Our Experienced Staff
Our experienced staff deliver the highest quality emergency care for your pets. Route 66 Veterinary ECCC veterinarians and technicians have received extensive training by the finest veterinarians and veterinary technician schools.
From the time you drop off your pet until pick-up, your pet will have the dedicated care of a Veterinarian and Technician team. As a result, rest easy knowing your pet is never without a set of caring eyes on them. Our dedicated staff will keep you up-to-date on your pet's condition and treatment.
Above all, our mission is to create positive change in people's lives through compassionate care for their pets. This philosophy is at the heart of each team member's actions.
Rachael Joyce-Morales, BS
Hospital Director
As the child of a veterinary technician, Rachael grew up within the veterinary community. She has been working in the veterinary field for nearly 20 years and has been a technician for 8 years. Rachael is a graduate of The University of New Mexico with a B.S in Biology and continues her education in other areas.
Emergency/trauma medicine is Rachael’s favorite area of medicine, but she has developed an interest in critical care in recent years. Rachael has a great passion for helping animals of all species and their human counterparts through emergency situations with compassion and patience.
In her spare time Rachael is an avid reader and enjoys PC gaming, practices Jiu Jitsu and spends her time with her husband and their rowdy dogs.
Ashley Reid, DVM
Medical Director
Dr. Reid is a proud native of New Mexico and is thrilled to be practicing in the community she calls home. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico before continuing her education at Oregon State University, where she obtained her Veterinary Degree in 2015. After graduating, Dr. Reid returned to New Mexico to complete a rotating internship in internal medicine and surgery, which solidified her growing passion for emergency and critical care medicine.
When not working, Dr. Reid enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, whether hiking or fishing. The couple shares their home with one dog and five cats, who never fail to keep them both entertained and on their toes. Dr. Reid also enjoys relaxing by playing games with her husband.
JessicaLee Romero
Hospital Manager
Elsbeth Centola, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Centola grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and beautiful Central Oregon. She completed her Bachelor’s degree with high honors from Delaware Valley University in Pennsylvania majoring in biology with a specialty in zoology and minor in large animal science. She then came back home to obtain her Veterinary Degree from Oregon State University.
Before joining Route 66 she practiced in southwest Virginia and the midwest outside Chicago. Dr. Centola accidentally stumbled into emergency and critical care medicine after several years working as a general practitioner. She gotten hooked and has now chosen to make it her career. She has special interests in diagnostic ultrasound, dentistry and oral surgery and internal medicine particularly endocrine disease. Dr. Centola also has a passion for teaching and client education.
Dr. Centola has lived all across the nation, including Oregon, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and has traveled to almost every state in between. Her heart has always been in the west and she is excited to be able to call New Mexico her home for the long term.
Dr. Centola lives in ABQ with her husband, her all American mutt and frisbee sensation Juniper, a adorable Welsh Corgi Oakie and two spoiled rotten kitties; Mittens and Splat. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, sampling beer at local breweries, hiking, camping, and doing anything outside with her family.
Gabrielle Woo, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Gabby Woo grew up in Toronto, Canada, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry and English literature. She graduated from Cornell University with her DVM in 2017, then spent several years in mixed animal practice in the Finger Lakes area of New York before relocating to the southwest with her engineer husband. Dr. Woo's professional interests include emergency medicine, soft tissue surgery and veterinary education.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Woo enjoys running mountain trails, practicing yoga, cooking new dishes, painting and photography. She and her husband live in Albuquerque with their trail mutt, Sam, and a calico cat named Corrie.
Avery Rowlison de Ortiz, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Avery Ortiz is a proud, native New Mexican and was raised in Nambé, NM. When she was 5, her family veterinarian said that she should be a vet when she grew up and the rest is history. She completed her undergraduate education at Grinnell College in Iowa where she received her BA in Biological Chemistry, and she received her DVM at Colorado State University in 2018. Dr. Ortiz then completed a rotating internship in Albuquerque and then continued her post-doctoral training in surgery at specialty hospitals in Buffalo Grove, IL and Mesa, AZ. She spent a year at North Carolina State University as a postdoctoral research fellow where she investigated different pain management options for dogs and cats suffering from arthritis. She joined Route 66 VECC in the summer of 2022 and has been fortunate to expand the hospital's surgical offerings.
Dr. Ortiz loves being a vet because she has the unique opportunity to help you by helping your best friend feel better. She is owned by two Scottish Terriers, Sage and Ivy, as well as three cats: Bogart, Humphrey, and Laurel. When she's not working, she spends her time being bossed around by her two toddlers, exploring with her family, gardening, knitting, and taking photos.
Samantha K Hart, BVMS (Hons), MS, DACVECC
Criticalist and Emergency Clinician
Dr. Samantha Hart was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. She graduated from Murdoch University School of Veterinary Medicine in Perth. She moved to Leesburg, Virginia, where she did an equine neonatology internship, rotating internship, and combined equine surgery residency and Masters of Science at Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (part of Virginia Tech). After becoming board-certified in large animal surgery, she completed a large animal emergency and critical care fellowship at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania. It was at that time, that Dr. Hart developed a passion for management and care of critically ill patients, and ultimately accepted a small animal emergency and critical care residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Following completion of her residency, she has worked in large, multi-specialty 24-hour referral hospitals in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Colorado, prior to moving to New Mexico to join Route 66 VECCC’s team last year. Dr. Hart has extensive academic and private practice experience in the management of critically ill dogs and cats suffering from a wide variety of illnesses. Dr. Hart truly believes in providing high-quality, evidence-based care to all patients.
Dr. Hart’s personal interests include mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, camping, and spending time with her dog and cat. She is excited to be in New Mexico and to be able to enjoy all that this amazing state has to offer!
Casandra Fiehtner, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Casandra Fiehtner, affectionately known as Dr. “Feety,” is a self-proclaimed desert rat, born and raised in Tucson, AZ. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Dixie State University in the heart of southern Utah before returning to Tucson to pursue her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Fiehtner is an avid equestrian. She recently transitioned from the hunter/jumper discipline to dressage and enjoys the challenge of refining her horsemanship. When she’s not at the hospital or in the saddle, she loves spending time with her husband and their four dogs
Breck Peterson, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Breck Peterson has always felt like she was from New Mexico but spent her childhood growing up all over the country and the world. Living on 3 continents before age 10, Breck’s family settled in Jacksonville, FL. Breck ran cross country and track at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, where she received her degree in French Language and Middle Eastern and North African Studies. Breck went on to get her Master of Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology from the University of North Florida. Breck then moved to Athens, GA where she graduated from the University of Georgia in 2024 with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Peterson had several amazing opportunities in school to go abroad, studying French and Arabic in Morocco, and working with the veterinary services in Ghana on rural vaccination campaigns. Breck was excited to finally call New Mexico home in 2024, where she lives with her Golden Retriever Tucker, cat Frisco, and boyfriend Kevin. In her free time, she enjoys all things arts and crafts related, from painting to quilting to woodworking.
Rebeckah Ruiz, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Ruiz is an Albuquerque native who earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biochemistry and Biology from the University of New Mexico. She then pursued her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University before returning home to care for the community she loves. Her special interests include orthopedic disease, and she is currently working toward certification as a Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner to help pets recover strength and function after injury or surgery.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Ruiz loves exploring New Mexico’s scenic trails by bike and embarking on adventures with her two energetic pups—a Border Collie mix and a Doberman mix. When she’s not outdoors, she enjoys channeling her creativity through ceramics and painting. Ask her about the best local trails, her latest pottery project, or how rehabilitation can help your pet thrive!
Dr Grace Calo, DVM
Emergency Clinician
Dr. Calo is originally from Long Island, NY. She has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was 3 years old. She attended veterinary school at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS and moved out to Albuquerque, NM after graduation. Dr. Calo has a passion for Emergency Medicine and Surgery and loves treating patients at Route 66.
Dr. Calo enjoys spending time with her husband, their 2 dogs, and their 3 cats. She loves rescuing disabled animals and has a one eyed dog as well as a three legged, one eyed cat . In her free time, Dr. Calo enjoys hiking , baking sourdough bread, and lifting weights.
Carla Tayao, LMSW
Veterinary Social Worker
Michaela Duncan, RVT
Technician Supervisor and Training Specialist
Emma Nicholson, B.S
Technician Supervisor and Training Specialist
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