Dr. Stell is originally from Rome, NY. He graduated from Le Moyne College in 2003 with a BS in Biology, and he received his DVM degree from Cornell University in 2008. He completed a small animal rotating internship in Norwalk, CT in 2009, and then spent a year working as an emergency veterinarian in Westchester County. He has been with VVH since September 2010 initially serving as the main weekend emergency doctor, and then as department head of the weekend emergency service. Beginning in 2023, he became a VVH practice owner alongside Dr. Alicia Brown. Together, they are continuing to maintain the core VVH values, taking care of the clients, the staff, and the pets that matter so much to them.

Dr. Stell is a member of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society and the American Veterinary Medical Society. He and his wife live in Chittenango with their three sons, dog Luna and cats Dipper, Bosco, and Meatloaf. If he had more spare time, he would play more pinball and board games.

Dr. Alicia Brown started her veterinary career at a very young age. She is the daughter of VVH founders Dr. Kerry Brown and Nickie Brown, so, naturally, she has had many opportunities to help out and observe over the years here at VVH; from dogs and cats to horses and cows, she handles them all with patience and compassion. Alicia has officially worked at VVH as a kennel worker, a receptionist, a veterinary assistant, and now as a veterinarian. Dr. Brown’s special interests in veterinary medicine include orthopedics, neurology, and rehabilitation. Dr. Brown and her husband, Brian, have two sons, a daughter, two dogs, Harper and Mack, two cats, Heifer and Peggy Bandit, a horse, Bubba, and a small herd of grass-fed beef cattle. Alicia has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a BA in Biochemistry from Skidmore College and now her DVM from Cornell University. She also worked as a Student Technician at Cornell’s Equine and Farm Animal Hospital.

Dr. Daniele Casper was born and raised in Upstate New York. She graduated from Utica College in 2015 with a BS in Biology. She then attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where she graduated with her DVM degree in 2019. Her special interests in veterinary medicine include surgery, rehabilitation, dermatology, and cardiology. Outside of veterinary medicine, she enjoys spending time at her camp in the Adirondacks, downhill skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and cheering on The Ohio State Buckeyes!

Dr. Kirsten Schaal grew up in the CNY area and developed a love for veterinary medicine at a young age. She spent her summers and vacations with a large animal ambulatory group. She went on to study at Binghamton University where she worked in the Lyme disease lab. She focused on using dogs as an indicator of the prevalence of Lyme disease in humans. She was accepted to St. George’s University and was president of Mini Vets, an outreach program that taught animal welfare to school-aged children. She graduated in 2021 and worked at a small animal hospital for one year before becoming a part of the VVH family. She attended Chi University during that time and became acupuncture certified. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog Coco, swimming, and skiing.

Dr. Frank Capella is originally from Solvay, NY. He received his undergraduate degree from the Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences in 1985. Dr. Capella has been a member of the Village Veterinary Hospital team since his receiving his DVM degree from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. He is a past owner of our hospital and very recently sold his share to once again become an employee. He has special interests in ophthalmology, ultrasound and internal medicine. Frank is a past president of the Central New York Veterinary Medical Association and has been an active board member since 1993. Frank and his wife Dee, who is now a receptionist here, have two sons, Evan and Jonah, two dogs, two cats and a Python. His personal interests include kayaking, hiking, gardening, cooking, and catering, and he occasionally enjoys a round of (mostly bad) golf.

Dr. Love has been a member of the VVH family since 1996. She was born and raised in Simsbury, CT where her interest in animals developed at a young age. She readily became a pet sitter for all the neighborhood dogs and cats and, at age 15, she began working at two local animal hospitals as a kennel attendant. Throughout high school and college, she worked as a veterinary assistant. Karen attended the University of Connecticut as an undergraduate (yes, she is a Husky!!), majoring in Pathobiology. While at UCONN, she spent some time working in a research department studying winter dysentery in cows and Crohn’s disease in humans. After three years at UCONN, she was accepted to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. While at Cornell, her family grew. She rescued a Rottweiler carrying muscular dystrophy and two research cats. She also met John, her future husband. During her four years at Cornell, Karen worked in the small animal outpatient practice as a veterinary assistant. She also exercised horses on a treadmill as part of a research project. She graduated from Cornell in 1996, and since her husband, John, was a Cazenovia native, she sought employment in the Syracuse area. This brought her to Village Veterinary Hospital. Karen has developed a strong interest in dermatology and is a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatologists. She currently resides in Cazenovia with her husband, two children and a menagerie of animals. She is a lifelong horsewoman who also enjoys playing tennis and running.

Dr. Hopper was born and raised in northern New York and aspired to be a veterinarian from a young age. She volunteered at the Watertown Zoo for two years and then went on to work at Old McDonald’s Children Farm in Sackets Harbor, NY throughout high school. In 2001 she left the northern New York area to complete an associate degree in animal science at SUNY Cobleskill. She then transferred to Cornell University to complete two more years of animal science for a bachelor’s degree in 2003. After taking a year off from school to work at veterinary hospitals in the Syracuse area, Dr. Hopper was accepted at Cornell University Veterinary School in 2004 and completed her degree in 2008. Dr. Hopper’s special interests in the veterinary field include pain management and imaging. While attending Cornell, Dr. Hopper met her husband Kevin, a fellow veterinarian. She and Kevin have two sons and two dogs, with whom she spends most of her free time. Dr. Hopper also enjoys sailing, kayaking, gardening, and fishing.

Dr. Brandy grew up in Western Massachusetts. He completed his undergraduate studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL where he received a BS in psychology and a minor in economics. Following Eckerd College he enrolled in a postgraduate certificate program at Bennington College in Vermont receiving a degree in Pre-veterinary studies. He then attended Tufts Veterinary School outside of Boston, MA. While at Tufts he focused and excelled at both small animal surgery and emergency critical care, receiving the ACVS Student Surgery Excellence Award as well as the ACVECC Student Critical Care Excellence Award. He also completed an externship in surgery at the Animal Medical Center in NYC. Following his graduation from Tufts, he took a position with the Village Veterinary Hospital where he has continued to develop his special interest in surgery and emergency/critical care. He is an active member of the Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society and he annually attends the IVECCS conference. He is an active member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association and the Central New York Veterinary Medical Society.

Dr. Brandy enjoys spending his free time with his wife Kiri and their daughter Maddie and son Jack. They share their home with their dog, Solomon, and two cats, Nickie and Cooper. He especially enjoys the outdoors – kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, and gardening. He also likes to relax in his woodshop.

Dr. Pfeiffer grew up in the upstate New York area and has called Fayetteville home for many years. Growing up, she was an avid member of the Spurs N’ Spokes 4H club. She spent many summers showing her horse all over the state as well as traveling to Lexington, KY for 4H-related competitions. She started here at the Village Veterinary Hospital in 2010 as a kennel assistant in high school and worked her way towards becoming a veterinary assistant. Dr. Pfeiffer graduated from the University of Findlay in 2016, where she received her bachelor’s in animal science with a pre-veterinary emphasis along with a minor in chemistry. She then went on to complete her studies in veterinary medicine and received her DVM from Tuskegee University in 2022, where she graduated with the honor of magna cum laude. During her senior year at Tuskegee, Dr. Pfeiffer was awarded the title of proficiency in emergency and critical care medicine by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Society as well as being inducted into the Phi Zeta veterinary medicine honor society for graduating within the top of her class. Dr. Pfeiffer has also been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success. Dr. Pfeiffer is a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She has achieved USDA Level 2 accreditation and is certified in veterinary dentistry from the Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Pfeiffer’s special interests in veterinary medicine include emergency and critical care, neurology, oncology, and urology. In her downtime, she loves traveling, spending time with her family, as well as hiking with her dog and taking her horse out on the trails.

Jill graduated from SUNY Delhi in May of 2004. After college she worked for veterinary hospital outside of Lowville, NY for a little under a year. It was this small animal hospital that got her started on the right foot towards her future in veterinary medicine. During that time Jill learned what it was like to be a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) at a single veterinarian practice. In February of 2005, Jill joined the VVH family. It was quite a change going from a one doctor practice to nine, but she has welcomed the challenge. While several new doors began to open here for her at VVH, Jill has become fond of certain areas of special interest, including chemo therapy, dentals, some behavioral issues, communicating with clients, and ultrasound. She especially loves to learn the different sections of a patient’s body in an ultrasound, with a special interest in cardiology. Jill has also learned to communicate well with clients during her time at VVH. She has shown a kind, gentle, and polite nature to those around her. In return she has earned the same from others. Noticing this quality, Jill was offered a new position within the hospital as head Veterinary Technician. She accepted the position with enthusiasm in September of 2007. Upon taking this new position she has become one of the key players in keeping VVH organized and ready for all of the many day-to-day challenges. Jill is honored to be a member of the VVH family and thanks all of the team members for continuing to teach her so much about the field of veterinary medicine. She continues to learn and grow in the field through Continuing Education every year. She has 3 cats. Some of her favorite pastimes are reading, drawing, writing, listening to all genres of music, swimming, knitting/needle felting, and camping.

Melisa graduated from SUNY Delhi with an Associates Degree in Veterinary Science in 1998. She is a member of the New York State Association of Veterinary Technicians and the American Animal Hospital Association. She worked as a veterinary technician in the Binghamton area for 8 years. She moved to Oneida in 2006 and started working for Village Veterinary Hospital. Some of her special interests in the veterinary field include laboratory testing, puppy/kitten client education and diabetes management. She is also our OSHA Safety Officer and makes sure our AAHA Accreditation is kept current. Melisa and her husband have two sons, three dogs, two cats, and a hedgehog. They enjoy camping, country line dancing and she enjoys all things ‘crafty’.

Donna is a Licensed Veterinary Technician who started working at VVH in 1993. She graduated from SUNY Delhi in 1988. Donna has been very active in training and showing dogs in agility, obedience and conformation for many years. Currently she holds four titles in agility, 3 AX’s and an AXJ and is working on a MX, MXJ and utimately a MACH. She has obtained nine titles in obedience; 7 CD’s and 2 CDX’s and is currently working on utility. She is also involved with raising puppies for Guilding Eyes for the Blind. Donna and her husband Phil live in Canastota and have two daughters. They also have 2 Australian Shepherds, and two cats. In her ‘spare time’ she enjoys spending time with her girls.

Breanna graduated from Alfred State in 2017 with an AAS in Veterinary Technology. She and her husband, Cory, live in Syracuse with their four cats, Aurora, Topper, Sebastian, and Grim. She also has one dog named Churro.

Stacy graduated from Cicero North Syracuse High School and then from SUNY Delhi with a degree in Veterinary Technology in 2001. She has worked here at VVH since 2001 and has a special interest in dentistry, behavior and surgery. She attended a continuing education seminar at SUNY Ulster and studied behavior, dentistry and laboratory procedures. Stacy also loves agility and works with Pawsitively Awesome, Syracuse Obedience Training Club (SOTC) and Dotties Dog School, where she also teaches classes. (See our ‘Obedience/Training’ page in our Pet Library.) She and her husband Ryan own a home in E. Syracuse and have one daughter, Lauren and one son, Carson. They also have two Australian Shepherds, Chatter and Hannah, a Sheltie named Solo and two cats. Stacy is a member of SOTC, NYSAVT and competes with her Aussies in Excellent A agility and CPE events.

Kelly started here at VVH in 1992 working in the kennel. She went on to graduate from SUNY Canton and is a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She loves working in surgery. She is very good at organizing the surgery day and keeping the doctors on task. Kelly lives in Verona and has three children, Andrew, Kiersten and Benjamin. She also has two cats and a Lab named Oliver. Kelly has been involved in karate since she was in Junior High and obtained her black belt in karate in High School. She is currently teaching karate and participating in classes in Rome. Her daughter Kiersten is following suit and has her Blue belt so far.

Dr. Kirsten Schaal grew up in the CNY area and developed a love for veterinary medicine at a young age. She spent her summers and vacations with a large animal ambulatory group. She went on to study at Binghamton University where she worked in the Lyme disease lab. She focused on using dogs as an indicator of the prevalence of Lyme disease in humans. She was accepted to St. George’s University and was president of Mini Vets, an outreach program that taught animal welfare to school-aged children. She graduated in 2021 and worked at a small animal hospital for one year before becoming a part of the VVH family. She attended Chi University during that time and became acupuncture certified. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog Coco, swimming, and skiing.

Dr. Frank Capella is originally from Solvay, NY. He received his undergraduate degree from the Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences in 1985. Dr. Capella has been a member of the Village Veterinary Hospital team since his receiving his DVM degree from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. He is a past owner of our hospital and very recently sold his share to once again become an employee. He has special interests in ophthalmology, ultrasound and internal medicine. Frank is a past president of the Central New York Veterinary Medical Association and has been an active board member since 1993. Frank and his wife Dee, who is now a receptionist here, have two sons, Evan and Jonah, two dogs, two cats and a Python. His personal interests include kayaking, hiking, gardening, cooking, and catering, and he occasionally enjoys a round of (mostly bad) golf.

Tammy is our Kennel Manager who started working at VVH in December of 1996. Tammy graduated from Morrisville College with an Associates in Applied Science, majoring in equine science. Tammy loves working with all the animals here at VVH. She has a special interest in helping them maintain a good quality of life through her knowledge and experience. Tammy and her husband Bob, live in Vernon and have a daughter, Madison, and a son, Zachary. They have one dog: a Golden Retreiver named Max, 2 cats and a horse named Dallas. Tammy and her family enjoy horse riding, swimming, riding bikes, gardening, snowmobiling, down hill skiing, camping and pretty much anything outdoors.

Ivy is currently enrolled in San Juan College in pursuit of becoming a licensed veterinary technician. Prior to VVH, she worked at Spring Farm Cares animal sanctuary and Windy J. Stables equine boarding and lesson facility. In 2016 she came to work at Village Veterinary Hospital while in undergrad at Wells College. She graduated from Wells in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences. In 2019, she took time away from VVH to attend Veterinary School at Ross University but, due to unfortunate circumstances, was unable to continue. Within the veterinary field she has special interests in animal nutrition and behavior. Ivy currently has three very spoiled fur babies: a dog, Tsavo, and two cats, Arusha and Manyara. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking and camping with Tsavo, traveling, concerts, field hockey, and perfecting her nail art.