Meet Our Staff

The core of any veterinary practice is the doctors who work there. The level of medicine, diligence of care and happiness of the clients and staff is ensured by the respect that these individuals have for their craft. Our veterinarians are members of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the Emergency and Critical Care Association. Extensive continuing education and a comprehensive medical library ensure that all of our staff are up-to-date on the latest in emergency and critical care.

Emergency
David Rouse, DVM Chief of Staff   Dr. Rouse received his veterinary degree from Italy's prestigious University of Perugia in 1981. He joined The Hope Center in 1992, after 10 years of primary care practice in Vienna and North Carolina. He concentrates on emergency and critical care medicine, with an emphasis on radiology and surgery. Dr. Rouse lives in South Riding, Virginia, with his wife, son and daughter.
Michele Angel, DVM Assistant Chief of Staff   Dr. Angel is a 1998 graduate of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and joined The Hope Center in February of 2000. Her veterinary interests lie in pain management, diagnostic imaging, trauma management and surgical emergencies. In addition to her clinic duties, she also serves as the Assistant Chief of Staff. Outside of the clinic, Dr. Angel enjoys hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains, jogging near her home in Georgetown, reading, and enjoying exotic foods.
Scott Moore, VMD   Dr. Moore graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1992. After spending a year in Kenya studying wildlife management and biology, he completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Friendship Hospital for animals in Washington, D.C. Dr. Moore joined The Hope Center in March of 1995.
Laurie Miller, DVM   Dr. Miller grew up in Vienna and received her bachelor's degree at Virginia Tech in the fall of 1997. She then went on to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian and graduated from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. Her interest in emergency medicine started while working as an emergency surgery technician during veterinary school. After graduation she returned to Northern Virginia working in a private practice in McLean, Virginia, for a year and a half before joining The Hope Center. She and her husband recently welcomed their first son into their home which they also share with a dog and two cats.
Karena Joung, VMD   Dr. Joung received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. Her interest in Emergency Veterinary Medicine was cultivated during her internship at Michigan State University where she received recognition as Intern of the Year. Away for five years, Dr. Joung is delighted to be back home in the D.C. area, where she spends spare time with her husband, dog, and three cats.
Cady Johnston, DVM   Dr. Johnston began her education at Virginia Tech and stayed in Blacksburg to graduate from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. After completing vet school, Dr. Johnston participated in a one-year rotating internship of small animal medicine and surgery at Southpaws Veterinary Referral Center. It was during her internship that she developed a strong interest for emergency medicine. Her four legged friends include 2 cats and 3 dogs.
Beth Venit, VMD   Dr. Venit, a Bethesda, MD native, enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania with the hopes to one day move into the field of emergency veterinary medicine. After graduating in 2007 and completing a year-long internship at VCA Veterinarian Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, she realized her goal when she joined the ER team at The Hope Center. Dr. Venit finds endocrinology and toxicology particularly interesting areas of emergency care. In her spare time, she enjoys tiring her dog out with running and hiking and relaxing afterwards with her cat.
Internal Medicine
Heidi Allen, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM   Dr. Allen graduated in 1996 from the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and completed her internship and residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. Dr Allen practiced internal medicine at Affiliated Veterinary Specialist in Florida before joining the staff of The Hope Center. Dr. Allen is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Angela Gasser, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM   Dr. Gasser joined the Internal Medicine Department in August of 2005. Dr. Gasser came to us from Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey. She is a 1999 graduate of North Carolina State University, and she completed her internship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kelly Gisselman, DVM   Dr. Gisselman graduated in 2005 from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She then went on to complete her internship and residency training in internal medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and is excited to move back a little closer to home by working at The Hope Center where she started in October 2008.
Ophthalmology
Brady Beale, VMD, Dipl. ACVO   Dr. Beale joined The Hope Center after completing a 3-year residency in comparative ophthalmology at North Carolina State University. Prior to that, she received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania and attended Dartmouth College for her undergraduate studies. Dr Beale has also interned at numerous animal care facilities including the New England Aquarium and Baltimore Zoo. Dr. Beale is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
Oncology
Elsa Beck, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVR   Dr. Beck joined The Hope Center in 2007 after a prestigious career in the field of Veterinary Oncology. Double-Boarded in Veterinary Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Dr. Beck has provided expertise and guidance to a number of academic and private institutions. Dr. Beck’s major focus has been on developing cutting edge cancer treatments in pets that could be rapidly translated into human treatments. She believes in a multidisciplinary approach, prescribing combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments to provide the best possible care, while avoiding side effects. She, along with the rest of the staff, strives to make the process as pleasant as possible for pets and their owners.
Interns
The Hope Center participates in the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians’ Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program. The Matching Program facilitates a pairing between newly graduated veterinarians and hospitals nationwide. After interviews with The Hope Center and other hospitals, the interns are asked to rank them in order of preference. Likewise, the clinics will rank prospective interns. The data is returned to the Matching Program, which pairs the doctors with their selected facility. At The Hope Center, interns rotate though every department in order to receive a year of on-the-job training under the guidance of more experienced doctors and board certified specialists.