Dr. Vanessa Biegen attended veterinary school at Western University of Health Sciences before completing both her internship and neurology residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York City in 2015.  

 

After her residency, she moved to San Diego to establish the first ever neurology and neurosurgery service in a growing emergency and specialty hospital.  She has been providing specialty care to the animals of Southern California ever since, including consulting with local exotic, zoo and laboratory veterinarians.  Some of the highlights of these partnerships included consulting on a vestibular shark and advanced imaging studies of neurologic exotic animals such as tortoises, iguanas, and a variety of pocket pets.

 

Dr. Biegen loves teaching other veterinarians and considers it one of her favorite parts of the job.  This includes daily consultations with local general and emergency practitioners, training interns, and teaching extern students from the local veterinary school.  She has also published numerous papers and has worked closely with a researcher at the University of Missouri over the years to help identify and create pre-mortem genetic testing for neurodegenerative diseases in cats.  Her professional interests include neuroimaging, neurodegenerative diseases and the potential role gene therapy may play in the future, and infectious diseases of the central nervous system.

 

Outside of work, Dr. Biegen enjoys travelling, going to the beach, playing volleyball, and spending time with her family, which includes two young kids and the best cat ever, "Mako Shark."