Meet Our Vets

Dr. Michael Palescandolo received his BS from Fairleigh Dickenson University in 1974.  He then received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Bologna in 1979.  After graduation he worked full time in a local family veterinary practice while at the same time working part time at the then newly established Emergency Veterinary Center.  Understanding fully the need for, and the potential scope of Veterinary emergency medicine and surgery he chose to take on the primary leadership role at the Emergency Clinic in 1984.  The next 25 years were spent molding and guiding the hospital to the outstanding emergency and specialty center it is today.  In addition to continuing to see patients personally through the emergency service, Dr. Palescandolo also performs all of the tasks required as the Chief Executive Officer of AERA and Animal Eye Center of NJ.

Dr. Betty Pyatak-Monaghan received her BS in Biology from Montclair State in 1982.  While working in an entirely different industry she decided to get a taste of veterinary medicine by volunteering at the Emergency Clinic in 1984.  Knowing that she had found her ideal career, she attended the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine and received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1989.  She joined the staff at Animal Emergency as a veterinarian in that same year.  In 1998 she became a board-certified specialist with the ABVP in Canine and Feline care and recertified for her specialty in 2008.  In addition to continuing to see patients personally through the emergency service, Dr. Pyatak-Monaghan also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of AERA and Animal Eye Center of NJ.

Dr. John Palescandolo received his BS in Biology and Physiology from the University of Colorado.  He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University in 1992.  He completed an educational program at the Animal Medical Center and in that same year began his career as an emergency veterinarian at Animal Emergency.  Today he splits his time working as both a part-time emergency veterinarian and a full-time family veterinarian. 

Dr. Luciano Sturla completed his education and received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from an Italian Veterinary School in 1980.  After moving to the United States, he joined the staff at AERA as a full time emergency veterinarian in 1997.

Dr. Rebecca Scelba received her BS in Animal Science from Rutgers University-Cook College in 1995. She then went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 1999.  After graduation she spent 4 years in a full-time family practice.  During that time she also worked part-time as an emergency clinician.  Dr. Scelba joined the staff at AERA as a full-time emergency veterinarian in 2003.

Dr. Erika Grover received three undergraduate degrees from the University of Arizona; a BA in the classics, a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and an additional BS in Veterinary Sciences.  She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 2002 and completed a rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in 2003.  Dr. Grover spent 9 months in a general family practice before joining the staff at AERA as a full time emergency veterinarian in 2005.

Dr. Jennifer Smith received her BS from Seton Hall University in 2004. While she was in college, she worked at Animal Emergency & Referral Associates as a highly respected technician. She then went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. After graduation, she completed a one year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the New England Animal Medical Center. Dr. Smith spent the last year practicing as an emergency clinician at another hospital and joined the staff of AERA as a full-time emergency veterinarian in June 2010.

Dr. Donna Coogan did her undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and then went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 2000.  Dr. Coogan completed an internship at Oklahoma State University in 2001.  She spent 5 years at another emergency practice before joining the staff at AERA as a full time emergency veterinarian in 2006.

Dr. Felix Escudero joined the staff at AERA as a full time emergency veterinarian in 2008 after completeting his education and earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in Peru.

Dr. Kathleen Davis received her BS in engineering from Rutgers University in 1981.  After having a successful career as an engineer, she chose to return to school and earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997.  After graduation she spent 5 years in a mixed animal practice and then one additional year practicing small animal emergency medicine.  Dr. Davis joined the staff as a part time emergency veterinarian in 2003.

Dr. Aine O’Connor received her BS in Animal Science from Cornell University in 2003.  She then received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007.  She completed a one year internship program and then went into family practice full time.  She joined the staff at AERA as an emergency veterinarian in 2009.

Dr. Jennifer Norton received her BA in English from the University of Alabama. After successfully pursuing another career path for many years, she returned to school earning her BS in Biology. Dr. Norton earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and then spent a year participating in an intensive Emergency & Critical Care Internship program at an emergency clinic in Maryland. We welcomed her to the emergency service staff at AERA in the summer of 2009. She has a strong interest in Avian Medicine.

Dr. Margaret Jablecki began her veterinary career ten years ago as a veterinary technician.  She earned her AS degree in Veterinary Technology and then her BS degree in Veterinary Science.  In 2006 she began her doctoral training at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville.  During her four years in Veterinary School she earned multiple scholarship awards, an ACVIM “ Clinical Excellence” award and a Novartis “Excellence in Pain Management” Award.  She received her doctorate in 2010 and then completed a small animal internship at Oradell.  Dr. Jablecki joined the Emergency Service at AERA in July 2011.