Our Staff

Gary Kitto

DVM

Dr. Gary Kitto has been a long-time Northern California resident. He grew up in Maryland and earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. He moved to Paradise with his wife Julie in October 2000. They have 3 children, as well as several dogs, cats, birds, and fish. He was the owner and Medical Director of Clark Road Animal Hospital in Paradise, CA for 18 years until the devastating Camp Fire in 2018 when the hospital was destroyed. All the staff and patients were successfully evacuated to safety.

Dr. Kitto has nearly 28 years of clinical experience in small animal medicine and surgery. He has practiced in Baltimore, MD; Yucaipa and Paradise, CA; Walla Walla, WA; and most recently here at Erickson Veterinary Hospital for nearly 2 years. His interests include internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, and preventive health care. At home, he enjoys gardening, camping, boating, golfing, being a busy dad, and taking care of all his four-legged family members.

Johanna Thompson

DVM

Dr. Johanna Thompson grew up on the beautiful Mendocino Coast. She knew from a young age growing up on a ranch that she wanted to help animals. She attended CSU, Chico State. She then earned her doctorate of veterinary medicine from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed her clinical rotation at Colorado State Veterinary Teaching Hospital. After graduation, she was employed in Oregon and has worked at several hospitals in the northern California area. She now lives locally with her family, enjoying all the wonderful outdoor activities our area has to offer.

Paige Ward

DVM

As a fourth generation rancher from Northern CA, Dr. Paige Ward has always had a deep-rooted passion for veterinary medicine. She received her B.S. in Animal Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and her DVM from the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State. She has spent a few years practicing urgent, emergency, and general practice medicine. Paige spends her free time on her cattle ranch with her husband, cat, and two Labrador retrievers. When the day is done, she can probably be found enjoying a good book and an even better glass of wine.

Lori Jahner

DVM

Dr. Lori Jahner is a Southern California native whose passion for helping animals began at a young age. It all started when she released a wild toad into her aunt’s living room during a party. She has been in the area since 2021 working as an urgent care mixed animal practitioner and is excited to be part of the Erickson Veterinary Team. She graduated from Western University of Health Sciences with a focus on Mixed Animal Medicine and strives to help any animal that may walk, fly, or scurry in the door. She enjoys hiking, crafting, and eating her husband’s wonderful baked goods with her two dogs, kitten, and coming-soon goats!

Jason Hicks

DVM

Jason Hicks was born in Arizona and grew up in upstate New York where he became obsessed with all things with fur, feathers, and scales. This lead him to Maryland for a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, then back to the New York area for work as a veterinary technician prior to Veterinary School in Minnesota (Go Gophers!). Along the way he fell in love with emergency medicine and small animal surgery. His plan to become a small animal surgeon lead him to the Los Angeles area and a rotating internship and surgical internship at Animal Specialty Group in Glendale. Following completion of his second internship he moved to the Chico area and has worked as an emergency/critical care doctor with a special interest in wound management and emergency surgeries for the past ten years.

In his free time, Jason spends his time with his lovely fiance and their two young daughters- gallivanting around the North State in search of reasonably safe adventures and good food. When home he can be found with his nose in a book, playing video games, trying to wrangle four dogs and convincing his fiance that they don’t have room for a goat or alpaca in our current backyard! He’s excited to be joining the staff at Erickson and continuing to serve the pets and community here in the Chico Area.

Dr. Justin Uhl

DVM, MS, DACVS-SA

Veterinarian/Surgeon

Dr. Justin Uhl graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. He went on to complete a Master’s Degree in comparative pathology with emphasis in bone biomechanics in 2008 and completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in 2010.

After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Uhl pursued a rotating internship followed by a surgery residency at the University of Minnesota. During his residency he served for two years as chief resident and sat on the medical review board at the hospital. He finished his residency in July of 2014 and worked in private practice in Sacramento before starting Summit Veterinary Surgery Service in May of 2018. Dr. Uhl is trained in orthopedic, neurologic, soft tissue and minimally invasive procedures.

Dr. Justin Uhl has multiple publications in bone plate research, bladder stone trends, temporal lobe epilepsy and osteosarcoma chemotherapy. He has also done research in the areas of interlocking nails and cranial cruciate ligament disease. He has spoken at many continuing education events and is a reviewer for the Veterinary Surgery journal and the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. He sits on the ACVS continuing education committee. He is a member of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society and Veterinary Society of Surgical Onocology.

When not in the hospital Dr. Uhl enjoys spending time with his wife Tracy and daughters Haley and Madison. He also enjoys spending time running, biking, and swimming and has three dogs and one cat at home.

Lewis Brogan

DVM (In Memorium)

Lewis Brogan was a beloved veterinarian who dedicated his life to caring for animals.

Throughout his career, Lewis was known for his compassion, expertise, and unwavering dedication to his patients. He was a skilled veterinarian and he was always willing to go above and beyond to ensure the best possible outcomes for his patients.

He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and countless animals whose lives he touched. His legacy as a compassionate and skilled veterinarian will live on, and he will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the well-being of animals.

Stephanie Roesner

RVT

Hospital Director

Stephanie is a mother of two wonderful sons, Liam & Talan. She loves boating & camping with her husband Robert & and boys. She has three dogs, Skittles, Lyd, and Star. She also loves the outdoors and traveling.

Eztibaliz Garcia

Associate Director of Client Services

Eztibaliz has been a veterinary assistant since 2014 and is currently pursuing her license to become a RVT. She has an associate of science degree in veterinary technology from Carrington College. She’s from Williams but grew up in a small town called Maxwell. She is a mother of 2 beautiful kids, Lucia and Jaden. She has 3 dogs named Cookie, Hazel and Panda. She also has cat named Cheeto and 2 guinea pigs named Poppy and Tracy II. She loves her job and enjoys helping animals. She also loves spending time with her kids and husband, drawing, cooking and spending time outdoors. She is also very family oriented.

Amy Silva

Associate Director of Patient Services

Amy has been in the veterinary field for 5 years now. The first 3 years she was a kennel assistant and then for the past 2 years she has been a veterinary assistant. Amy has always had a strong loving bond towards all animals and hopes to treat and heal them as a veterinarian in the future.

Morgan Talmo

Diversity Equity Inclusion Coordinator

Morgan is new to California but not new to the world of veterinary medicine where she has been a Vet nurse since 2018. She is originally from New Jersey where she attended college to complete a Veterinary Technician program and graduated with an Animal Science degree in 2021. She absolutely adores all creatures big and small! In her free time she enjoys painting, hiking and other outdoor activities.

Madison Simon

RVT

Madison is a lifelong animal lover and mother of two. She is a recent graduate of the Yuba College Vet Tech Program and has since gone on to pass her VTNE licensing exam. When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with friends, her family, and her puppy, Callie.

John Hawkins

RVT

John grew up in the Bay Area, but moved out to Phoenix in 2022 where he attended Pima Medical Institute. After earning a degree in veterinary technology, he moved back to California to be closer to family. In his free time, John likes to play guitar and watch movies with his two pups, Max and Irene.

Cassondra

Cassondra Duncan was raised here in Butte county, where she attended CSU Chico state and received her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural business. In 2018 she moved to Arkansas where she began working as a veterinary assistant. She moved back to the area to be closer to family. In her free time she enjoys going to the farmer’s market, and exploring the many trails the north state has to offer with her dog Ford.

Cristian

Cristian is a dedicated veterinary assistant who has been working in animal care since early 2021. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from CSU Chico and a Master’s in Microbiology from Colorado State University. Outside of the clinic, Cristian enjoys long-distance running, spending time with his dog Finn, and working with his goat herd. He also has a pet goat named Kevin.

Kylie

Kylie was raised in the Central Valley until moving to attend UC Davis as an animal science major. She has been working as a vet nurse at multiple hospitals in Northern California since 2018. When not at work, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends, including three dogs and three cats.

Noe

Noe is a certified veterinary assistant from the Chico Regional Occupational Program graduating class of 2021, Noe has worked his way up from a kennel assistant to a receptionist and is now personally assisting doctors as a vet nurse which consists of running diagnostics and vaccinating our patients along with other tasks. In his free time you can find him fishing out on a lake, watching movies and reading books or spending quality time with family.

Jordan

Jordan has always been extremely passionate about helping animals and has two of her own, Dexter the dog and Bingus the kitten. In her free time she loves to hike, read and play with her pets.

Michelle

Michelle recently moved to Chico to attend Chico state and get my bachelors in biology to then become a veterinarian. I’ve been in the vet field for 6 years and enjoy helping animals. I have 2 pets, a cat named Nova and a dog named Luna.

Ellie

Growing up in Tehama County, Ellie always had a love for animals and the outdoors. That passion led her to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine. Ellie graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2024. In her free time she enjoys hiking around California with her dog, Todd.

Mariela

Client Care Specialist

Mariela grew up in Orland and Chico. I went to Butte community college and transferred to UC Santa Cruz to obtain my bachelors in Biology. I decided to return to Chico to work on building my career and gain experience in a veterinary setting, as my goal is to become a registered vet tech. In my free time I like to spend time with my cat, Pistachio, and with my friends and family. I also enjoy drawing and hiking/spending time outdoors.

Joyce