ASPCA Shelter Medicine Services Team
Meet the people behind ASPCA® shelter medicine programs and initiatives.
Stephanie Janeczko, DVM, MS, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice; Canine & Feline Practice), CAWA, Vice President, Shelter Medicine Services
Dr. Stephanie Janeczko is the Vice President of Shelter Medicine Services at the ASPCA, where she leads the organization’s national shelter medicine work to strategically improve animal health and welfare and shelter operations and to train future shelter medicine specialists through the Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency. Stephanie provides leadership for the ASPCA's Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Initiative, and her team also work across the organization to support AVC work and provide shelter medicine expertise to support direct-care teams at the ASPCA. Dr. Janeczko completed her DVM in 2004 and a master’s in epidemiology and residency in shelter medicine in 2009, all at Cornell University. She is board certified in Shelter Medicine Practice and Canine & Feline Practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, and she is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator. Dr. Janeczko was a member of the organizing committee for a shelter medicine specialty and currently serves as Regent for the specialty. She is a former board member and past president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) and a member of the task force updating the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters. Dr. Janeczko received ASV's Meritorious Service Award in 2020. She has lectured and written extensively on shelter medicine topics and is co-editor of the Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters textbook.
Erin Doyle DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Senior Director, Shelter Medicine & Residency Programs
Dr. Erin Doyle is a Senior Director of Shelter Medicine & Residency Programs in the ASPCA’s Shelter Medicine Services department and is board certified in Shelter Medicine Practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Dr. Doyle is the Resident Advisor for future veterinary specialists participating in the ASPCA Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program. She received her DVM from Tufts University in 2004. After several years in private practice, Dr. Doyle joined the shelter medicine team at the Animal Rescue League of Boston, where she worked for over ten years before joining the ASPCA in June 2018. She also completed a fellowship with the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at UC Davis in 2012. Dr. Doyle is a past president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) and is an adjunct faculty member in Shelter Medicine at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. She is a co-editor of the ASV’s updated Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
Elise Gingrich DVM, MPH, MS, DACVPM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Senior Director, Shelter Medicine
Dr. Elise Gingrich is a Senior Director of Shelter Medicine with the ASPCA. She earned her DVM from Iowa State University in 2005. After 2 years in private practice, she completed a shelter medicine residency at Colorado State University. During her residency, Dr. Gingrich completed her MPH (through the University of Iowa) in 2007 and earned her MS in Clinical Sciences in 2010. After her residency, Dr. Gingrich worked in municipal and private shelters in Wisconsin and Colorado for nine years before joining the ASPCA in 2019. She is board certified in Shelter Medicine Practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and also board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Dr. Gingrich was a member of the organizing committee for the shelter medicine specialty and is a past president and former board member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. She is also a member of the task force updating ASV’s Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
Elizabeth Berliner, DVM, MA, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice; Canine & Feline Practice), Senior Director, Shelter Medicine
Dr. Elizabeth Berliner earned her DVM from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003 after an early career as an English teacher. After graduation from veterinary school, she entered general and emergency practice before becoming Medical Director of a shelter and spay/neuter clinic in Baltimore, MD. In 2010, she returned to Cornell to provide leadership for the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, where she founded the clinical internship in shelter medicine, trained students in classrooms and shelters, consulted with shelters, and provided direct care at the SPCA of Tompkins County. She also served as a seasonal field veterinarian for Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) for many years and was surgical team lead for Spayathon for Puerto Rico.
Dr. Berliner is a Senior Director of Shelter Medicine at the ASPCA. She leads the ASPCA’s Practitioner Pathway Mentorship Program for veterinarians pursuing board certification in Shelter Medicine Practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). Dr. Berliner is boarded in both Shelter Medicine Practice and Canine & Feline Practice through ABVP. She was a member of the organizing committee for the shelter medicine board specialty and is a former board member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV). Currently, she serves on the ASV’s position statement committee, membership engagement committee, and task force to revise the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters. She is also an Executive Board Member for the NYS Veterinary Medicine Association. Dr. Berliner also holds a courtesy appointment as an Associate Clinical Professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Lauren Overman, DVM, Senior Director, Shelter Medicine
Dr. Lauren Overman has worked in animal welfare for over 15 years and her involvement in and commitment to shelter medicine run deep. She started as a veterinary assistant in an animal shelter before attending veterinary medical school. After graduating from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, Lauren went on to complete a shelter medicine internship at Oregon Humane Society. She then joined the Humane Society for Southwest Washington for 10 years as Vice President of Veterinary Services, where she oversaw the surgical and medical care of shelter animals and pets of people experiencing houselessness. Lauren is an active member of Humane Animal Support Services helping to increase access to care through the External Facing Medical Care working group. Her interests include community- based animal sheltering, shelter infectious disease prevention/management, and a veterinarian’s role in shelter management.
Biana G. Tamimi BVM&S, CVA, Resident, Shelter Medicine
Dr. Biana G. Tamimi is the first resident in the ASPCA’s Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program. She completed her degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 2017. As a veterinary student, Dr. Tamimi undertook shelter medicine externships at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Santa Fe Animal Shelter, and the Dogs Trust (UK). She founded a free student-run veterinary clinic for the pets of people who are vulnerably housed in Edinburgh. After graduating, she continued providing accessible veterinary care as a regular volunteer vet with the Portland Animal Welfare Team in Oregon. She spent 3 years working in general practice before completing a rotating internship in Edinburgh in 2021. Dr. Tamimi also holds a certificate in Veterinary Acupuncture. In conjunction with her internship, she served as the recent graduate representative for the Scottish Branch of the British Veterinary Association.
Learn more about the field of shelter medicine.
Daniela Lopez Goicochea, Resident, Shelter Medicine
Dr. Dani Lopez Goicochea is the second resident in the ASPCA’s Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program. Originally an anthropology and media studies major at Brown University, her experiences volunteering and later working at her local animal shelter led her to pursue a career change. Dr. Lopez attended Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and obtained her DVM and MPH degrees in 2021. As a veterinary and public health student, Dr. Lopez volunteered in monthly community cat clinics and completed projects related to community medicine and access to veterinary care. After graduating, Dr. Lopez completed a Shelter Medicine internship at Cornell University in 2022, where she provided direct care to the animals at the SPCA of Tompkins County and completed rotations at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.
Cassidy Piskorick, CPDT-KA, Administrative Coordinator, Shelter Medicine
Cassidy Piskorick has been working professionally in the field of animal welfare since 2015. She has experience working in direct animal care, feline adoption, canine adoption, and program development. In addition to this, Cassidy is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and has worked both in shelter animal behavior as well as public behavior consulting. She is passionate about collaboration across departments within shelters to improve animal welfare. Cassidy has a deep interest in shelter medicine and provides administrative and logistical support to the Shelter Medicine Services team and Residency Program.