Dr. Peter Hanna
Growing up in Simi Valley, veterinary medicine has always been a huge part of Dr. Peter Hanna’s life. Following in his father’s footsteps, veterinary medicine came naturally to him. After graduating from Simi High, he completed his undergraduate studies from University of California, Irvine and received his veterinary degree from Ross University, while completing his clinical training from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Hanna has a diverse knowledge in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and surgery. He has been specialty trained at the highly acclaimed Animal Specialty Group in Los Angeles. In his free time, Dr. Hanna enjoys hiking, cycling, training, and spending time with his English bulldog, Cash.
Dr. Lindsay Hynek
Dr. Lindsay Hynek is an associate veterinarian at Park Animal Hospital, working primarily with dogs and cats. She hails from the east coast where she discovered her passion for caring for those that cannot care for themselves. Dr. Hynek has been involved with wildlife rehabilitation, horse care, and equine competitions since she could walk and talk. It was her love of animals and the sciences that inspired her to pursue her calling as a veterinarian. Dr. Hynek earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine in the great white north of Canada at Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island. She is also internship-trained in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery from Michigan Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Hynek is USDA certified.
Dr. Hynek has a passion for diagnostic imaging, emergency and internal medicine, nutrition and hospice care, with plans to expand her training into canine physical therapy, rehabilitation and veterinary acupuncture. Diagnostic imaging’s non-invasive modalities can shed so much light on the health and wellbeing of our pets. Physical therapy and acupuncture can fill in the gaps sometimes left by western medicine.
Dr. Hynek has volunteered at the California Wildlife Center as well as the Oakland zoo. She was even a nest guarder for the California Condor. She loves hiking with her husband Justin, her daughter Ella and their German Shepherd, Duke. While in the wilderness she strives to live by the mantra of “leave no trace.” It reminds her of the interconnectedness of all living things and how we all have to take care of each other.
Dr. Katherine Gerster
Growing up with two veterinarians for parents, and a love for animals, Dr. Katherine Gerster always knew that this was her dream career. Dr. Gerster grew up in a small town outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been working in the veterinary field since she was 16. After attending Michigan State University for undergrad, she moved away from home to attend veterinary school. Dr. Gerster received her veterinary degree from Midwestern University in Arizona and moved to California to be with her fiancé.
Dr. Gerster’s professional interests include urgent care, internal medicine and exotic animal medicine. She shares her home with a dog, cat and multiple reptiles. In her free time she enjoys exploring Simi Valley and its neighboring cities. Dr. Katherine Gerster is so excited to be a part of Park Animal Hospital and looks forward to meeting all of your pets.
Dr. Scott Amsel
Dr. Amsel was born into and raised in a medical family on the East Coast of the United States. He has lived in California since 1978 and in the Los Angeles area since 1986. During his undergraduate college and early vet school years, Scott developed and nurtured his interest in exotic animals while working at the Miami Seaquarium, the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the former Marine World, Africa USA. Subsequently, while attending veterinary school at the University of California at Davis, Scott specialized in the study of zoo and wildlife medicine.
Since receiving his veterinary degree in 1984, Scott has studied epidemiology and preventive medicine and experienced a wide variety of fascinating veterinary adventures. These include working on a movie in the Amazon with wild river dolphins, working to secure the release of wild dolphins trapped by fishermen in Taiwan, helped rescue and provide medical care for ex-captive orangutans in Taiwan and Indonesia, helped develop a wildlife rescue program in Thailand, and worked for two years as staff veterinarian at the Los Angeles zoo. He has presented papers before the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians as well as publishing original work in various veterinary journals.
Dr. Amsel’s interests cover the entire spectrum of the animal kingdom. After working at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a year in 2000 he moved back to Los Angeles to partner with another zoo vet to run a private practice caring for the many species of animals working in the entertainment industry. He starred in a national Science Diet television commercial and provided veterinary supervision for two reality television shows about dogs. Since then he has worked hundreds of hours for low-cost spay and neuter programs and continued attending to regular pets in private practice.
When not caring for others pets, both domestic and exotic, Dr. Amsel can be found hiking with his two dogs, teaching veterinary technician students, cruising southern California on his motorcycle and scuba diving.
Dr. Lucy Cohen
Dr. Cohen was born in San Francisco and raised in Woodland hills. She started working in various veterinary practices at the age of sixteen, and worked as an
assistant horse trainer until entering veterinary school.
After graduating from the Atlantic veterinary college on Prince Edward Island, Canada, she decided to never again live where the ocean can freeze solid. Instead,
she moved to Coos Bay, Oregon where she treated dogs and cats on both a preventative and urgent care basis. Deciding that Oregon was still too cold, she
decided to pack up and move back home where “freezing weather” actually means sixty degrees and cloudy.
Dr. Cohen has a strong interest in geriatric medicine, ophthalmology, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and acupuncture. She is currently in the process of
becoming certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). In her spare time, Dr Cohen enjoys hiking, swimming in the ocean and practicing
Shotokan Karate.
Dr. Joanne Kang
Dr. Joanne Kang was born and raised in Los Angeles and started her career in high school working at a local animal clinic to learn how to better take care of her own dogs. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Occidental College, she gained more experience working as a veterinary assistant. During her final year of college, she studied abroad in Australia, where she further studied the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment.
Her love for international perspectives and experiences led her to attend veterinary school at St. George’s University in the Caribbean island of Grenada. She completed her clinical rotations at Oregon State University, where she developed a particular interest for internal medicine and cardiology.
After school, she came back home to sunny California and has since worked in general practice to promote the human-animal relationship one pet at a time. Her current fur family consists of her two cats, Blackie and Khaleesi.