Our Staff
Lydia Hambrook
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons)
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Medicine
Lydia began at Advanced Vetcare after completing her fellowship in small animal medicine through the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2012. She helps pets with cardiology, oncology, endocrinology, infectious disease and gastroenterology needs. She’s volunteered with the Esther Honey Foundation in the Cook Islands and Vets Beyond Borders in India. Lydia has been published internationally and is actively involved in the examination and assessment of up and coming specialists. The best equipment available supports Lydia’s diagnostic capabilities, including a state-of-the-art cardiac ultrasound and a full range of endoscopes, 16 slice CT scanner and excellent access to a worldclass MRI scanner.
Amanda Ciavarella
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons. Melb)
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Medicine
BVSc (Hons), Melb. FANZCVS (Small Animal Medicine)
Amanda graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2009 with Honours. After graduation, Amanda practiced in small animal general practice for a short while before then completing an internship at Advanced Vetcare in emergency and small animal medicine. She gained his membership in Small Animal Medicine to the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and began her residency to achieve fellowship in 2014. In 2017, Amanda passed her fellowship examination and is now a registered specialist in small animal internal medicine and continues to practice at Advanced Vetcare. Her clinical interests include infectious diseases, in particular fungal disease in particular Aspergillosis in dogs and cats, immune mediated diseases and interventional radiology procedures.
Laura Brockley
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons)
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Veterinary Oncology
Laura’s dedication to oncology started with an internship in Veterinary Oncology in 2008. The following year she became a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary scientists and started a residency in Oncology. In 2013 Laura became a registered specialist in Veterinary Oncology. She has a strong clinical interest in immunotherapy, lymphoma diagnostics and treatment, and using evidence-based medicine to provide compassionate care to cancer patients. Laura advocates spending the time to ensure you are making an informed decision on treatment options ranging from palliative to potentially curative in intent. Laura has published internationally and nationally and is actively involved in continuing education, including lecturing Veterinary nursing students and examining of our next generation of oncology specialists.
Jess Morey
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Resident in Veterinary Oncology
Jess graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Veterinary science in 2013 and spent some time in general practice both in Australia and the UK. In 2018, Jess undertook an internship in Veterinary oncology and realised that this field was where her passion lied. She moved to Advanced Vetcare in 2021 as an oncology associate and started her residency in oncology in 2022.
Jess enjoys the relationships she forms with clients and their pets whilst treating their cancers and improving their quality of life at home. She is excited about what the future holds for veterinary oncology as the field continues to progress.
Sam Snelling
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
Director of Advanced Vetcare
Sam has many years’ experience as a specialist small animal veterinary and referral surgeon in Melbourne. Sam has a strong clinical interest in spinal surgery, cruciate repair, arthroscopy, fracture repair, cancer surgery, total joint replacement and minimally invasive techniques in dogs and cats. He takes pride in his reputation for providing clear advice based on the best available evidence for your pet. Whilst he is a busy surgeon performing hundreds of procedures each year, Sam takes the time to ensure you have the information you need to make the best decision possible for your pet.
Kirsten Deruddere
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
Director of Advanced Vetcare
Kirsten’s strong interest is in small animal surgery, which inspired her to take up a position as an intern at Advanced Vetcare in 2010. The following year she became a member of the surgical chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists and began her residency in small animal surgery at Advanced Vetcare. She became a registered specialist in small animal surgery in 2015. Her niche interest is in axial pattern techniques and major wound reconstruction and she’s published nationally and internationally on both of these topics.
David Hall
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
Director of Advanced Vetcare
David has worked in both Melbourne and abroad, pursuing small animal surgery for a number of years. He joined Advanced Vetcare in 2011 as a small animal surgical resident and became a registered specialist in small animal surgery in 2017. He has particular interests in complex fracture repairs, joint surgery, and neurosurgery, having published research on spinal fracture repair in international journals.
Jonathan Speelman
Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
Jonathan joined the AVC team in October 2022 after a long period of developing his career and working overseas as an internationally recognised specialist in Small Animal Surgery. Jonathan’s training program was based in Hong Kong with frequent visits to some of the largest Universities in the USA. Jonathan receives referrals for orthopaedic, oncologic, soft tissue and neurosurgical cases. He regularly attends international conferences and continuing education events.
His current work with Advanced Vetcare involves working with our referring veterinarians to discuss and implement the most appropriate surgical (or other) treatment for their client’s pets. Jonathan has a strong interest in all aspects of small animal surgery and will be happy to discuss your pet’s issues and possible surgical solutions to find the best and most effective treatments.
Viola Wynne-Hoelscher
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons)
Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Viola graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons) in 2018. Viola then moved from Queensland to Melbourne after graduation and worked in private practice and in the shelter setting. Her love of surgery and promoting a good quality of life for her patients ultimately lead her to undertake an internship in surgery at AVC. She started her Surgical residency at Advanced Vet Care in 2023.
Viola is committed to providing the highest level of care to all her patients so they achieve the best possible outcome from their surgery. In her free time, she loves spending time with her 2 dogs and 2 cats and enjoys any outdoor adventures.
Stephanie Lane
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons)
Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Stephanie graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2018, with first class honours. After graduation Steph completed a specialist surgical internship at Advanced Vetcare. Steph then went on to small animal general practice in Ballarat, before returning to commence a specialist small animal surgical residency at AVC in 2020. Steph has since gained her memberships in Small Animal Surgery via the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
Steph has a strong passion for surgery and particularly takes pride in her client communication and providing the best treatment for your pet. Steph has a strong passion in all aspects of small animal surgery, including soft tissue, orthopaedic, oncologic and neurological surgery. She has a particular interest in complex multiple disciplinary cases.
Outside of work, Steph enjoys socialising with family and friends, cooking and looking after her two fur babies, Ollie the golden retriever and Charlie the cat.
Jessica Farrugia
Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine
Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Jess graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine 2016. In 2017, she undertook a rotating internship at Southpaws, which ignited her passion for surgery. She spent several years in general practice before undertaking a surgical internship at Advanced Vetcare. She loved working in the surgical department so much that she stayed on to start her residency in 2022. Jess finds the varied surgical caseload at Advanced Vetcare immensely rewarding and is particularly interested in neurosurgery. When she is not at work, she enjoys attending concerts, spending time with family and learning to surf.
Liesje Grieve
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care
Liesje is known for her straightforward, practical and caring approach and she cares for some of Advanced Vetcare’s most critical patients. Liesje graduated in 1999 and after working in general practice, completed an internship at the University of Melbourne and moved to emergency veterinary care. She finished her memberships in emergency medicine and critical care in 2004 and since, Liesje has dedicated her career to emergency and critical care both at Advanced Vetcare and the University of Melbourne.
Sarah Triglia
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Medicine
Following graduation, Sarah moved to Ballarat to work in a busy general practice for two years. She relocated to Melbourne in 2014, completed an emergency internship at Advanced Vetcare and is now an Emergency Clinician. Sarah passed her membership in small animal medicine in 2015 and has strong interests in treating medical conditions and emergency and critical care. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys long distance running, baking cakes and going on adventures with her husband and miniature poodle called Kramer.
Warren McInnes
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care, and Small Animal Medicine
Warren started as a vet working in a small animal private practice on the Mornington Peninsula. He has an interest in ultrasonography and diagnostic imaging and enjoys clinical pathology. After working on the Peninsula for a few years, he moved to the south-eastern suburbs before starting with Advanced Vetcare as one of the hospital veterinarians. Warren was awarded his memberships from the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, where he has studied both emergency and critical care, and small animal internal medicine. Warren is well regarded for his calm and methodical approach to all cases, particularly difficult emergency cases.
Dan Taft
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care
Dan grew up in far North Queensland. During his university years he spent his nights working as a nurse at a very large emergency service in Brisbane and developed a love for the fast paced ICU and emergency environment. After graduating from the university of Queenland in 2008, he spent many years in mixed practice in both Queensland and the UK before finally settling in Melbourne. Missing the adrenaline rush, he returned to emergency work at AVC. He attained his memberships in Emergency and Critical Care in 2018 is now one of the clinical leads in the AVC emergency department. Dan spends his spare time maintaining his property in country Victoria with his partner and two dogs.
Phil Downey
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Phil graduated from the University of Adelaide and started his veterinary career working in a mixed animal private practice in north east Melbourne. He started working as a locum at Advanced Vetcare and shortly after took an internship position in the emergency department. He has an interest in ultrasonography and diagnostic imaging and enjoys procedural work. Phil also works closely with the management and admin departments at AVC, using his previous experience with computer science, to improve protocols and find IT solutions within the clinic.
