Dr. Yuka Nakamura
Dr. Nakamura graduated from veterinary school in Tokyo, Japan, in 1996 and is an expert in veterinary dentistry. When not working, she enjoys hiking with her Chihuahua, Teddy, and Pomeranian, Millie, and playing tennis with her husband. She has two teenage children. She is also compassionate in caring for companion animals for people experiencing homelessness and volunteered at Paws Fund free vaccine clinics in Berkeley. She is also a member of the California Veterinary Medical Corps to help animals at natural disaster sites.
Dr. Virendra Garg
Dr. Garg started his interest in the veterinary field early as a child in his uncle’s veterinary practice. Dr. Garg spent a lot of time at his uncle’s clinic, developing a strong passion for animals and veterinary medicine very naturally. Dr. Garg started his DVM program in 1993 and graduated college with honor degree in veterinary science from College of veterinary Sciences Anjora, India in 2003. After obtaining his DVM license, Dr. Garg decided to pursue a master’s degree and then Ph.D. in Veterinary Immunology from Purdue University, Indiana, USA. He enjoys sharing his knowledge to educate his clients about the health concerns of their pets. He enjoys riddles to solve difficult internal medicine cases with a special interest in major soft tissue surgeries, he adds “however, my passion is client education. Having a veterinarian that you can really talk to about your pet’s needs is the key to a successful owner-veterinarian relationship.”
Dr. Jocelyn Thurm
Dr. Jocelyn Thurm was born in Connecticut but grew up mainly in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. She has always had a fondness for animals and has had a wide range of pets over the years, ranging from cats, dogs, rats, hamsters, fish, and birds to the occasional snake and lizard. At age 10, she developed an interest in horses and spent the next several years taking riding lessons and leasing various horses. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with triple honors and in the top 10% of her class, she spent the next few years working as a veterinary technician in a small animal hospital in Oakland. She also volunteered with a horse veterinarian during this time. She then attended the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she earned her Doctorate in 2002.
As a new veterinarian, she practiced in San Leandro and in Oakland until 2011, when her third child was born. She then took a five-year break to focus on raising her young children and opening her own business designing, drafting, and selling PDF sewing patterns for children’s clothing. Before starting ACH in September of 2022, she had worked as a small animal practitioner in a busy practice in Alameda since 2016.
Dr. Thurm lives in the Piedmont area of Oakland with her husband, three kids, cat, and bearded dragon. Her main veterinary goals are providing compassionate care and maximizing the health and well-being of all the furry friends who come through our door. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, sewing, reading, crafts, and traveling.
Dr. Chris Maag
Dr. Maag grew up in the East Bay and attended the University of Oregon for his undergraduate studies. While in college, he developed a passion for working with animals through volunteering with a local, non-profit, high-volume spay and neuter clinic. He attended veterinary school at Midwestern University, where he served as the president of the university’s American Veterinary Dental chapter. While in veterinary school, Dr. Maag also won the Student One Health Award by researching Rocky Mountain spotted fever outbreaks in the American Southwest. In his off time, Dr. Maag enjoys hiking, trying out new local restaurants, and spending time with his wife and their miniature schnauzer, Poppy. Dr. Maag is excited to join the ACH Walnut Creek team and begin serving the local community.
Dr. Timothy Sellmeyer
Dr. Timothy Sellmeyer obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 2002. He then completed a rotating small animal internship at Kansas State University in 2003. Immediately following his internship, Dr. Sellmeyer began his surgical residency at Mission MedVet in Mission, Kansas. After completion of his residency in 2006 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area that same year as an associate surgeon with Veterinary Surgical Associates in Concord. He became board certified in small animal surgery in 2007, and started the Sage, Dublin surgical service in 2008. In 2018 he joined Northern California Veterinary Surgical.
Tim’s surgical interests include all orthopedic procedures, especially challenging fracture repairs, and joint surgery. He is a member of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society, attending their conference yearly. Tim also enjoys the placement of ureteral stents and subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUBs) systems.
Tim grew up in Missouri, with his early childhood in St. Louis and later moved to Craig, MO where he attended High School. He enjoys traveling, hiking, brewing beer, and cheering for his Mizzou Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Blues.
Dr. Bianca Boudreau
Dr. Bianca Boudreau grew up in Canada and graduated with a DVM from the University of Montreal in 2008. After veterinary school, she moved to Southfield, Michigan where she completed a 1-year rotating internship at BluePearl Veterinary Partners followed by a 1-year surgical internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego, in California. She then completed a 3-year small animal surgery residency at Michigan State University. She became board certified in small animal surgery in 2014. Before joining Northern California Veterinary Surgical in 2018, Dr. Boudreau worked as an associate-professor at Michigan State University as well as an associate surgeon at Sage in Dublin.
Bianca’s surgical interest include soft tissue, oncologic and reconstructive surgeries. She is a member of the Society of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery and attend their conference yearly.
Bianca enjoys spending time with her two cats, Cosmo and Maya. She also likes hiking, swimming, reading, exploring the Bay Area and a good glass of wine.
Dr. Sarah A West, DVM, DACVR
Dr. West graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Zoology in 1989 and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. She completed a small animal internship at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995 and a Radiology Residency at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine Athens in 1998. She has been a board-certified veterinary radiologist since 1998 and has run a successful radiology practice, West Radiologic Services, since June 1, 2000.
Dr. West currently lives in California with her husband Eric and her feline
overlords, Squirrel and Muppet. She is an EMT with the local volunteer fire department and she enjoys the ocean, reading, and traveling in her spare time.