Meadow Branch Animal Hospital was founded in 2018 by local veterinarians incredibly passionate in providing quality and advanced care for canine and feline patients. We look forward to meeting you and your loved ones!
Our Team
Dr. R. Marcelo Melivilu, DVM, MSDr. Melivilu is a native of Chile and a 1993 graduate of Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia. He served one year as an intern at the veterinary teaching hospital and the topic of his thesis was ultrasonography. After graduation, Dr. Melivilu practiced veterinary medicine and surgery at one of the top veterinary hospitals in Chile for four years. He and his family moved to Winchester, Virginia in 1997 and in 2000 he became a proud U.S. citizen.
After successfully completing the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) program, he began working as small animal practitioner at a local veterinary hospital in 2002. He was promoted to Medical Director in 2008, where he remained until his departure in 2017. Dr. Melivilu completed his Master’s in Biomedical Sciences with the University of Missouri in 2017. In 2018 he decided to create Meadow Branch Animal Hospital with the purpose of offering the most complete veterinary care for a general veterinary practice in the Winchester area. Dr. Melivilu has experience and special interest in soft tissue surgery (abdominal procedures), knee surgery (TPLO and extra capsular technique), dental and oral surgery, endoscopy, abdominal ultrasonography and recently laparoscopic procedures. Dr. Melivilu lives in Winchester, has two sons, Felipe and Esteban, and two cats Lenny and Wilson. He is fluent in Spanish and he served as a member for 10 years at the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Winchester Medical Center until July 2022. |
R. Marcelo Melivilu, DVM,MS, Practice Owner
|
Amanda D. Házy, DVM, PhDDr. Házy traveled around the United States with her family as a child before settling in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. She received a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Liberty University before going to Virginia Tech to enter the dual DVM-PhD program in 2015. She studied traumatic brain injury at VT and earned a PhD in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences in 2019, publishing ten papers related to her work. After completing her DVM degree in 2022, Dr. Házy worked as an Associate Veterinarian at Valley Equine in Ranson, WV, for a year. This gave her experience in both routine and emergency equine medicine, and she is excited to apply her knowledge and experience to small animal medicine.
Dr. Házy enjoys all aspects of veterinary work including medicine and surgery. She prioritizes excellent patient care and is excited to join the team at Meadow Branch. Dr. Házy enjoys riding horses, reading, running, and spending time with her family. |
Amanda D. Házy, DVM, PhD
|
Dr. Lesley H. Swisher, DVM
|
Dr. Swisher is a Winchester native, and grew up in nearby West Virginia. She attended Shepherd University for undergraduate studies and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. For veterinary school, she attended Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 2016. She worked with Dr. Melivilu as a veterinary student during an externship. Since graduation, she has worked in both primary care and emergency and critical care in the Winchester area. This has allowed her to experience an extensive variety of medical and surgical cases.
In the realm of veterinary medicine, Dr. Swisher’s interests include ultrasonography, endocrine diseases, infectious disease, emergency medicine, and soft tissue surgery. She strongly believes in well-rounded, high quality primary care for veterinary patients. She is excited to be working with Dr. Melivilu again, and for the launch of Meadow Branch Animal Hospital, where they share the same standard of care and love of the profession. Dr. Swisher thoroughly enjoys traveling to the coast, good food, reading, family and friends. |
Lesley Swisher, DVM
|
Emily Coco, Assistant ManagerEmily joined Meadow Branch Animal Hospital upon opening in 2019 as a part-time receptionist. She brings with 19 years of experience in various roles within veterinary medicine. Over time, Emily's position at MBAH has evolved to an assistant manager role to assist Dr. Melivilu in the basic management of the practice.
Emily's primary goal at MBAH is to enable and enforce policies and protocols that allow our veterinarians to practice the highest quality of veterinary care possible. Patient care is the number one focus at MBAH! Emily moved to the Winchester area as a child and is raising her family here. She has 2 children, 1 dog, and 2 cats. They enjoy art, history, road tripping, and RV and beach camping. Emily is pictured here with her "heart-dog", Tonka, who passed away in 2019. |
Emily Coco, Assistant Manager
|
Tiffany Herndon, LVT
|
Tiffany was born and raised in Winchester. She comes to us with 15 years experience in the veterinary field, the last 5 of which she has been licensed. She is a graduate from Northern Virginia Community College Licensed Veterinary Technician Program. Her interests include anesthesia, pain management, and emergency medicine. She is certified in basic and advanced life support by RECOVER. Tiffany lives in Winchester with her two Great Danes and a cat.
|
Tiffany Herndon, Licensed Veterinary Technician
|
McKenna Hubsch, LVTMcKenna has lived in the northern Virginia area all her life. She inherited her love of animals from her parents who rescued and fostered dogs throughout her childhood. She started working in the veterinary field about 16 years ago and earned her technician license in 2013. She takes a special interest in emergency medicine and patient care. She currently lives in Luray with her family and their two dogs and two cats.
|
McKenna Hubsch, Licensed Veterinary Technician
|
Megan Renner, LVTMegan grew up and currently resides in Hardy County, West Virginia. She graduated from Pierpont Community & Technical College in Fairmont, West Virginia with her Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology. Megan has worked in the veterinary field and has been licensed since June of 2017, but has had compassion and a love for animals since childhood. Her areas of interest include emergency medicine and patient care. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, and participating in outdoor activities that can be shared with her dog, Leo.
|
Megan Renner, Licensed Veterinary Technician.
|
Emily Reid, LVTEmily grew up in Augusta, WV where her love for animals and knowledge in veterinary medicine grew. Through her childhood, she cared for an array of personal pets like lizards, ferrets, goats, chickens, and of course cats and dogs. She truly found a way to further her passion of caring for animals when during her senior year of high school she worked for a local veterinary hospital and fell in love with veterinary medicine. From there, Emily moved for college and worked at a veterinary clinic in Huntington, WV while attending Mountwest Community and Technical College. She graduated with an Associates of Applied Sciences in Veterinary Technology in 2023 then earned her license to practice in WV in 2023 and in VA in 2024. Emily values treating each pet as if it were her own. She enjoys educating clients, surgery, and internal medicine. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and training with her dog Hopper, spending time with family, and reading with her cat Helen (even though Helen tries to eat the book pages!).
|
Emily Reid,Licensed Veterinary Technician
|
Skylar Sheppard, Veterinary AssistantSkylar comes to us from Inwood, WV. She graduated high school and went straight into working with animals, as a Veterinarian Assistant. Skylar has 4 years’ experience and is currently in school to become a Veterinarian Technician. She loves all animals. Her welcome mat even says, “Welcome to our Zoo”. Skylar has 3 dogs Tinsel, Coraline and Holly. She also has a snake, hedgehog, guinea pig and a gar shark. In her spare time she loves hanging out with family, hiking, kayaking, and riding around with the top off her Jeep with her 3 dogs.
|
Skylar Sheppard, Veterinary Assistant
|
Tracy Combs, Veterinary AssistantTracy brings with her 25 years of experience in the veterinary field. She started out involved with animal control and shelter medicine. Tracy then transitioned to general practice and emergency medicine. In 1999, Tracy and friends founded Hampshire County Pet Adoption Program, a non-profit dog rescue organization. She is most interested in patient care, emergency medicine, client communication, and rescuing senior dogs, who frequently become permanent residents!
Tracy lives on a farm in West Virginia and loves life with horses, chickens, and the rest of the zoo! She also enjoys reading a good book and spending time with her grandchildren. |
Tracy Combs, Veterinary Assistant
|
Kya Ackerman, Veterinary AssistantKya has lived in Winchester, VA since 2008. She has 2 dogs, named Yogi and Peanut, and a cat named Lily. She also has a Pacman frog named Benny, a Gerbil named Juicy, and many different kinds of fish and catfish. Kya attended Millbrook High School where she graduated with an Advanced Studies Diploma in 2020. She went to Laurel Ridge Community College for Business Administration and is currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technology program at Northern Virginia Community College to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT). Kya grew up around veterinary hospitals with her grandmother who was a LVT for 40 years. This experience and working as a Pet Care Specialist at a national pet store chain helped Kya realize she has a passion for animal care. Kya joined the team at Meadow Branch Animal Hospital in March 2024 where she continues this passion maintaining the health and wellbeing of all animals in our care. Kya plans to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician in early 2026, and will continue to provide whole-hearted care and support to all animals that come our way.
|
Kya Ackerman, Veterinary Assistant
|
Hannah Plazyk, Veterinary AssistantHannah joined the Meadow Branch Animal Hospital team in April 2023. Although she is new to us, Hannah is no stranger to the field. Shes comes to us with six years of mixed veterinary experience. She is currently enrolled in Penn Foster's Licensed Veterinary Technician program, working toward her goal of becoming an LVT. She is native to Northern Virginia, but currently resides in Ranson, West Virginia with her family and their dog, a Shih Tzu named Daisy. Hannah is an avid horseback rider, in her spare time, you'll find her at the barn or competing at local shows.
|
Hannah Plazyk, Veterinary Assistant
|
Matthew Velasquez, Veterinary Assistant
|
Matt grew up in the Winchester area and while in high school and just after graduation, he worked in the restaurant industry. In 2021, Matt decided to pursue a career in the veterinary field and began working as Veterinary Assistant. He joined the MBAH team in February 2023 and enjoys watching the progress of pets in our care. In his time off, Matt likes to travel and try new foods. He shares his home with his dog, Bruno, picture here.
|
Matthew Velasquez, Veterinary Assistant
|
Corinne Czaja, Client Service RepresentativeCorinne was born and raised in Berkeley County, West Virginia where she currently resides with her four little dogs. Corinne has one year of experience working as veterinary support staff. In her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music, jewelry design, caring for her houseplants, and spending time with family. Corinne also keeps and breeds geckos as a hobby.
|
Corinne Czaja, Client Service Representative
|
Tajae Stuckey, Client Service Representative Tajae is from Inwood, West Virginia and joined the MBAH team in June 2024. She graduated from West Virginia University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal and Nutritional Sciences. Tajae previously worked at a private pet store in Morgantown, West Virginia. She entered the field of veterinary medicine in 2023 working as a CSR at a veterinary rehabilitation specialty practice in Leesburg, Virginia. Tajae loves animals and is looking forward to learning and advancing her career in veterinary medicine. She has a 4-year-old pit bull terrier named Koda.
|
Tajae Stuckey, Client Service Representative
|