Dr. Phil Villard
Bio
Dr. Villard graduated from U.C. Davis in 2003 after completing a Master of Science in Biology at Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley. Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Villard worked as a veterinary technician for several years where he gained a love of the profession.
Upon graduation, Dr. Villard spent a year at Castro Valley Companion Animal Hospital, and beginning in 2004, worked eight years of overnight shifts at Pets Unlimited where he specialized in emergency and urgent care. He then transitioned to day shifts, dividing his time between general practice, emergency medicine and surgery. In 2014, Pets Unlimited merged with the San Francisco SPCA where Dr. Villard remained employed until August of 2021, at which point he transitioned to San Francisco Pet Hospital.
Dr. Villard and his wife live in San Francisco, and share their home with several cats and two dogs, all of whom were adopted as strays.
Dr. Bobby Leyba
Bio
Dr. Bobby Leyba’s mother is a nurse, so as he puts it, “the healthcare profession runs in the family.” Growing up in Chicago in a high-rise apartment, his pets were a series of beloved cats. He began working at San Francisco Pet Hospital as a veterinary assistant with Dr. Lee Morris back in the early 1990s and later rejoined as a veterinarian in 2003.
While earning his undergraduate degree in biology from University of California Santa Cruz, Dr Leyba researched and co-authored a study on elephant seals at the Año Nuevo State Park. He received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of California Davis in 2000. During veterinary school Dr. Leyba completed externships at the Marin Humane Society, University of Utrecht Netherlands, and the Animal Medical Center in New York City. Following graduation, he spent one year as an intern at the Animal Specialty Group in Los Angeles.
Dr. Leyba, his wife Stefanie, and their son Elias have three four-legged companions, Olive (a black lab) and and two cats, Ebi and Delilah.
Dr. Tate Crawford
Bio
Dr. Crawford's passion for veterinary medicine started while volunteering for the Army Veterinary Corps as a teenager. He cared for military working dogs and personal pets of military families. He graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2021 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine and remains a member of the Royal Veterinary College in the UK. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Crawford has strong interests in emergency medicine and surgery and a collaborative approach to patient care ensuring his clients feel they are a part of a team. He feels that working together provides the highest level of care possible for companion animals.
In his free time, you can find Dr. Crawford enjoying a variety of restaurants in the Bay Area, playing board games, or sneaking off for the weekend to go snowboarding.
Dr. Christina Geldert
Bio
Dr. Christina Geldert realized at an early age she was destined to be a veterinarian and made that dream come true at Colorado State University in 2021. Prior to veterinary school, she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Political Science from California Lutheran University.
Dr. Geldert has two primary interests in veterinary medicine - companion animals and honey bees. Throughout undergraduate and veterinary school, she was busy managing beehives on campus, educating students and conducting research on these amazing creatures. Within small animal medicine, she is passionate about dermatology, internal medicine, surgery and feline medicine.
Outside of work, Dr. Geldert enjoys painting, reading, gardening and exploring the city from the sunny side of the sidewalk.
