Dr. Donna Brinck
Veterinarian
Dr. Brinck attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo where she received her undergraduate degree in biology. She moved to Germany where she worked in research for several years, and then went on to study veterinary medicine in Munich at Ludwig Maximilians University. She worked with large and small animals in Germany before returning to the U.S. to practice in Florida. In 2012, Dr. Brinck decided to move home to California with her son, Alex, and Pluto, her Bavarian Alpine Scent Hound, to live in beautiful Santa Cruz. Her passions, besides animals, include travel, hiking, and enjoying the Pacific's treasures such as otter watching. She is excited to join the team at Banfield Santa Cruz and welcomes all the new furry faces to the practice!
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Dr. Margaretha Koehorst
Veterinarian
Dr. Koehorst attended the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands to study veterinary medicine. She worked for several years in private practices and had her own mobile veterinary practice for 3 years. In 2014, her family moved to California with their 2 rescue dogs, Nala and Yuki (podenco mixes), from Spain. They enjoy the Santa Cruz lifestyle with hiking and beach visits, and she also loves to cook, watch movies and take her 2 little daughters to the zoo. Dr. Koehorst has been working for Banfield Santa Cruz since 2016 and she loves taking care of all the visiting pets!
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Elsa
Practice Manager
Elsa has been with Banfield since 2014 and started as a CSC and then a VA. With much dedication to learn more about the Banfield culture, her hunger for growth developed into a shift lead in 2017. She's very passionate about client experience, creating a positive working environment, and providing the best care for patients. On her days off, Elsa spends as much time as possible with her family, friends, her cat named Kristofferson and her family's dog, Mia. She enjoys early morning workouts and participating in/training for marathons in hopes to complete a triathlon someday. Elsa loves exploring cities, cultures, events and activities that make her feel alive such as skydiving, rock climbing, hiking, and soon SCUBA diving.
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Kate
Shift Lead
Kate started working at Banfield in October 2016 but first began working with pets as a volunteer at the shelter in her home town, Sonora, in 2010. She is currently pursuing an anthropology degree and intends to receive her master's degree from MIIS in Monterrey. Although she has no cats or dogs, she has a 9-year-old goldfish named Palpatine.
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Brian
Veterinary Assistant
Brian started working at Banfield in March 2016 as a veterinary assistant and has worked in the veterinary field since 2010. He is currently attending CSUMB in pursuit of a degree in biology, and hopes to one day finish veterinary school and specialize in surgery. Brian has a 2-year-old gray and white cat named Momo.
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Diana
Veterinary Assistant
Diana started working at Banfield in January 2018 as a client service coordinator and then transitioned to a veterinary assistant. She graduated from UCSC this spring with a bachelor's in marine biology and is pursuing her DVM specializing in marine mammals or wildlife veterinary medicine focusing on biodiversity conservation. Some of her favorite things to do outside of work is volunteering in the Sinervo UCSC research lab which focuses on herptiles, running, scuba diving and reading.
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John
Veterinary Assistant
John has been working at Banfield since April of 2018. He is from Orange County and is the youngest in a family of five. John is currently a senior at UCSC majoring in marine biology with aspirations of being a wildlife veterinarian and pursing research. He has one dog named Duke who he loves to take to the beach and go on hikes. John loves food and cooking is a passion of his, especially making dessert. When he is not studying or working at Banfield, you can find him hanging out with his friends, hiking, relaxing at the beach, or watching "Planet Earth".
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Victoria
Veterinary Assistant
Victoria was born and raised in Santa Cruz and has always had a passion for animals and veterinary medicine. She recently started at Banfield and loves the family vibe and hard working team. Victoria has an extensive background in working with large animals, such as horses, and was a coach for a top Nor Cal equestrian team and also the UCSC equestrian team for many years. Her love and interest for veterinary medicine has moved her into small animals and she's very excited to start her new career with the Banfield team. On her days off, Victoria spends as much time as possible with her blue nose pit bull, Diesel, and her fiancé, Ricky. She also loves hiking, traveling, riding horses, scary movies, and taking in all the beauty Santa Cruz has to offer!
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Malia
Client Service Coordinator
Malia began working for Banfield in the summer of 2018 shortly after graduating early as valedictorian from Delta College and Career Prep High School. She got her start in animal care during 2014 volunteering with the Santa Cruz SPCA, specializing in feline behavioral rehabilitation and community outreach. When not working or volunteering, Malia takes classes like sociology and world music at Cabrillo College and spends time with her two cats, Shadow and Cleo. She hopes to work as a vet tech someday.
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Leslie
Client Service Coordinator
Leslie started working at Banfield recently, and what likes most about working here is that not only is the team super nice and welcoming, but also seeing all the different pets come in. She has two pets, Chiko (a pitbull/lab mix) and Lulu (an American boxer). Outside of work, Leslie enjoys spending time with her family.
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