MEET OUR BOARD-CERTIFIED SPECIALISTS
As The COVE’s reputation for excellent care, service and accessibility has grown, so has demand for its services. As a result, the practice has tripled the size of its staff since its founding, and now employs more than 50 highly trained team members, including board-certified veterinarians with advanced, specialized expertise. Call us to lean more about our specialists at (757) 935-9111. They include:
Cardiologist
During her residency, Dr. Small earned numerous awards, including being named outstanding resident twice by her classmates, the Bedside Manner Award bestowed by the faculty.
A true local, Dr. Small grew up in Norfolk, attended Old Dominion University, and is deeply embedded in the fabric of life in Hampton Roads. She has been a member of the viola section in Symphonicity, the Symphony Orchestra of Virginia Beach, for over 20 years.
In addition to the satisfaction Dr. Small receives serving the community she calls home, she also enjoys gardening, and spending time with her husband, son, and pets.
Jeff T. Stallings, DVM, DACVS
Surgeon
After completing his DVM and an internship in small animal medicine and surgery, Dr. Stallings worked as an emergency veterinarian for a year prior to entering a three-year surgical residency at the University of Florida. After his residency, Dr. Stallings moved his family to Maryland to work in a referral practice before returning to the Tidewater region, where he established a mobile surgery service. His practice moved to a fixed location many years ago where he proudly offered pet owners and referring veterinarians the latest techniques in soft-tissue, orthopedic, oncologic, and neurologic surgical procedures.
As a Co-founder of The COVE, Dr. Stallings has been encouraged to pursue his dream by his supportive family.
Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC
Dr. Nobles started and expanded two large specialty hospitals in Oklahoma and Florida before joining The COVE team in 2017, where she brings her considerable skills to our emergency and critical care service. Her professionalism, kindness, extensive veterinary knowledge and skill-set, and steadfast dedication to patient and client care have impressed pets, their owners, her coworkers, and referring veterinarians alike.
Colleen Fox, DVM
Dentistry and Oral Surgery
Dr. Fox has traveled thousands of miles and devoted countless hours to advance her dental knowledge and skills through continuing education and practice. She is a member of the American Veterinary Dental Society and has limited her practice to dentistry as a DVM.
In recognition of her innovative veterinary practice as well as her service to the community, Dr. Fox was honored in 2012 as one of Inside Business magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40 in Hampton Roads.” In 2017, she was awarded Inside Business – The Hampton Roads Business Journal’s with a Woman in Business Achievement Award.
Alicia Thomas, DVM
Emergency and Critical Care
Dr. Thomas was born and raised in Midlothian, Virginia, and is excited to be living back in her home state. She shares her home with Penni, a four-year-old Golden Retriever, and Lily, a cat she hand-raised since its birth in 2008. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Leah Simons, DVM
Emergency Care
Dr. Simons is originally from New York and received her DVM from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating veterinary school she completed a small animal rotating internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey. She moved to Virginia after her internship and has been working as an emergency doctor in the Richmond area ever since. Dr. Simons appreciates the ability to have variety in her work life and supplements her time with frequent freelance work at emergency and general practice hospitals in the Richmond area. Even though she does not live nearby she is grateful for the opportunity to work at The COVE on a regular basis and is always in awe of the compassion and care that is provided to her patients and clients by her fellow staff members. She is a current member of the AVMA and VECCS.
In her free time, Dr. Simons enjoys yoga, pottery, exploring the outdoors, and spoiling her 3-legged cat Millipede (AKA MIllie).
Todd White, DVM
Emergency Care
Dr. Todd White is from Hickory, North Carolina and received a Bachelor of Science from Wake Forest and his DVM at North Carolina State University in 1993. Ever since then he has been working in small animal medicine both in general and emergency in the Hampton Roads area. Even though Dr. White primarily serves as an ER doctor at The COVE his professional interest include ophthalmology and oncology.
In his free time Dr. White enjoys cooking, growing super-hot peppers, music, the cinema and spending time his wife, Leslie Dragon, also a small animal veterinarian and owner/operator of Four Paws Mobile and their fur family; Dylan a Great Dane and two cats Stella and Chip.
Laurie Granata, DVM
Emergency Care
Dr. Granata graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Since then she has worked in general practice, emergency/referral, and mobile ultrasound. Her special interests include ultrasound, surgery, and critical care. An original New Yorker, Dr. Granata moved to Virginia in 2014 and is enjoying southern living with her husband, son, and two dogs, Robert and Walker.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and backpacking in the national parks.
Dr. Arriana Williams
Associate ER DVM
Dr. Arriana Williams was born in New York City but lived the majority of her childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at South Carolina State University where she began gaining animal experience to become a competitive veterinary student candidate. Dr. Williams obtained her Veterinary degree at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California where she discovered her love for emergency medicine. Her special interests include ultrasound, ophthalmology, soft tissue surgery, and urology.
Dr. Williams originally moved to Virginia shortly after graduating from undergrad with her fiancé where they welcomed their son in 2014. She did two externships at the COVE during her 4th year in veterinary school and quickly fell in love with the clinic and the staff so much that she inquired about a job before finishing her externship here. What Dr. Williams looks forward to the most at the COVE is building comradery between the fellow doctors and staff members. Knowing that she has people to turn to for assistance with tough cases makes being a new graduate less scary. Her favorite part of her career is being able to utilize the special bond she has with animals and knowing that she has the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their lives. During her free time, Dr. Williams spends time with her son, goes to the beach, kayaks, and cooks with her family.
Christine Reid , DVM
Emergency Care
Dr. Christine Reid studied Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland before starting her veterinary education at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated in 2016 with numerous awards including Surgical Proficiency, Oncology, and Patient Care. Dr. Reid spent her first 2 years at a busy general practice in North Carolina where she expanded and honed her skills in surgery, diagnostics, and time management. Since that time, she has used and expanded those skills exclusively in the emergency medical field.
Her professional passions include the care of critically ill patients, surgery, and pain management. She is a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society as well as the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and is working towards becoming a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner.
Dr. Reid is a single mom to her 3-year-old daughter. They share their home with a Great Dane, a cat, and a turtle. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her family, reading, music, coloring, and video games.
