Dr. Karina Ballester-Martinez
Chief of Staff
Dr. Karina Ballester is originally from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and is a native Spanish speaker. She graduated with honors from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and moved to our area to pursue a Post Doctoral Fellowship at North Carolina State University, while finishing a master of public health at the University of Minnesota and working at Banfield. After finishing her studies, she decided to stay full time at Banfield and later became Chief of Staff. Dr. Ballester is a skilled small animal surgeon and is an advocate of preventive care and nutrition. She and her spouse, Walter, have a pitbull/beagle mix named India, a tabby cat named Che, and a pitbull puppy named Carmen. When not at the hospital, Dr. Ballester enjoys traveling, exercise, and good food.
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Dr. Christina Hampton
Veterinarian
Dr. Christina Hampton is originally from upstate New York, but has also lived in Boise, ID, Salt Lake City, UT, and most recently the coastal city of Virginia Beach, VA. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman, WA in 2009. Dr. Hampton, her husband, two young children and four rescue cats recently moved to the Triangle area for its beauty and family atmosphere; and also to support her husband's love of NC State athletics- Go Pack! She spends her time off at home with her family; she enjoys cooking, dangling things in front of her cats (Cadillac, Orange, Potter and Baby Buster) and watching football. Dr. Hampton has been with Banfield for 6 years and is a member of the NCVMA, AVMA and AAFP.
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Dr. Tyler Barrett
Veterinarian
Dr. Tyler Barrett was born and raised in San Diego. He graduated from the University of San Diego, California with a bachelor's degree in animal physiology and neuroscience. He then went on to obtain his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at St. Matthew's University in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands in 2015. He started with Banfield in February 2015 with the Southern Pines, NC practice, and moved to Cary, NC in April 2016. His veterinary interests include cats, internal medicine, and radiology. He currently lives in Apex, NC with his wife Meghan, and their two cats, Sniper and Chalupa Batman. His hobbies include CrossFit, rugby, football, and anything involving the beach or the water.
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Dr. Kristina Douthett
Veterinarian
Dr. Douthett graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in biology and began working for Duke Medicine in a medical laboratory. She then worked as a veterinary assistant with a Banfield in Raleigh, where she discovered her love of veterinary medicine and ultimately decided that she wanted to become a veterinarian. After completing her pre-clinical curriculum at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, she returned home to North Carolina to complete her clinical rotations at the North Carolina College of Veterinary Medicine. She also has a master's degree in animal science, and special interests in small animal surgery and internal medicine. She and her husband, Dennis, have two Shih Tzu’s, Frank and Banjo, and two cats, Winston and Abigail.
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Kassi Briggs
Shift Lead
Kassi has been with Banfield since 2012. She was initially hired as a pet care assistant, and over the years has progressed into the shift lead position. She attended NC State University from 2010-2014 for animal and poultry science, and is currently enrolled in the Penn Foster Veterinary Technician program. She aspires to one day be a practice manager, and then a field director with Banfield. Kassi has two miniature dachshunds, Rocko and Zelda. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts and the movies, and good food.
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Windy Reiterman
Veterinary Assistant
Windy is originally from South Carolina and has worked for Banfield around a year. She is currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technician program at Penn Foster. She did a volunteer/internship with Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina with the big cat and primate zookeepers. Her passion and dream is to one day work with large wild cats and potentially pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Windy has three dogs, an 8-year-old Chihuahua named Rosko, a 12-year-old dachshund named Angel, and a 7-year-old German shepherd/lab mix name Carolina. She also shares her home with one spunky Beta fish by the name of Oscar.
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Kerstyn Bassett
Veterinary Assistant
Kerstyn is from Enfield, CT and attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her bachelor's degree in animal science in 2015. After graduation, she moved to North Carolina and joined Banfield Pet Hospital. She has experience with other veterinary practices, shelter medicine and livestock. Kerstyn hopes to attend the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at North Carolina State in the future!
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Lauren Meredith Vincent
Veterinary Assistant
Meredith is originally from Emporia, VA and moved to Raleigh in 2014 to experience life outside of a small town. She spent 5 years working with children as a counselor before making the decision to start working with animals. She started at Banfield in April of 2016 and is grateful for getting the opportunity to do what she loves. Meredith enjoys being next to any body of water, traveling with her boyfriend, experiencing new things, trying new restaurants, hanging out with family and friends, cooking, and spending quality time with her 2 Labrador retrievers, Black- Harper and Chocolate-Byerly, and tabby cat, Cali.
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Savannah Crockett
Veterinary Assistant
Savannah has worked for a few years in veterinary medicine and has been able to work with a wide range of animals including mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Before finding her passion in veterinary medicine, she graduated from UNCW with her degree in marine biology. Working at some zoos, aquariums and a museum helped her discover her passion for working with animals as well as people. Savannah has 3 pups: 2 mixed breeds and an English staffy, as well as a collection of snakes, geckos and turtles.
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Derek Luck
Client Service Coordinator
Derek was a client at our hospital before joining the team as a CSC. He studied early childhood education at Sandhills Community College, and further pursued a degree in special education at Campbell University. After working in the school system for a few years, Derek thought it would be best to look into other career options that would allow him more home and family time. He has 3 miniature dachshunds, Bucky, Daisy, and Sam, and a 1-year-old golden retriever named Lily. He also has 2 ball pythons, Neville and Sir Salazar Slithers, and some fish. He really enjoys all things nerdy - from Power Rangers to Pokémon!
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Abigail Puckett
Client Service Coordinator
Abigail started with Banfield in April 2015 and lives with her husband, Eric. They have a 5-year-old malanois mix named Grace, a 4-year-old shepherd mix named Yogi, a 1-year-old dachshund mix named Ellie, and a Guinea pig named Whirley. Abigail spends her free time working in the yard, playing with her dogs, and playing Call of Duty.
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