Dr. Tzipory received his DVM degree from Szent Istvan University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary in 2003. After graduating, he practiced as a small animal general practitioner in Israel and Norway. In 2006, Dr. Tzipory completed a small animal rotational internship at the University of Florida, after which he was accepted to the program at UC-Davis. He is interested in all aspects of neurology and neurosurgery. He will be eligible to take the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Neurology certifying exam in June 2009. He has two boisterous Rottweilers (Axon & Butch) and two cats (Gever & Pia), and outside work he likes the real football (soccer), snowboarding and cooking.
Rebecca Windsor, DVM
Dr. Windsor received a BS in psychobiology from the University of Southern California in 2001. She then attended the University of California Davis from 2001-2005 where she earned her DVM. She completed a small animal rotating internship at North Carolina State University in 2006 before returning to Davis for her residency in Neurology/Neurosurgery. She will be eligible to take the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Neurology certifying exam in June 2009. She is interested in all aspects of small animal neurology and neurosurgery. Interests outside the hospital include running, traveling, and scuba diving. Dr. Windsor has two cats (Tabitha and Petunia).
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