Our Veterinary Team
Meet Our Veterinary Team
Get to know our veterinary team!
We are solely dedicated to your pet’s care! We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Dr. Amy Almo
Veterinarian
Dr. Amy Almo received her Doctor of veterinary medicine from Mississippi State University. Her passion for animals started at a young age. She loves witnessing the incredible bond between clients and their pets and is dedicated to enhancing that bond by practicing the most up-to-date medicine. When she isn’t taking care of her patients, she is taking care of her three daughters, whom she shares with her husband, Peter.
Dr. Julie Becker
Veterinarian
Dr. Julie Becker attended Ross University and finished her veterinary education at Tufts University. She is originally from Connecticut and returned after her education was complete. Her love of animals all began with a guinea pig and continued to grow exponentially from there. She is dedicated to providing the most optimal standard of care medicine to all animals to help improve their health and strengthen the human-animal bond. Outside work, she spends time cuddling her three furry children and two rescue cats named Pierre and Tater.
Dr. Joel Higgin
Veterinarian
Originally from Manchester, England, Dr. Joel Higgin received a BSc in zoology from the University of St. Andrews and his veterinary degree from the University of Cambridge in 2016. After living and working in New Jersey for five years, he moved to Connecticut in 2021 with his wife, a native of Wallingford, their two children, and Millie, their English Springer Spaniel/Labrador mix. Dr. Higgin enjoys traveling, hiking with Millie, cooking, and playing chess when he isn’t busy at the office.
Erica
Hospital Manager
Erica has worked at Veterinary Associates since she was 18 years old. She started not knowing anything about Veterinary Medicine and immediately fell in love with it. She is grateful and proud to have had Dr. Osorio teach her everything she knows. She worked her way up from receptionist to Practice Manager and loved the flurry of activity on a typical day. You can usually find Erica running around the office doing multiple tasks but finding time to stop and greet the clients, old and new. She loves caring for everyone around her and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She lives in East Haven with her husband, Patsy, and two Shih Tzus, Paploo and Mookie.
Alex
Veterinary Technician
Alex has been working in the veterinary field for seven years. She started working at VANB IN 2021. She loves working with all big dogs, but Pitbulls are her absolute favorite. When she’s not at work, you will most likely find her hanging out with her Pitbull, Axel, and cat, Ouija, watching horror movies.
Alicia
Veterinary Technician
Growing up, Alicia always knew she wanted to work with animals. She was always bringing home sick animals to nurse back to health. Luckily she had very patient parents. She started working at Central Animal Hospital when she was 18 and then got the chance to work with Dr. Osorio. She jumped at the chance to work with her mentor and has been at VANB ever since. Alicia excels at drawing blood, running the lab and making her co-workers laugh. In her free time she likes to walk her dogs, travel and drink wine.
Peggy
Lead Client Service Representative
Peggy joined the team at VANB as a Customer Service Representative in November 2020. She joined the veterinary world in 2014, following her love of pets and her passion for helping humans. Peggy is a big fan of cats, turtles, and big-headed pitties, and you’ll often see her cooing at the big, scaredy-cat dogs that come into the office. In her downtime, she’s either out singing karaoke or at home watching sci-fi shows with her son, Dominic, their tortoise Reggie, and their three cats, Kira, Kittan, and Jelly.
Ashley
Veterinary Technician
Ashley is a veterinary technician who recently joined the North Branford Veterinary Associates team! She’s been working in veterinary medicine for the last five years. She started as a veterinary assistant in veterinary medicine in 2018 after completing the Veterinarian Assistant course at Middlesex Community College in Middletown. After becoming an assistant, she realized she wanted to do and learn more, so she enrolled in the Veterinary Technology program through Penn Foster! Ashley lives in Meriden, CT, with her daughter, Keagan, and their cat Lilo. You’ll see her giving endless amounts of love to all of your pets at the office, but she has a weakness for Pitbull, English Bulldogs, and Golden Retrievers! You’ll find her at the gym, hiking, or enjoying time with friends and family when not at work!
Devin
Veterinary Technician
Devin is from Rocky Hill, CT, and has been with the VANB crew since January 2021. She is one of the nurses here with us. You can find her in all parts of the clinic, on the phone, in exam rooms, or even in her favorite, surgery.
She enjoys fostering furry friends in need when she can and hopes to own her rescue one day. She’s been in the veterinary world since 2017 and is always excited to take in the never-ending knowledge that comes with the field.
Leiah
Veterinary Technician
Leiah has been working as a Veterinary Technician for over 22 years. She has two cats and enjoys reading books and going to the beach. She thrives in helping anxious dogs and cats have a great experience at the vet.
Michelle
Certified Veterinary Technician
Michelle has been working at Vet Associates since 2013. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician who loves working with cats and is interested in dentistry. She enjoys hiking, archery, and playing french horn in her free time. She resides in Madison with her two cats, Akane and Kemba, and a ball python, Winston.
Sara
Client Service Representative
Sara started as a client in 2007 with her beloved cat Holmes when she fell in love with the family practice. She drastically changed her career from being a Graphic Designer to Veterinary Technician. Sara was welcomed to VANB in 2014, where she started with Dr. Osorio as her mentor, and now she is enjoying the other side of the office with her role as a client service representative. She has two cats: Peach, and her senior cat, Stanley, who is ringing in at 23 this year. Outside work, she is most likely to be found having crazy adventures with her two children and counting down the days to Halloween.
Shannon
Veterinary Technician
Shannon has been in the vet field for 9 years. She lives in the west shore area. She has two pets, a Dogue de Bordeaux named Dolce and an Australian Shepard/heeler mix named Coco. She has a certification in cold laser therapy. In her free time, she likes to cook, go to concerts, and spend time with family, friends, and her animals. She also enjoys spending time on the lake or at the beach while sipping margaritas.
Ciara
Veterinary Technician
Ciara has always had a love of animals since a very young age! She started her education of veterinary science at Lyman Hall High School by taking a veterinary technician course , After she graduated high school she started her college education at Penn Foster with a Major of Veterinary Technician. Ciara has experience with multiple types of animals , from hamsters to cats ,dogs and even reptiles. Ciara’s long term goal is to go to Veterinary School and become a veterinarian. She spends her free time playing with her two dogs (Bayliegh and Jaime ) and vacationing . Ciara can’t wait to meet all of you and get to create a special bond with your furry members of the family!
Isa
Isa has always held a deep love and respect for animals. Growing up in a farming community in Ireland, this appreciation for animal care was nurtured. Isa made the decision to leave a career in IT to pursue her love of veterinary medicine. Isa is now a student at Central Hospital’s Veterinary learning program and is enrolled in Penn Foster. She enjoys developing meaningful relationships with VANB’s clients and patients which allows her to provide excellent patient care. In her free time Isa enjoys hiking, paddle boarding and growing her knowledge of animal behavior, and occasionally fostering dogs through a local rescue group. Isa also loves spending quality time with her two rescue pups Sadie and Piper.
