Dr. Amanda Leef’s journey to practice ownership started when she caught a snake as a small child. She graduated in 2003 from Michigan State University’s DVM program and since then has worked in rural mixed animal practices, high-volume spay-neuter programs, animal shelters, and urban small-animal practices. She has been involved in the animal welfare community including delivering training programs for animal service workers and collaborating with non-profits.

Dr. Kristie Mientka grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts and completed her pre-veterinary degree at U-Mass. Before earning her veterinary degree from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2014, she interned with the Humane Society of the United States in their farm animal welfare section in Washington, DC. During vet school, she traveled to Udaipur, India where she worked at an animal shelter and developed her passion for international veterinary medicine. Since then, she has worked at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals hospital in Dublin, Ireland and the Animal Rescue Kingdom in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She spent 3-1/2 years working as a vet at a small animal practice in Sydney, Australia before moving back to Massachusetts. Kristie enjoys exploring Boston neighborhood with her husband, Sam. She is also an avid runner, and has completed three marathons in the last year. When she’s not at Heal, you can find her teaching spin classes in Boston or hanging out with her two Aussie cats, Wesley and Trundle.

Dr. Davis grew up in nearby Carlisle, MA, riding horses and teaching riding lessons. She enjoyed geeking out about various equine diseases and how to care for sick or wounded animals, leading her to a veterinary career. After undergrad at Williams College, she attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2016. After graduation, Dr. Davis spent three years in Philadelphia at a veterinary hospital specializing in primary and emergency care for cats and dogs. There she focused on partnering with clients to form treatment plans best suited to their individual needs. Dr. Davis is thrilled to be back in the Boston area, joining Heal Vet in 2019. She lives in Newton with her husband and their dog, Ollie. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, cross-country skiing, and cooking.

Dr. Therriault grew up in Connecticut and received her undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine for her VMD degree. Dr. Therriault previously worked at a primary care and 24hr emergency hospital in Baltimore, MD. Her professional interests include surgery, endocrine diseases and allergies in pets. While living in Philly, Dr. Therriault adopted a goofy red Golden Retriever named Ellie. In her free time, Dr. Therriault enjoys taking Ellie on hikes and swims, reading books on the beach, and trying out new recipes. She is an avid tea drinker and plant collector.

Dr. Keen grew up in Massachusetts and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she graduated in 2022 with her VMD degree. Dr. Keen worked at a primary care and urgent care hospital in Philadelphia before returning home to Massachusetts to join the Heal Veterinary team. Her professional interests include preventative medicine, dermatology, palliative care and soft tissue surgery. Outside of work you can find Dr. Keen hiking in the White Mountains, trying new restaurants in the Boston area, or hanging out with her rambunctious cat Oscar.

Dr. Galantowicz grew up in Arlington, MA, spending summers running with her grandparents dogs on their farm in New Hampshire, and most of her free time trying to convince her parents to get her a puppy. After finishing undergrad at Oberlin College in Ohio, she took a gap year to work as a vet tech, doggie daycare assistant, and dairy farm hand. She attended vet school at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she developed a love for animal behavior, feline medicine, and Scotch. Now back on home turf, she gets to move back in with her beloved cats, Cece and Yoyo.

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Arianna grew up avidly watching Animal Planet and taking care of many pocket pets as well as her beloved cat Ace, who was with her from crib to high school graduation. Her first dog was an elderly chihuahua mix her family foster-failed through the local shelter where she volunteered.

She transitioned from working in a primary care physician office to a veterinary hospital in 2018 and realized that's where she belongs. Her human medicine background helped her learn veterinary medicine with ease - she's accidentally referred to the client as a patient only once or twice! In her free time she can be found at home with her cat, Luna, in her lap at all times or out supporting the local arts scene in Boston.

Heather is a Massachusetts native who came to Heal by way of a local cat rescue where she volunteers with her daughter. She is passionate about cats and providing great care for the most vulnerable felines. At Heal you can find Heather working the front desk and helping with appointments as a technician. She is proud of all she has learned since joining the Heal team.

Heather shares her home with her husband, kids, and cats Maggie and Azula. When she's not at work she is working on rescue projects, baking with her daughter, or spending time in Maine.

Capricia is a West Coast native and has been interested in animals, mostly horses and other farm animals, from a young age. She moved to Massachusetts in 2010. Outside of vet work, Capricia loves sewing, videogames, seeing as many movies as possible, and hanging out with her cat, Pixel. She is pictured her with our hospital cat Phoebe - photo by Philip Bundman who you can reach on our Art page.

Chelsea moved to Massachusetts with her pit mix Augie after serving in the United States Army. She comes to Heal Vet with experience in animal sheltering, adoptions, and animal behavior. She has an extensive record collection and loves to find new albums in local records stores in her free time.

Carol is one of our most seasoned veterinary technicians. She has a deep fondness for chonky orange cats, kickboxing, world travel, wine tastings, and motorcycles.

Kaitlyn’s earliest memories are running through salmon filled rivers and watching Moose run down the roads in Alaska. Being surrounded by so much wildlife ignited her desire to learn more about our furry and feathered friends. Even though her time is Alaska was short, the focus on animals remained front and center her entire life. Kaitlyn has a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from Ball State University and an Associate degree from Purdue University’s Veterinary Nursing program. She passed the VTNE in April of 2021.

Kaitlyn moved to Massachusetts with her significant other and her dog, Albus, in January 2022 and joined the Heal team soon after. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys bird-watching, hiking, obsessing over her houseplants, and writing novels.

Jamila was born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan and moved to the United States with her family in 2013. Her deep love for natural sciences, flora and fauna led her to pursue a biology degree at Clark University in Worcester, MA. during the summer before her junior year she traveled to Ecuador and volunteered at Yana Cocha Wildlife refuge in the Amazon rainforest. There she realized that working with animals can combine her passions of biology and exploring new places, interacting with nature and animals. Upon returning from her trip, she joined the staff of Worcester Cat Hospital and Bird Clinic and became familiar with many different species including reptiles, birds, rodents and cats.

Confident now that she wanted to work with animals, she finally had an answer to the question every college student faces: what to be as an adult. She moved to Boston area after graduation and joined our team at Heal. Here, for the first time, she was able to work with dogs and fell in love with them! Currently living in Boston, she enjoys volunteering, listening to music, dancing and spending time with her friends all while finding her place in the large and exciting field of veterinary medicine.

Sue has always wanted to work with animals. Her first love was an orange tabby named Sam. He even slept in her crib. Ever since then, Sue has loved taking care of animals. She's very dedicated to shelter animals and has rescued several into her home over the years. Sue has worked in general practice, specialty surgery & anesthesia, and shelter medicine. She brings more than two decades of veterinary experience to Heal. Outside of work, Sue likes to spend time with her family, biking and going to the beach.

Leah is a life-long Massachusetts resident who took a winding path to get to Heal. Her interest in veterinary medicine began after adopting her senior dog, Nana, in 2015 and helping her live out her golden years. Wanting to bring the same love and passion she had while caring for Nana-dog to others, she enrolled in North Shore Community College’s Animal Care program and then their Veterinary Technology program, and she graduated in 2020. Leah began at Heal as an intern in 2019 and couldn’t be happier to have found her place here. We are so proud of her for passing the Veterinary Technician National Exam earning her the title of Certified Veterinary Technician. She has also completed Sophia Yin’s Low-Stress Handling certification.

Outside of work, she enjoys dance parties, avant garde fashion, wicked long mountain bike adventures, figuring out how to eat potatoes at every meal and hanging with her two excellent kitties - Marcel and Olive. She not-so-secretly wishes she was in a prog rock band.

Keady Rascona graduated from Old Dominion University in 2023 with a bachelors in biology and plans to continue her education by applying to veterinary school in 2024. She moved from Virginia in 2023 and loves living in Massachusetts . She has worked in animal care/medicine since 2018 in both general and emergency practice and with domestic and exotic animals. She advocates for increasing the quality of life and providing excellent care for all animals, but has a particular fondness for exotic animals and wildlife.

Mackenzie grew up in the Boston area, and has loved all things animal related from a very young age. She pursued a degree in ceramics at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design for one year, but quickly realized that working with animals was where her heart was.

Mackenzie comes to Heal with an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology, which she received from North Shore Community College in the Spring of 2021. She has been working in the field since 2019, and is currently studying for the VTNE to obtain her certification.

In addition to working with dogs and cats, Mackenzie especially loves working with exotic patients - including birds! She has a Green-cheeked Conure named Ducky who loves to cause trouble! When she is not in practice, you can find her drawing, watching The Office, or watering her many, many houseplants.

Lauren is originally from the Midwest (Illinois and Wisconsin) and has been living in Massachusetts since 2001. She’s been in working in veterinary care since 2010, and her experience includes humane societies, house calls, nursing, high volume spay and neuter, private practice and non-profit management, and specialty orthopedics.

Lauren joined our team in August 2020. She loves people just as much as she loves animals, so working at Heal is “a dream come true.” Lauren shares her house with a smart and cuddly brown tabby rescue named Bisti, and very much misses the pair of rescue greyhounds she cared for over ten years. Outside of work, Lauren is usually cooking, fermenting, foraging for wild edible plants, going for a run, lifting weights, or playing fetch with her cat.

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