Meet Our Doctors
Get to know our incredible team of doctors and independent specialists at Yalesville Veterinary Hospital.
Dr. Lisa Saravis Padro
Dr. Lisa Saravis Padro is proud to have been a full-time member of Yalesville Veterinary Hospital since 2005. A Connecticut native, she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, graduating cum laude from Connecticut College. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994, having been inducted into the Society of Phi Zeta, the Honor Society for Veterinary Medicine, and winning the Westminster Kennel Club Scholarship while attending veterinary school.
Dr. Saravis Padro went on to practice small animal medicine in North Haven for the next eleven years before joining Yalesville Veterinary Hospital. She is the past president of the New Haven County Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Saravis Padro enjoys practicing all aspects of medicine and surgery and is excited to be able to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery for her patients. She is committed to maintaining a close relationship with her patients and guiding their families throughout her patients' lives, providing the best care with whatever challenges they may face.
She enjoys spending her free time with her family, riding and driving her two horses Beau and Oliver, reading, and hiking.
Dr. Frank Kostolitz
Dr. Frank Kostolitz attended the University of Parma in Italy where he received his DVM. He started practicing veterinary medicine in Middletown in 1984, providing care to both small and large animal medicine and surgery, and in 1990 he established Yalesville Veterinary Hospital in Wallingford, CT.
Dr. Kostolitz's believes in providing a stress-free environment which is at the core of Dr. Kostolitz's holistic approach to veterinary medicine. His belief in maintaining the human/animal bond is evident in both the way he practices as well as communicating this belief to all the staff here at Yalesville.
Dr. Kostolitz is committed to the Yalesville standards of keeping both advancements in medical technology and staff training as key areas of focus at the practice. This allows the Yalesville team to provide optimum care not often found at privately owned hospitals.
Dr. Kostolitz shares his home with his wife, 3 children, their greyhound, Stella, and 2 cats. His outside interests include travel, theater, food, and motorcycles.
Dr. Catherine Donewald
Dr. Catherine Donewald grew up in Wallingford, CT and is very excited to be back 'home' at Yalesville Vet. Prior to and during college she worked at Yalesville Veterinary Hospital, starting in 2006, in a variety of positions including Veterinary Technician. Her love for working with and helping animals directed her to UCONN where she received her bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Dr. Donewald then went on to Kansas State University and graduated from their College of Veterinary Medicine. Her special interests include animal dermatology and internal medicine. Dr. Donewald is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
While Dr. Donewald is very passionate about veterinary medicine and providing the best care to her patients, she seeks to always make every visit to Yalesville positive for her clients as well.
When she is not caring for patients at Yalesville, Dr. Donewald enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching movies, and going to the beach. She shares her home with her family including their cat, Motzi, and their dog, Leo.
Dr. Resa McLellan
Dr. Resa McLellan is a native of the Naugatuck Valley and is fulfilling her lifelong dream of serving as a veterinarian. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Connecticut College. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she obtained her VMD degree.
During the course of her education, Dr. Resa was passionate about cancer research and participated in several programs, including fellowships at Yale Medical School and Penn Medical School. She also engaged in a wide variety of animal experiences, including rehabilitation of seals and beluga whales at the Mystic Aquarium, veterinary care at the Beardsley Zoo, and performing pregnancy ultrasounds on alpacas and llamas in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
Dr. Resa’s clinical interests include soft tissue surgery, oncology, and exotics medicine. She would be more than happy to meet your guinea pig, rabbit, ferret, or hamster! Apart from the hospital, she enjoys art, singing, and playing various musical instruments. She also participates in running road races in the community, alongside members of the Yalesville Veterinary Hospital staff.
Dr. Molly Chirunomula
Dr. Molly Chirunomula grew up in Connecticut, where she spent her childhood dreaming of joining the veterinary profession! She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Tufts University and completed her veterinary education at Cornell University.
During her undergraduate and professional schooling, Dr. Molly was fortunate to travel and work with wildlife abroad in east Africa, Costa Rica, and Belize. She also worked in shelter environments around the country, learning to perform high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter surgery.
Dr. Molly is very excited to be back home in CT, serving the community through her work here at Yalesville. She strives to provide the highest standards of care and compassion to each of her patients, and to the people who love them.
Dr. Molly's hobbies include dancing and playing her violin and guitar. She lives with her family and her two accidentally adopted cats, Sarah and Estrella.
Dr. Jill O'Callaghan
Dr. Jill O'Callaghan is a Connecticut native. She grew up in New Canaan, CT and graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina with a degree in Biology in 1997.
She then attended Kansas State University where she received her D.V.M. degree in 2002. Upon graduation she worked at a small animal hospital in New London for seven years before joining the Yalesville staff in August 2009.
Her clinical interests include internal medicine, surgery, and acupuncture. She is a certified veterinary acupuncturist through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.
Dr. Marjorie O'Neill
Dr. Marjorie O'Neill grew up in Wallingford, CT. She obtained her B.S. from Quinnipiac College in 1979 and subsequently accepted a position at Wake Forest University where she provided medical care for various species of nonhuman primates, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, and pigeons. After leaving Wake Forest University, she attended veterinary school at North Carolina State University, graduating in 1991.
Following graduation, she moved to New Jersey and spent 20 years practicing general and emergency medicine. She also volunteered as a first responder with the New Jersey State Office of Emergency Management as the Middlesex County Veterinary Coordinator for 15 years. She was responsible for organizing the search and rescue of pets and wildlife during times of disaster. In 2010, she returned to Connecticut to be closer to her family.
When not working Marjorie enjoys pursuing her favorite hobbies including gardening, bird watching, sewing, and knitting and enjoying the company of her cats, Gus, Gracie and Ruthie.
Dr. Kayla Sands
Dr. Kayla Sands returns to her roots in Connecticut, joining Yalesville Veterinary Hospital in May of 2022. Her love for animals and science led her to earn her B.S. (hons) in Zoology from The Ohio State University in 2014. Her journey to vet med continued in Scotland, where she attended the R(D)SVS at the University of Edinburgh to earn her BVM&S in 2018. Throughout her veterinary education and career, she has pursued a passion for exotics medicine (primarily mammals and reptiles) as well as animal behavior across all species.
Dr. Sands strives to provide a high standard of care and client communication for cats, dogs, and exotics and aims to always put patient welfare first through a Fear Free approach. Her favorite part of veterinary medicine so far is educating clients. Being able to share and channel her enthusiasm for everything from basic training to complicated medical cases; nothing gives her job satisfaction like helping owners understand their pet.
When not at the clinic, Dr. Sands enjoys reading, skiing, hiking; movie and board game nights with her husband; and is hoping to pick her viola back up and get back into practice with local music ensembles. All this, that is, when she's not busy entertaining or cuddling with her Pittie, Roslin.
Dr. Christina Leung
As a native New Yorker, Dr. Christina Leung cultivated her love for animals through her experience with wildlife and companion animals. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Stony Brook University, she continued to develop her veterinary journey by working at a small animal practice and volunteering with horses for therapeutic riding. She obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University, where she developed her professional interests in soft tissue surgery and internal medicine.
After graduating, Dr. Leung initially practiced in New York City, and later moved to Connecticut in hopes of having access to more personal space. She is excited to be part of the stellar team at Yalesville Veterinary Hospital, where she strives to provide comprehensive veterinary care and excellent client communication.
In her free time, Dr. Leung enjoys running outdoors, kayaking, and trying different cuisines. She also enjoys spending time with her two kitties, Hudson and Cole.
Dr. Arielle Panthauer
Meet Our Independent Specialists
Our Independent Specialists come in multiple times a week or per month for consults and to see patients. If your pet needs to be seen by one of our independent specialists, please let us know when you call to set up an appointment.
Eric Linnetz, DVM, ACVIM Western Connecticut Veterinary Specialty Services
Though born in New York, Dr. Eric Linnetz primarily grew up in Bristol and Burlington, CT. He attended Cornell for both undergraduate and veterinary school and attained his veterinary degree in 1997. After an internship and four years in private practice in the greater Boston area, he completed a three year residency at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, enabling him to achieve board certification with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine as a specialist in small animal internal medicine.
In 2007, Dr. Linnetz founded Western Connecticut Veterinary Specialty Services, a mobile veterinary ultrasound practice, where he provides abdominal ultrasound, echocardiography, and case consultation to veterinary hospitals across the western half of the state. Dr. Linnetz lives with his wife, Doria, and two young sons, Cameron and Elliot. In his free time, he enjoys family hikes, skiing, summer trips to Maine, and cooking (especially smoking and grilling). With a little more free time, he hopes to resume playing soccer and to finally learn to play the guitar.
Jonathan Goodwin, DVM, DACVIM Cardiology
Dr. Goodwin specializes in Interventional Cardiology Services, including implantation of pacemakers, closing abnormal vessels with self-expanding devices, angiography to visualize vascular defects, and balloon valvuloplasty to open narrowed vessels in the body.
Dr. Goodwin offers comprehensive consultations and complete cardiac evaluations utilizing radiography, color flow Doppler echocardiography, electrocardiography, 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography (Holter) monitoring, and cardiac event recording in the diagnosis and management of patients with all forms of congenital and acquired heart disease.
Dr. Goodwin received his veterinary degree from Tuskegee University. He completed his internship in 2000 at the Coral Springs Animal Hospital, and then went on to complete a cardiology residency at Purdue University from 2005 to 2008. Dr. Goodwin is a Diplomate of The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology).
Philip Pacchiana, DVM, MS, DACVS
Orthopedic/Specialty Surgery
Cutting Edge Veterinary Surgery, PC
Originally from Connecticut, Dr. Pacchiana attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed a general internship in medicine and surgery at the Oradell Animal Hospital in New Jersey and a surgical internship at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center in Texas. Dr. Pacchiana then returned to the University of Minnesota for a three-year residency in small animal surgery, while he also completed his Master of Science degree in veterinary surgery, anesthesia and radiology.
Upon completing his residency, Dr. Pacchiana practiced at several 24-hour specialty and referral hospitals in and around New York City. He was Chief of Surgery for 8 years at Manhattan Veterinary Group & Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialist. He has also held several other leadership positions, including that of Medical Director, spoken on the national level and has 20 publications to his credit.
Dr. Pacchiana is a Board-Certified Veterinary Surgeon and has maintained his certification with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons since 2003. He has performed thousands of orthopedic, soft tissue and neurosurgical procedures and has experience in treating almost all surgical conditions in dogs and cats. Dr. Pacchiana stays current on new techniques and procedures and only recommends surgeries that he would perform on his own animals. He makes sure that each animal under his care receives exceptional care from the first exam to the last checkup. His philosophy is simple - he treats his patients as if they were his own pets.
'I have always practiced veterinary medicine with the knowledge that we veterinarians are very lucky people. I can't imagine doing anything else!'
Ann Bourke, DVM, Avian
Veterinarian
Northeast Bird Clinic
Dr. Ann Bourke is a licensed, experienced avian veterinarian based in Ashford, CT. She attended Cornell University and received her veterinary degree from Tufts Veterinary School in 1990. Dr. Bourke became interested in avian medicine while attending veterinary school, thanks to exotics specialist Dr. Gretchen Kaufman and opened Northeast Bird Clinic in 2007. She is certified as an Avian Specialist by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). Dr. Bourke stays on top of the latest advances in veterinarian technology and above all, remembers that all animals and pets need to be treated with loving care at every check-up, procedure, or surgery. She is committed to educating her clients on how to keep their avian pets healthy and happy year-round, with good nutrition, exercise, and mental stimulation.
Dr. Bourke accepts appointments one day a week, here at Yalesville Veterinary Hospital and is able to perform both well and sick exams, laboratory panels, radiographs, and surgery. She shares her home with 3 dogs, 17 birds and chickens, and raises Soay Sheep. Her outside interests include travel, knitting and photography (especially birds).