Meet The Doctors

Dr. Mike Schlicksup received his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Ross University in 2007 where he graduated salutatorian. Following graduation he completed a one year small animal internship and three year surgical residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon finishing the residency program Dr. Schlicksup became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He remained on staff at the University of Pennsylvania helping train students, interns and surgical residents for the next 2 years. For the past 7 years he worked as a staff surgeon at a facility in Charleston, SC.

Dr. Schlicksup’s interests include wound therapy, minimally invasive surgery (arthroscopy & laparoscopy) and joint replacement. He has written numerous journal articles and book chapters on topics that include; brachycephalic airway disease, vascular stenting, adrenal gland surgery, cruciate ligament disease and middle ear disease. In 2011 his research was recognized at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons symposium. Dr. Schlicksup is the co-owner of CVets with Dr. Tracy Schlicksup.  Their goal was to open a speciality hospital in the Columbia area that was focused on the client experience while practicing the highest level of medicine.

Dr. Tracy Schlicksup received her doctorate of veterinary medicine from Ross University in 2007. Following graduation she completed a six month small animal internship at North Carolina State University. For the next 6 years she worked as an emergency doctor at a 25 doctor specialty hospital in Philadelphia, PA. During this time she received rigorous additional training in emergency medicine and surgery.  She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the South Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She has experience in creation and implementation of technician training programs and educational rounds. She also currently assists in human resources focusing on staff interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and career development. Dr. Tracy Schlicksup is the director of Emergency and Client Services and co-owner of CVETS.

Dr. Kendra Bohn received a bachelor’s degree from Hiram College in 2002, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University in 2007. She completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Auburn University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. She then finished an internship at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in 2009. Dr. Bohn went on to complete a residency in veterinary neurology and neurosurgery from 2009 to 2012. During her residency, she conducted a research project evaluating the utility of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which is a specific MRI sequence, in non-invasively differentiating brain tumor types. In 2012, Dr. Bohn became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the specialty of neurology. She worked for nearly 7 years at PVSEC in Pittsburgh, PA before joining CVETS in July 2019. Her clinical interests include neurosurgery, brain tumors, and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. Aside from her love of neurology, Dr. Bohn enjoys horseback riding, Japanese language and culture, hiking, yoga, and reading.

Dr. Wynter Gantt is an emergency veterinarian at CVETS. Dr. Gantt is a native of South Carolina, originally coming from the Charleston area. She graduated from USC-Aiken with her Bachelors of Science in Biology, with a concentration in Infectious Diseases and Immunology. After completion of two years of research in this field, Dr Gantt attended the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State where she graduated at the top of her class. Dr. Gantt’s interests include the treatment of emergent conditions include GDV, septic shock and poorly controlled diabetes.

Dr. Rebecca Haviland has been board certified in internal medicine by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine since 2015. Her special interests include all aspects of endocrinology and hematology. She has conducted research in hypoadrenocorticism and thromboembolic diseases and has lectured at local and national events.
Dr. Haviland received her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. After completing both a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery and a small animal internal medicine internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey, she returned to the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her residency in internal medicine. She then moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she worked in a large specialty private practice for 6 years. She briefly practiced in Pennsylvania once again, prior to deciding to return to Columbia to join CVETS.
Dr. Haviland grew up in Levittown, Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband, their 2 children (Miles and Zoey), 2 dogs (Izzy and Jane), 4 cats (Jack, Sebastian, Eli, and Squishy), and an African grey parrot named Gilligan. Dr. Haviland enjoys running, experimenting with baking, and gardening.

Dr. Heather Joseph is one of the familiar faces of the ER here at CVETS. She grew up in Ohio and Pennsylvania and relocated to Florida for vet school due to her love of the sun and exotic animal medicine. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2013 and then went on to complete a rotating small animal internship at the University of Tennessee, where she trained under several specialists including those who specialized in Emergency, Zoo and Exotic Animal Medicine. She then completed a specialty internship at the University of Saskatchewan expanding her exotics training. Following completion, she continued to practice emergency medicine and train the ER staff (technicians and doctors) on exotic animal emergency medicine in Corpus Christi, TX. Several life changes brought her to SC to be closer to family. She is excited to work to prepare the ER service for 24/7 exotic pet care. She spends her free time hanging out with her family, including her crazy kids (furry and feathered), gardening, and doing yoga.

Dr. Sarah Kraiza (Payne) received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1999. After graduation Dr. Kraiza completed a 12- month internship at VCA – VRA in Gaithersburg, MD (“the barn”). During her internship she developed an interest in surgery and oncology and she spent a second year at VRA working with radiation, chemotherapy and surgery patients. Dr. Kraiza completed a residency in medical oncology at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts in Grafton, MA. and spent an additional year as a clinical instructor. In 2006 Dr. Kraiza achieved board certification in medical oncology. After leaving university Dr. Kraiza has been in private practice in CT, SC and FL.

Dr. Kraiza finds working private practice setting with multiple specialist and diagnostic tools enables her to tailor the best treatment plan for your pet – with the goal of finding the right balance of treatment and quality of life being a priority. Dr. Kraiza offers novel treatment regimes, including evolving immunotherapy protocols and novel chemotherapeutics. Dr. Kraiza looks forward to working with your pet’s primary veterinarian to diagnose and manage treatment of all types of cancer. Dr. Kraiza (Dr. Sarah) moved to Columbia with her husband, three children, 2 dogs and 2 cats. Making the move to Columbia provided the amazing opportunity to work at CVETS. In her spare time Dr. Kraiza enjoys spending time with her family – two and four legged.

Dr. Phillips is an ER doctor at CVETS. She grew up in Seneca, South Carolina with her parents, brother, and a myriad of pets. She had dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since she was 5 years old when she started caring for animals in her bathtub. After graduating Seneca High School, she attended Clemson University majoring in biology completing her bachelor’s degree. She worked at the University of Georgia’s (UGA) veterinary pharmacy and attended the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2002. Dr. Phillips immediately started practicing emergency medicine after graduation from veterinary school. She quickly developed and still maintains a passion for emergency medicine. She was drawn to the CVETS team because she shares the same passion and goals of this practice. She enjoys practicing veterinary medicine as the field continues to advance with new technology and new treatments. CVETS is the perfect environment for her to continue to develop her skills and provide high-quality care for her patients.

CVETS is the only specialty hospital in South Carolina with a staff radiologist. Dr. Rivas was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and grew up in Barinas, a town in the southwestern part of the country. Growing up on a farm in Venezuela, he always knew he wanted to be a veterinarian. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia, majoring in Biology and Psychology. Afterwards, he attended the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating, Dr. Rivas completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and then matched for a Diagnostic Imaging Residency at North Carolina State University. Dr. Rivas reviews all of the x-rays and CT scans completed at CVETS and performs all of the ultrasound examinations. In addition, he reviews x-rays and performs outpatient ultrasounds for the CVETS referral community.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Dr. Lindsay Oksenberg earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine degree from St. George’s University and completed her clinical training at University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2017.  She was the recipient of The Bayer Parasitology Award (2015) and the International Peace Scholarship at St. George’s University (2013). In addition to her veterinary degree, Dr. Oksenberg holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago, a master’s degree in Biomedical Communication from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center and worked as a medical illustrator for 5 years. She  has had many of her medical illustrations published in books and journals.

Before coming to CVETS, Dr. Oksenberg worked in small animal private practice in Queens, NY. Dr. Oksenberg enjoys many aspects of small animal medicine but has specific interests in soft tissue surgery, emergency surgery, animal welfare and the unique needs of brachycephalic breeds of dogs such as English and French Bulldogs.

Dr. Lidia Pallo graduated from Cornell University in 1998, then continued on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. She completed her internship in small animal medicine and veterinary Surgery at VCA Berwyn and Aurora Animal Hospitals from 2004 to 2005. Finally, she completed her residency at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine from 2006 to 2008, and she was board certified by the American College if Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2009. Dr. Pallo practiced both equine and emergency medicine before completing her Internal Medicine residency. Dr. Pallo has been published by Compendium: “Fluoroquinolones; Then and Now” and has spoken at various educational seminars for local practitioners, interns, and veterinary students. She enjoys all aspects of Internal medicine but she has a particular interest in geriatric cats, liver disease and endocrinology.

Dr. Will Stevenson earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Ross University in September of 2019.   Dr. Stevenson grew up in Forest Acres where he got his first job at Ambassador Animal Hospital off Forest Drive when he was 16 years old.  Dr. Stevenson went on to Clemson University where he earned his B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Sciences in 2014.  After graduating from Clemson, Dr. Stevenson worked with Coastal Empire Veterinary Surgery in Savannah Georgia before going to veterinary school in the spring of 2016.  Dr. Stevenson is completing his small animal rotating internship at CVETS in hopes of pursuing a residency in Radiology in the near future.

Dr. Hardisky grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Lexington County. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Scranton in 2001, then earned his Veterinary Doctorate at St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009, completing his clinical training at North Carolina State University School Of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. Prior to veterinary school, Dr. Hardisky was employed as a veterinary technician allowing him to further his clinical knowledge and skills. His interest in veterinary medicine fostered from growing up on his family’s farm where care and attention to animal health was an upmost priority. His fascination in Biology and Physiology allowed him to understand the importance of medicine and how we can alter or improve animal systems to maintain health through medicine or surgery. He finds great enjoyment in helping people maintain their animal’s health and companionship through strong client communication and education. You can always rely on close personal attention to your concerns and questions about your pets with a smile! Dr. Hardisky’s medical interests include Internal Medicine and Emergency and Critical Care. Personal interests include an exuberant array of outdoor activities from hiking, kayaking, and camping to motorcycle road trips with friends and perfecting the art of grilling cuisine.