Team
Meet Our Team!
Meet the veterinarians & team of Evans East Animal Hospital!
We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Get to Know Our Team!
We are solely dedicated to your pet’s care! We look forward to getting to know you and hope you’ll
take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Our Team
Our Evans East Animal Hospital veterinarians in Denver receive tremendous support from a staff of more than 50 dedicated workers, translating to a fantastically talented and resourceful team ready to deliver the very best for your pet’s health and well-being. Our veterinary doctors, staff, and resources ensure you’ll receive the very best in pet care here at Evans East Animal Hospital. Our services run the gamut from general exams and consultations to the most complex surgeries carried out by board-certified surgeons.
Holly Mansfield
Operations Director
Bio coming soon!
Matt Burke
Practice Manager
Bio coming soon!
Our Founders
Evans East Animal Hospital was founded by Dr. Steve Kromka and Dr. Dean Vicksman on April 1, 1987. We have grown from a staff of two, with Dr. Vicksman and Dr. Kromka, to a 12-doctor practice, with over 50 team members today. It is our goal to maintain the spirit of Evans East Animal Hospital as originally founded by providing the best care for your pets in a conscientious, caring manner with reasonable fees.
Dr. Chelsea Whitehouse
Veterinarian
Dr. Chelsea Whitehouse grew up in Burlington, Vermont. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University. Prior to veterinary school, she completed a dairy herd management program at the University of Vermont and obtained her undergraduate degree at Guilford College in North Carolina. Dr. Canning shares her home with her two cats named Herriot and Hermione. Her professional interests include feline medicine, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, hiking, baking, and spending time with her human and fur family.
Dr. Erin Farmer
Veterinarian
Dr. Erin Farmer was born and raised in Michigan. She attended Colorado State University for both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees and graduated with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. After graduation, Dr. Farmer completed a one-year rotating internship at the Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Northbrook, IL, where she gained additional experience in small animal specialty medicine. It was during her internship that Dr. Farmer developed her interest in emergency medicine. Before joining Evans East Animal Hospital, Dr. Farmer worked as an emergency veterinarian at a referral and emergency hospital in the Denver area. Dr. Farmer lives in Denver with her husband, three sons, and their black lab, Akai. In her free time, she enjoys participating in all types of outdoor activities, especially skiing and running.
Dr. Sara Lipkin
Veterinarian
Dr. Sara Lipkin was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia for both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees (Go DAWGS!). She obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2014, and after graduation, Dr. Lipkin completed an intensive year-long rotating internship at the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group of Brooklyn, NY. Her internship fostered her professional interests in emergency and critical care, feline medicine, geriatric care, and neurology. Dr. Lipkin lives just north of Denver with her husband, their two dogs, and their shoulder-riding cat ‘Cheddar.’ Dr. Lipkin’s personal interests include backpacking, traveling, live music, and snowboarding.
Dr. Jennifer Cole
Veterinarian
Dr. Jennifer Cole attended Colorado State University for both undergraduate and veterinary degrees and received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. Since graduation, Dr. Cole has been practicing veterinary medicine in the Denver Metro area and has a special interest in dentistry. Her personal interests include traveling, hiking, camping, and cooking. Dr. Cole shares her home with her husband, Rick, and their two children, Adelaide and Miles. They have a bloodhound named Daisy and a Chihuahua named Bug.
Dr. Laura Higgins
Veterinarian
Dr. Laura Higgins grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She came to Colorado for her undergraduate degrees in zoology and journalism. She met her husband Patrick, a Denver native, in Fort Collins while in college. After graduation, Dr. Higgins spent a year in London working in the art industry and came back to Colorado, where she earned a master’s degree in Immunology prior to attending veterinary school at Colorado State University. Dr. Higgins spent seven years practicing emergency veterinary medicine along the front range. After the birth of their second child, she began doing relief veterinary medicine and has since enjoyed a shift to general practice. Dr. Higgins and her husband stay busy with three active daughters and an English Cocker Spaniel puppy named Eddie. Her personal interests include travel, art collecting, and fly fishing with her husband.
Dr. Julia Gao
Veterinarian
Dr. Julia Gao is originally from Washington, D.C. She received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University. She then completed a year-long small animal rotating internship in medicine and surgery. Her professional interests include internal medicine and emergency medicine. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, traveling, dancing, and hiking with her dog, Leo.
Dr. Kristin Kuball
Veterinarian
Dr. Kristin Kuball grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she pursued both her undergraduate degree in Animal Science as well as her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She then went on to pursue a rigorous rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. She is very excited to work at EEAH and work on growing relationships with her clients as well as their fur-children. Outside of work, Dr. Kuball enjoys doing long-distance running, road biking, visiting national parks, and spending time with her friends and family (including her Border Collie, Flora, and Golden Retriever, Berkeley).
Dr. Nicole Trainor
Veterinarian
Dr. Nicole Schreivogel Trainor grew up in La Junta, Colorado. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Colorado State University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Western University of Health Sciences. After working in Rochester, Minnesota, for several years, she and her family moved to Denver in 2016. She and her husband have two children, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Winnie and a Portugese Water Dog named Porter. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, skiing, and classic cars. Her professional interests include nutrition, dentistry, and ophthalmology.
Dr. Gina Rodriguez
Veterinarian
Dr. Gina Rodriguez is a new addition to the Evans East Family! She joins us from Connecticut, where she practiced both Emergency/ Critical Care and General Wellness. She is a graduate of St. George’s University and received her clinical training at Cornell University. She then went on to complete a 1-year rotating internship with strong interests in both critical care and neurology. When not in the office, she enjoys staying active, cooking, reading, and spending time with her pups (Captain and Cooper).
Dr. Shannon Matlock
Veterinarian
Dr. Shannon Matlock joined Evans East in 2021 after relocating to Denver from the Pacific Northwest. She is a proud Ohio State Veterinary School graduate who loves all aspects of general practice but especially enjoys feline medicine, soft tissue surgery, and internal medicine. Dr. Matlock enjoys camping, traveling, and watching sports with her husband and two children. They share their home with their sweet dog, Aspen, and two kitties, Leo and Pappy Van Winkle.
Dr. Sawyer Howell
Veterinarian
Dr. Sawyer Howell was born and raised in northwest Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He also attended the University of Georgia for his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (Go Bulldogs!). After completing vet school, he began working as a dairy veterinarian in Upstate New York. After two brutal winters in New York, he moved to Weld County, Colorado, where he worked as a large animal veterinarian for five years. Long hours and a shift in interests led him back to small animal medicine, which he has been doing in Denver since 2020. Outside of work, he enjoys going to see live music, eating really good food, backpacking trips with his K9 buddy Clyde, and raising a bunch of kids.
Dr. Steve Kromka
Veterinarian
Dr. Steve Kromka was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He moved to Colorado in 1973 to finish his undergraduate studies. He graduated with honors from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1981 and was then accepted into Angell Memorial Animal Hospital’s internship program for advanced studies in small animal medicine and surgery. Dr. Kromka has participated in the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society and served on the professional policy committee. His interests and hobbies include golf, reading, and activities with his wife Sherry and son Billy, and their two cats, Tawny and Lizzy, and two dogs, Buddy and Lucy. Dr. Kromka also completed the Master Gardener program at Colorado State University and still enjoys gardening and horticulture activities.
Dr. Dean Vicksman
Veterinarian
Dr. Dean Vicksman, a Denver native, graduated with honors from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. He was then accepted into Angell Memorial Animal Hospital’s internship program in Boston for advanced training in small animal medicine and surgery. He has co-owned and directed Evans East Animal Hospital since April 1, 1987, with Dr. Steve Kromka. His personal interests include skiing and martial arts. Dr. Vicksman has a 2nd degree black belt in Peoples Kenpo Karate and is a guest speaker on ABC Channel 7 and FOX31 News pet segments. He is currently Chairman of the Board at PetAid Colorado, the past Chairman of the Board at the Dumb Friends League, and on the Advisory Board of the Grey Muzzle Organization. He is a Certified Veterinary Journalist and a participating member of the Veterinary News Network. He and his wife, Rebecca, and their two children, Sarah and Koby, enjoy their dogs Odin, Whinnie, Jadzia, and Pickles.