Veterinarians

Below are the veterinarians of CARE. To meet other parts of our team, please visit our pages for physical therapists and staff.

Jessica H. Waldman, VMD, CVA, CCRT

Dr. Waldman and Dr. Kramer realized that the unique collaboration of a physical therapist and veterinarian would provide optimal pet therapy outcomes. Together they founded and opened California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE) in June of 2007.

Dr. Waldman received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. She continued her education at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine and received her Veterinary Medical Doctorate in 2004. Dr. Waldman achieved the Dean's List each year during veterinary school.

While attending veterinary school, Dr. Waldman was the Alumni Representative for four years and volunteered in a program in the Native American Reservations of the Southwest to spay and neuter pets in need. Dr. Waldman completed two additional externships in small animal surgery with board certified veterinary surgeons in New York City at the Animal Medical Center and in Los Angeles at the Surgical Group for Animals.

Following graduation, Dr. Waldman completed an additional year of specialty training, as an intern at California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles. During this internship year, she worked with board certified surgeons, neurologists, internists, cardiologists, and dentists. Dr. Waldman also published a paper on the topic of critical care in Pulse veterinary publication. Upon completion of her internship in July of 2005, Dr. Waldman has enjoyed practicing small animal medicine.

Dr. Waldman completed a certificate program from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute to become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. She is also a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist through the Chi Institute. Dr. Waldman enjoys integrating acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine into her practice of pet rehabilitation.

Dr. Waldman is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. She is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the states of New York and California. She is one of the founding members of the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians.

Dr. Waldman speaks at veterinary meetings on the subject of Canine Rehabilitation and she has a special interest in neurological rehabilitation and in nutrition for all life stages. Dr. Waldman loves to see her patients’ quality of life improve, and she counsels in nutrition utilizing a combination of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine for the best possible outcome.
On the personal side, Dr. Waldman enjoys volleyball, hiking, painting, and spending time with her family. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Stuart, her daughter, Gemma, and her dog Tate.

Heather Oxford, DVM, MPH, CVA, CCRT

Dr. Heather Oxford received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bowling Green State University in 1998. She continued her education at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and received her Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2000. Her thesis was a risk-factor analysis of Brucellosis infection among veterinarians exposed to the RB51 vaccine used in cattle. This analysis was utilized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and an adapted version was published in Vaccine journal in 2002.

Upon graduating from Emory, she worked as an epidemiologist in the Foodborne Diseases Branch of the CDC before entering veterinary school in 2001. In the summer of 2002, she joined the Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Branch of the CDC, and was the lead veterinary investigator during an outbreak of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever among humans and canines. She co-authored papers on Rabies surveillance in the United States, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2002; the need for veterinarians in bio-defense and public health, published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education in 2003; and an evaluation of a newborn screening program for perinatal hepatitis B, published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in 2003.

She continued her education at the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM), receiving her Doctorate degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2005. Dr. Oxford was the vice president of her class, the student representative for the Pfizer Corporation, and the president and founder of the Population and Preventive Medicine Club. Chosen to represent UTCVM at Plum Island Animal Disease Center and the New York animal quarantine center in 2003, she completed a Foreign Animal Disease Training Course coordinated by USDA/APHIS. The course gave her the rare opportunity to examine live animals infected with diseases including Foot & Mouth Disease and Avian Influenza, under the guidance of leading experts from Cornell University.

Following graduation from veterinary school, Dr. Oxford completed an additional year of specialty training, as an intern at California Animal Hospital in Los Angeles. During the internship, she trained under board certified specialists, practicing the optimum standard of care in veterinary medicine. After completing her internship in July of 2006, Dr. Oxford practiced conventional small animal medicine in the West Los Angeles area for 2 years before becoming a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist through the Chi Institute, and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute.

Dr. Oxford is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians. She is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the states of Georgia and California.

Dr. Oxford enjoys combining Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine with Rehabilitation for optimization of pets’ quality of life. In her free time, she enjoys running, horse-back riding, traveling, and spending time with her family. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Wade, and her German Shepherd, Tess.

Debra Voulgaris, DVM, MA, CVA

Dr. Voulgaris received her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Liberal Studies, and earned her Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the City University of New York at Hunter College in 1999. A native New Yorker, she then became a high school science teacher in New York City. While continuing to nurture an ongoing interest in medicine, she became actively involved in the advancement of education and awareness of animal welfare issues. Her interest in medicine and healing combined with her respect for animals and commitment to their ethical treatment, guided her toward becoming a veterinarian. She attended Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine, in St. Kitts completing her clinical year at Louisiana State University and graduating in 2005. She soon discovered her interest in pain management and anesthesia, and accepted a one year anesthesia internship at the University of Georgia. Dr. Voulgaris went on to accept a position as a veterinary associate at an integrative medicine practice in Brooklyn, New York where her interest in holism blossomed. She became certified in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) in 2007. After 2 years in general practice, she decided to pursue further academic training and accepted a 3 year anesthesia/pain management residency at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. During this appointment, and in addition to her duties as a resident, she sat the canine rehabilitation certification course at UT, and taught within the equine rehabilitation certification program. She participated in creating an integrative medicine department for both small and large animal patients, gave numerous lectures on integrative medicine for canine, equine, camelid, and porcine patients, and became the sole equine acupuncturist for the university. Dr. Voulgaris is also a certified Tuina Practitioner, having studied through the Chi Institute in Reddick, FL.

Dr. Voulgaris has published peer reviewed articles in Anesthesia and Analgesia and The American Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She continues to teach and give lectures on Veterinary Pain Management, Acupuncture, Rehabilitation and Traditional Chinese Medicine throughout the country.

Stefanie Scheff, DVM, CVA

Dr. Stefanie Scheff received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2001. From there, she decided to venture off to see the world and lived in Sydney, Australia for six years where she earned her Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree from the University of Sydney in 2006. While studying in Sydney, Dr. Scheff became interested in marine mammal veterinary medicine. She started working with Australian and New Zealand Sea Lions, Leopard seals, and native penguins at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo marine mammal department. As well, she did internships at Zeehondencreche, a seal rehabilitation in the Netherlands, and the Marine Mammal Center in San Pedro, CA.

After graduating in 2006, she returned home to California to start practicing veterinary medicine in Ventura, California as a small animal practitioner. She became interested in furthering her knowledge in medicine and sought to help heal her patients, which acupuncture, eastern and holistic medicine seemed to be able to do. She became certified in veterinary acupuncture from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2011 and she is looking forward to becoming a certified canine rehabilitation therapist which is next on her "to do" list.

Dr. Scheff is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Australian Veterinary Medical Association, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the Santa Barbara-Ventura Veterinary Medical Association, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and Surfrider Foundation. In her free time, Dr. Scheff enjoys surfing, hiking, cycling, rock climbing, and just about any other outdoor activity. She lives in Ventura with her dog, Mercury, and her two cats, Aiden and Jacob.

Nicole Schiff, DVM, CVA

Dr. Schiff received her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from UC Davis in 1997, and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from UC Davis in 2002.  From 2002 to 2008 she practiced small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center of Southern California.

When her own dog was diagnosed with epilepsy and benefited immensely from acupuncture treatments she was inspired to pursue an understanding of how acupuncture can complement more traditional western therapies. In 2008 she completed a certification in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture from Colorado State University. She enjoys integrating acupuncture with other treatment modalities, and has lectured at veterinary meetings on the scientific basis of acupuncture.

Dr. Schiff is also dedicated to working with several Los Angeles based non-profit groups that work to alleviate pet overpopulation. She lives in the South Bay with her husband Dan and their beloved dog Einstein.