Our Team

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5-Star Facebook Reviews

“Dr. Elia and her staff are wonderful! We had the greatest experience with our sick senior beagle (17 years old). Throughout his care, we could really tell that Dr. Elia loves her job, and really cares for her patients.” Charlotte

Dr. Jaime Elia, DVM

Owner | Chief of Staff

A native of New Jersey, Dr. Elia grew up in Tenafly and currently resides in Sussex County. Dr. Elia received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 2000, her graduate degree from Cornell University in 2002, and her DVM degree from Ross University in January 2006, attending University of Minnesota for clinical rotations. After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Elia practiced at Pomona Animal Hospital in New York. In 2007 she began working at Cresskill Animal Hospital where she ascended to Chief of Staff through December 2015. In January 2016 she became owner of The Animal Hospital of Roxbury.

Dr. Elia’s medical interests include animal behavior, internal medicine, and working together with her clients to provide a long lasting, healthy, and enjoyable human-pet relationship. She prides herself in giving back to the animal community through cooperative efforts with various local rescue and shelter organizations.

While attending University of Minnesota for clinical rotations, Dr. Elia met her husband Brent. Brent is a mechanical engineer with a local photonics company but you will frequently see him helping out around the facility. In 2013, they welcomed their daughter Taylor to their active family, and in 2015, Sydney joined the family. You will frequently see Taylor and Sydney at the clinic and attending hospital events in support of their mom! The girls enjoy horse back riding lessons on Rocket the pony and swimming! In her spare time, Dr. Elia enjoys camping, hiking, horseback riding with her 2 American Quarter Horses (Coho and Brackett), and training both horses and dogs. She also likes to spend time with her friends, family, and many pets as well as cooking and gardening. Dr. Elia’s pets include a Doberman, Alibi, and Boxer, Farley. You may recognize Alibi and Farley from TAHR logo! The family also includes 4 domestic long-haired cats: Steely Dan, Snoop, Dirty and Charlotte. She also has Kazi the Maltese. On weekends off, Dr. Elia enjoys spending time at her family farm in upstate New York.

Dr. Shanna Hickenbottom, DVM

Veterinarian

A native of Warren County New Jersey, Dr. Hickenbottom completed her bachelor of science degree in Biology at Bethany College in Bethany, WV in 2007. She went on to obtain her DVM degree at The Ohio State University in 2011 (Go Bucks!). After graduation, she practiced small animal medicine in rural Ohio for 4 years before starting as the staff veterinarian at the Humane Society of Parkersburg. She has since moved back home to be closer to family in the summer of 2019.

Dr. Hickenbottom’s medical interests include shelter medicine, small animal medicine and surgery, behavior, client communication, and rabbit medicine. She enjoys working with local area rescues, TNR (trap-neuter-release) programs, and Fix-it programs.

Dr. Hickenbottom spends most of her free time with her family. She and her husband, Dustin, have an active school age son, Colton, and their pets. They have 2 dogs: Maggie, a Golden Retriever and Pippi, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They also have 2 cats, Doc and Gatsby. Most of her pets were acquired through her work at the shelter. They like doing lots of outdoor activities together such as camping, biking, hiking, and enjoying the beautiful scenery northern New Jersey has to offer. When she is home, you can frequently find her reading, gardening, having family game nights, or teaching her dogs new tricks. She is an advocate and supporter for Autism research and support.

Dr. Kerry Elizabeth Scholz, DVM

Veterinarian

A New Jersey native, Dr. Scholz began her journey into veterinary medicine by working as a veterinary technician during college. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from Rutgers University-Cook College and a M.S. in Instructional Technology from Drexel University before starting vet school. She received her DVM from Ross University in 2007 after completing her clinical rotations at Auburn University. After graduating from veterinary school, she returned to New Jersey to complete an equine internship and stayed on as an associate at Running “S” Equine Veterinary Services for 6 years. Dr. Scholz then worked at Bucks County Equine where she was exposed to alternative therapies. She started her studies with the Chi Institute at that time and completed her Acupuncture class in 2014. In February 2015, she started her own practice so that she could use integrative medicine to more effectively treat the needs of her patients. She believes it is important to focus on the patient and not on the disease process to provide the highest level of care possible. Dr. Scholz is excited to share her philosophy and knowledge with The Animal Hospital of Roxbury family.

Dr. Scholz’s professional interests include internal medicine, dermatology and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) modalities such as Acupuncture and Herbal Therapy. She is working towards becoming a Certified TCVM Practitioner as she continues her studies in Food Therapy and Tui-na, a form of Chinese medical massage.

In her free time, she enjoys cooking, spending time with her friends and family, doing yoga and riding her horse, Toby. She also hones her alternative skills on her own fur babies, Cyrus, Connor, Emmett and Chloe as she caters to their geriatric needs.

Fran

Receptionist

Fran enjoys welcoming our clients at the front desk and over the phone. Whether you are here for vet services, boarding, or grooming appointments, Fran strives to provide the best care to you and your pets. Fran formerly was a Human Resources and Finance Manager at AT&T. Prior to joining our team, she managed the adoption center in Rockaway for Eleventh Hour Rescue. Fran is passionate about animal rescue and her love for all dog breeds, big and small. She is an active volunteer with several animal rescue organizations, serving in various capacities. She is a proud Mom of three children, as well as her 14yo Chihuahua and her 8yo Maltese. Fran is dedicated to being an empathetic and knowledgeable liaison between the pet parent and AHR’s hard-working medical team. Her heart is always with her 2 granddaughters who reside in Georgia.

Nicole

Receptionist

Born in the kennel, Nicole has been an employee at The Animal Hospital of Roxbury since the beginning of time. Whether working the front desk in reception or assisting with patients in the hospital, Nicole enjoys taking on many roles throughout her day. Nicole is a certified dog trainer, has a certification in animal behavior and has a passion for animal nutrition. When she isn’t at the hospital, Nicole enjoys spending almost all of her free time with her Beauceron, Mercy. The two often find themselves going on adventures to the beach or hiking in the woods, and also enjoy participating in dog sports such as agility. Nicole also enjoys spending time with her other dog, Pug mix, Zoey and her nine cats.

Pat E.

Receptionist

Patti joined the practice December 2016 after being in the veterinary field as a receptionist for almost 20 years. We hope her years of experience will help us in our pursuit of making your pet care experience exceptional. Patti lives in Tenafly, NJ with her husband Paul of 40+ years and their 2 German Wirehair Pointers, Loden 11 and Arrow 4. They have 2 children a daughter Dr. Jaime Elia and a son Paul, a financial analyst who lives in Boston, MA Her hobbies include cooking and driving (good thing, the commute is a killer!).

Brittany

Certified Veterinary Technician

Brittany’s love for animals started at a young age when she volunteered at local animal shelters. Later she got her first job at an animal hospital as a kennel worker, receptionist, and veterinary assistant. Brittany then got her veterinary technology degree from Bergen Community College. She has since worked with small and large animals, and exotics. At home she has 4 dogs; Tonka, Hemi, Landon and Nova, 3 cats; Rodney, Diesel and Tipper and a bird. When not at work Brittany enjoys spending time with her family, especially outdoors.

Adriana

Veterinary Technician

After spending time in the art world, Adriana found her true passion while volunteering at an animal shelter as a kennel attendant & adoption counselor. There, she started her journey onto becoming a veterinary technician and hasn’t looked back. Adriana has spent nearly 12 years in veterinary medicine growing, learning, and expanding her experience and education with certifications ranging from laser therapy, The Human-Animal Bond, and more always on the horizon.

Adriana started with AHRox during a pretty crazy time… March 2020 and despite adjusting to a new practice during a time of “new normal” it hasn’t wavered her drive or love of the field. Her medical interests include senior pets, dentistry, behavior, and helping in anyway shelter/rescue organizations. Outside of veterinary medicine, Adriana enjoys time with her daughter, husband, 2 pitbulls, and four cats.

Remi

Certified Veterinary Technician

Born and raised in New Jersey, Remi graduated from Bergen Community College in 2013 with a degree in veterinary technology. They are a certified veterinary technician with an interest in small animals, exotics and wildlife. After graduating, they worked at the Animal Clinic of Morris Plains for 6 years. They have been a technician at the Animal Hospital of Roxbury since 2019. Remi is passionate about mental health and leads a team every year to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They also volunteer for an organization that sends handwritten letters of hope and support to people worldwide suffering with mental illness. Remi loves art and spends much of their free time drawing. They reside in Morris County with their fiancé and 6 pets.

Jacki

Veterinary Assistant

After 12 years in the creative design field, Jacki needed a change. She always had a love for animals, volunteering at various rescues in her free time. She joined the AHR team in 2016 as a kennel attendant and has worked her way into a veterinary assistant position. She’s currently attending school to become a certified veterinary technician and has obtained a certification in dog training. She has 3 dogs of her own and loves hiking and traveling.

Kelly

Veterinary Assistant

Kelly joined the AHR team in January 2020. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science with a focus in Companion Animals at Rutgers University. She is currently working on getting a degree in Biology and plans to start veterinary school next year. When not at the animal hospital, Kelly enjoys being down the shore with her friends, spending time with her family on Lake Hopatcong, and snuggling her Jack Russell Terrier, Simon!

Ashley

Receptionist / Kennel Attendant

Ashley has been a part of the AHR team since 2017. She graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish. She’s currently in her graduate program to become a Speech Language Pathologist. Ashley is passionate about animals and loves taking her 4 dogs on hikes in her free time. In the future, she plans on fostering dogs in need.

Stephanie Z.

Kennel Attendant

Stephanie began working at the hospital in December 2014. She is currently finishing up her associated at the County College of Morris in exercise science and is transferring to William Patterson University to finish her degree in athletic training. Steph is also a certified personal trainer. She has been serving in the army national guard for 4 years as an MP (Military Police). She enjoys spending her free time with her 2 dogs, rock climbing and exercising.

Noel L.

Kennel Attendant

Bio to come…