Our Team

Staff: Meet the Team

Tony Ioppolo, DVM

Veterinarian and Practice Owner

Dr. Tony Ioppolo obtained his undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a minor in Chemistry from Louisiana Tech University in 2004. He then went back home to Baton Rouge Louisiana where he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Louisiana State University in 2008.

After graduating from Veterinary School Dr Ioppolo worked with multiple large practices in New Orleans, LA, Columbus GA, and Auburn AL for several years before settling down in Southern Pines, NC in July 2011. Dr. Tony practiced in Southern Pines NC until July 2018 when he purchased Pinehurst Animal Hospital after the practice he worked in was sold to a large corporation. He felt it to be extremely important to continue to offer quality, personalized care that cannot be given by an out of state corporation. His clinical interests include soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, ultrasonography, dermatology, and dentistry.

Dr. Tony Ioppolo also strongly believes in the benefit and importance of spaying and neutering to prevent overpopulation and is a current board member of the Companion Animal Clinic Foundation in Southern Pines NC. He is also proud to offer in home pet euthanasia when that time comes for dogs and cats in Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Whispering Pines and surrounding areas.

Dr. Tony is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. He enjoys horseback riding (eventing), working out, boating, playing golf, hiking, fishing, biking and the outdoors in his spare time.

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Pam Means, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Pamela Means did her undergrate work as a Biology and Chemistry double major at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. She then attended and graduated vet school at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1996.

After graduation, Dr Pamela Means worked for the first 2 years at a large practice in Normal, IL, and then moved to North Carolina, where she has worked at multiple large and small practices. Dr Pamela Means has been practicing at Pinehurst Animal Hospital since 2008, started as relief work and then joined as an associate in 2012. Her clinical interests include internal medicine, wellness care, and geriatric medicine.

Dr Pamela Means currently lives in West End with her husband and her daughters, Hayley and Melanie. Her fur babies include 3 dogs- Meatball, Doughboy, and Muffet, and 6 cats- Joey, Smitten, Whisper, Red, Midnight, and Elena.

In her spare time, Dr Means enjoys spending time with her family and her pets, doing Zumba, reading, gardening, and beach getaways whenever possible.

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Jennifer Behrmann, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Jennifer Behrmann is a 2011 graduate of the University of Illinois. After graduating, she practiced for two years in southern Illinois, where she grew up. Then, she practiced for three years in Tennessee, three years in Alabama and 2 years in Florida. She joined our team in July 2021. She has super ninja reflexes and some very impressive dance moves.
Dr. Behrman moved with her husband to our area and when not saving lives is busy working on their new farm. They share their farm with a senior cat who rules the house, a newly adopted mutt and 2 horses. She enjoys the outdoors. She likes horseback riding, hiking, and drinks on the beach.

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Tracy Wilkinson, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Wilkinson attended University of Alabama for her undergraduate studies, and earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. Her clinical interests include ultrasonography and soft tissue surgery. Dr. Wilkinson is moving here from Virginia and is very excited to be a part of this community! Dr. Wilkinson shares her home with her husband, two dogs, and a corn snake named Scarlett. When she is not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Wilkinson enjoys skiing, hiking, running, and just about everything else outdoors.

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Dana Means, DVM

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Dana K. Means graduated from Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. Following graduation, Dr. Dana settled down in Texas, where she practiced for almost 30 years, with just a small portion of that time spent practicing in New Jersey. Dr. Dana moved to North Carolina almost a year ago and is eager to meet the pet community of Moore County after recently relocating to Whispering Pines from Cary.
Dr. Dana enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but says client education holds a special place in her heart. Along with teaching people how to care for their beloved pets, she especially enjoys teaching young people about careers in veterinary medicine, in which she says, “The opportunities are endless”.
In her free time, Dr. Dana enjoys reading (especially books about veterinary medicine) and traveling. She has taken a brief hiatus from horses, but says she is an equine enthusiast, and can “talk horses all day long”.
Dr. Dana’s clinical interests include dermatology, cytology, and internal medicine.

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Jessica McDaniel

Practice Manager

Jessica joined Pinehurst Animal Hospital in July 2018 after working at several different veterinary hospitals in Moore county NC. She has worked in the veterinary field for over 10 years, gaining experience in all areas of a veterinary practice. When Jessica started her career in 2007 as a Certified Veterinary Assistant, she knew she had found her calling. Jessica says her favorite part of veterinary medicine is the fact that she gets to help pets and people. She passionately believes in our mission to provide the highest quality of patient care and exceptional client service. In her free time, Jessica enjoys horseback riding, reading and binge watching shows on Netflix. She lives with her husband, her son, four dogs, two horses (Markus and Cisco) and a miniature horse named Blossum.

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Veterinary Technicians and Assistants

Staff: Meet the Team

Lora Rogers

Lead Veterinary Assistant

Lora’s passion for veterinary medicine began in Ocean Isle, at an exotic and small
animal hospital near the beach in 2002. After being there for 5 years, Lora moved
to Southern Pines and started a job at Pinehurst Animal Hospital, where she has
been a member of the team now since 2006. Her dedication to the
profession has given Lora the opportunity to embark on a new adventure, and her
vision for Urgent Vets for Pets has played a significant role in its early success.
Throughout the span of her career, Lora has worn many hats, but she says she
enjoys caring for the patients the most. Lora is currently sharing her time between
Urgent Vets for Pets and Pinehurst Animal Hospital, where she serves as the Lead
Veterinary Nurse.
Lora’s clinical interests include surgical preparation, anesthesia monitoring,
emergency and critical care, and client education. She also believes passionately
about pet population control and volunteers her free time assisting with spays and
neuters for local rescue groups.
On the rare occasion Lora has a day off, she can be found on an outdoor adventure
with her family, her three Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and a Russian Tortoise named
Speedy.

Emily Kearney

Veterinary Assistant

Emily is an aspiring future veterinarian. She is a veterinary assistant at Pinehurst Animal Hospital whenever she is not actively pursuing her studies. She is always a joy to work around!

Christian Mcintosh

Veterinary Assistant

Christian left his home and family in the Bahamas to pursue his dream of becoming a veterinarian! He graduated from Wingate University last year and is spending this year working with our team to get some hands on experience before applying to veterinary school. Christian says he wants to be a small animal veterinarian, and his favorite part of vet med is client education. Christian enjoys playing rugby, working out, and of course spending time with his family on the beautiful beaches of the Bahamas!

Connor Berry

Veterinary Assistant

Connor is a Certified Veterinary Assistant and has been with our team for about 2 years! Connor plans on attending veterinary school in the next few years and says he is “just getting warmed up” in regards to his career in vet med! His passion is Pathology and Microbiology, and says he especially enjoys venipuncture (and he’s quite good at it too)! Connor also is a member of the Moore County Philharmonic.

Caighla Outlaw

Veterinary Technician

Caighla is a 2021 graduate of Central Carolina Community College's Veterinary Technology program. Although she recently earned her designation as an RVT, she has been in veterinary medicine since 2015. Caighla fell in love with this industry after her and her husband, David, adopted their two dogs, Maverick and Remi. Her clinical passions are surgical monitoring, anesthesia, and emergency and critical care. Caighla comes to us with experience in both large and small animal medicine, and says she enjoys both fields, but small animal medicine is where her heart is. Caighla is originally from Florida, so any opportunity she gets to go home and visit, she takes! She loves summertime and anything that involves being outside and water sports. Caighla enjoys her free time playing tennis, reading, and hanging out with her husband and friends.

Nicole Knight

Veterinary Assistant

Nicole has been a veterinary assistant for 4 ½ years. She says she loves all aspects of vet med, but truly enjoys the different variety of cases she gets to assist with. Nicole says no day is ever the same in veterinary medicine! Nicole joins us from Rockingham, NC. When she is not at
work, Nicole spends her free time playing softball, fishing, and video gaming.

Ashtan Coggins

Veterinary Assistant

Ashtan joined our team about 6 months ago after taking a hiatus from veterinary medicine. After her daughter, Piper, was born a year and a half ago, Ashtan could not wait to get back into the field of vet med. Ashtan’s favorite part of the job is the interaction with patients, and her clinical interests include surgical monitoring and venipuncture. Ashtan has a calming demeanor that makes her a wonderful veterinary nurse! In her free time, Ashtan enjoys spending time with
family and friends and playing with her “ponies”.

Christina Currall

Veterinary Assistant

Christina joins us after gaining 12 years of experience in the veterinary world at another local practice. She is an NC State Alumni (Go Pack !!!) and enjoys many different hobbies in her free time, such as anime, manga, archery, reading, and writing. She is an outdoor enthusiast, and on the weekends you can probably find her either out hiking , or cheering on her boyfriend, Andrew, at an equestrian event . Christina has an assortment of four legged friends, including three cats, a dog, two chinchillas, two snakes , and two bearded dragons !!! Now you can see why we instantly feel in love with Christina!
Bring your fur baby by to say hello to this Veterinary Assistant Extraordinaire!

Marcy Erickson

Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Kelsye Smith

Veterinary Assistant

Kelsye says she always knew she wanted to work with animals. She landed a job with us after deciding that she wanted to be a veterinary technician, and we put her to work right away! Her polite mannerism and excellent communication skills were the perfect fit for our front desk, but she is studying veterinary technology at an online college, so we use her as a veterinary assistant too! Kelsye is thrilled to be learning all the different facets of a veterinary hospital but enjoys working with the patients the most. Kelsye and her husband have three dogs (Autumn, Heath, and Quinn) and a hobby farm that is home to their dairy goats. Kelsye loves to travel to new places, and says she is ready to go, “Anytime, Anywhere”!

Julie Rice

Veterinary Assistant

Bio Coming Soon!

Kayla Weakley

Veterinarian Technician

Bio Coming Soon!

Katie Billups

Veterinary Assistant

Bio Coming soon!

Robin Elliott

Veterinary Assistant

Bio Coming Soon!

Mickayla Phillips

Veterinarian Technician

Bio Comin Soon!

Veterinary Receptionists

Staff: Meet the Team

Christine Lofton

Receptionist

Chris began her career in the veterinary field at 18 years of age and says it was an experience that captured her heart. After having her three beautiful daughters, Chris spent some time as a stay-at-home mom and a Pathology Specimen Processor at the hospital before deciding that veterinary medicine was where she really belonged. She joined our team in December of 2018 and never looked back! She is a fabulous receptionist and is well known amongst clients for her cheerful attitude and willingness to help. Chris is a proud military wife and her and her husband are building a new house on lots of land so they can, you guessed it…get some more animals! She currently shares her home with her family and a multitude of pets, whose numbers are likely to increase in the near future!

Lea Sneed

Receptionist

Lea's career in veterinary medicine was almost expected, being that her mom was a veterinary receptionist and assistant for almost 30 years! Lea has been a receptionist for 9 years now and has also worked at several kennels and boarding facilities. Lea enjoys interacting with clients and says the most satisfying part of her job is helping people when they are concerned or worried about their pets. Lea aspires to be the owner of a boutique boarding facility one day and we are using that to our advantage…she organizes all our boarding reservations to ensure that each pet has a relaxed and enjoyable stay in our kennel! When Lea is not at work, you can be sure that she is with her husband and best friend, Chevas. Lea and her husband enjoy visiting each end of North Carolina (and everything in between) on motorcycle, kayaking, hiking, and playing with their dogs. She shares her home with pets of all kinds, including a rabbit, two dogs, and a cat.