Our Founders
Route 66, conceived by Dr. Jeremy Welcome and Rowan Welcome, emerged as a novel vision for the broader community in ER medicine. The typical experience of being just another client in an emergency room, which many encounter, was deemed unacceptable by the Welcomes. The foundation of Route 66 rests on the belief that every client and their pets should receive empathetic care, transforming their experiences and, in certain instances, their lives. With this idea in mind, Route 66 was created and carefully shaped over the years to support people and pets in the community.
Above all, the mission of the Welcomes is to instigate positive changes in people's lives through the compassionate care extended to their pets. This guiding philosophy underscores the actions of each team member at its core and continues the legacy of the Welcomes and their vision for a better emergency experience.
This team is unwaveringly committed to their mission of providing compassionate and affectionate care to all patients and clients who step into our clinic.
Rowan Welcome, BS, CVT
Founder
Rowan has been working in veterinary medicine for over 22 years. She has worked in nearly every position possible in a veterinary hospital including management. She obtained a BS in Evolutionary Ecology with a minor in Pre-Veterinary Studies from University of New Mexico. With vet school as her main goal for graduate school she and her husband moved to Oregon to pursue Veterinary Studies further. However, after becoming a Hospital Manager she discovered that Veterinary Business was her passion. She attended Oregon State University Business School for her graduate studies. During her stay in Oregon Rowan passed the VTNE and became a Certified Veterinary Technician. After years of study in Oregon she was very happy to return to the Land of Enchantment, the state she truly calls home.
It has been Rowan’s and her husband Dr. Jeremy Welcome’s dream to create their own hospital for nearly a decade. She has a passion for creating a nurturing and fulfilling workplace for Veterinarians and Technicians. She has incredible vision and would like to revolutionize the client, veterinary staff and hospital bond. It is her goal that every client and patient that passes through the doors of her hospital feel loved, valued, and cared for. Her philosophy of taking care of people in a stressful time of need resonates through Route 66 Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center’s approach to comforting their clients and patients.
In her spare time Rowan enjoys mountain biking, horse back riding, organic gardening, painting, hiking and dancing Hula, something that she picked up growing up in Hawaii as a child. Family is always her greatest priority and she loves spending time with her kids, fuzzy and human. She has a great passion for community service and enjoys giving back to her city of Albuquerque. She feels that giving of yourself to others in need is the greatest gift a human can give.
Jeremy Welcome, DVM
Founder
Dr. Welcome is a second generation Veterinarian. He grew up in upstate New York helping his father with his mixed animal practice. Growing up watching hard working veterinarians save animals lives on a daily basis helped Dr. Welcome to understand compassion and hard work are a way of life.
Dr. Welcome obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Worcester State College in Massachusetts. He later obtained his Veterinary Degree from Tufts University in 2003. Upon graduation he completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery which is what initially brought him to New Mexico. It was during his internship that he found his love for emergency medicine as well as his wife and future business partner.
Dr. Welcome worked in small animal general medicine for 7 years after veterinary school. In 2010 he returned to the discipline he loves, emergency medicine. He has spent the past years tirelessly working to help the people of Albuquerque’s injured pets. He truly cares about the well-being of his patients and the comfort of his clients. It is this desire to help people that has driven him to open his own Emergency Practice. Route 66 Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center was born out of Dr. Welcome’s and his wife’s passion to care for people as well as their pets. It is Dr. Welcome’s intent with every interaction with a patient and client to care for both as a single entity. He understands the pet owner bond better than most people and wishes to create a hospital where both are treated well in moments of need.
In Dr. Welcome’s spare time he is avid mountain biker, hiker, gardener and baker. He enjoys teaching his children the importance of enjoying the quiet beauty of nature and serenity of the outdoors. Giving back to the community is a major mission in Dr. Welcome’s life. It is with this goal that he hopes to educate and help guide the Albuquerque pet community to a healthier existence.