Meet the Team

Dr. Veronica Jarvinen trained in veterinary medicine at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Her undergraduate degree is in Biology and Chemistry from Wake Forest University. Between her undergraduate training and veterinary degree, she served as an assistant in a specialty/referral practice in Surgery, Neurology, and Ophthalmology.

After obtaining her degree in veterinary medicine, Dr. Jarvinen completed a rotating internship in Small Animal Surgery, Medicine, and Emergency at the Angell Animal Medical Center, in Boston, MA.

At Angell, she developed a deep commitment to Emergency Medicine. While working in Emergency and Specialty Referral Centers, she realized that Urgent Care remains in most areas an underserviced need, including in the Alexandria, VA district. To meet the need for Emergency Medicine in the region, she decided to launch EMMAvet – Veterinary Urgent Care to provide state-of-the-art care to the area’s cherished dogs and cats.

Dr. Jarvinen is the daughter of Foreign Service parents. She and her older sister, Lilian, began their lives in Hong Kong, Togo, and Morocco, after which time the family moved for their school years to Fairfax, VA.

EMMAvet (EMergent Medical Attention) is named after one of her own dogs, Emma (a somewhat eccentric hound you might meet at the clinic). Her other precious pet is Jaildog, a little hound mix found on the streets of Tennessee during a spay/neuter clinic. Jaildog had been raised by inmates, hence her name.

Dr. Jarvinen and her husband, Mike, spend as much of their time as possible outdoors with their two dogs, and they enjoy traveling the world as often as possible.

Dr. Cydney Fires earned her degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, P.A. After veterinary school, she completed her rotating internship in Small Animal Surgery, Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C. Her love for the diverse and fast-paced nature of Emergency Medicine grew while working at Friendship, one of the country’s busiest emergency services.

Dr. Fires grew up in Ontario, Canada where she became an avid skier and animal lover. When she was 10, her family moved to sunny South Florida where she began volunteering at animal shelters and shadowing her local primary care veterinarian. Dr. Fires graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. While at Emory, Dr. Fires researched and worked with rhesus macaques at Yerkes National Primate Research Center.

Dr. Fires joined EMMAvet after seeking an urgent care practice that provided clients with a primary care atmosphere. She is excited to be part of a clinic where she can practice Emergency Medicine and form a personal connection with her clients and their pets.

Dr. Fires lives with her husband, Michael, and their two dogs, Daisy and Bowie, in Dupont Circle. Outside of veterinary medicine, she enjoys exploring the local museums and food scene. She also loves to travel and immerse herself in other cultures.

Dr. Jasmine Nolan is a native of Maryland, who left home to pursue her Bachelor of Science at Delaware State University. She then traveled down south to obtain her Master of Science and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Dr. Nolan returned home to Maryland to start a family and begin her career in emergency and urgent care medicine. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, indulging in movies, sampling great food, spending time with her family, and being active outdoors with her vizsla, Ava.

Mika is customer service representative who has worked in customer service for over 10 years. Shamika is married with 2 daughters and a fat cat named Rigby. She enjoys spending time with her cat, and she loves hiking and reading.

Ashlyn was raised in a small town in Pennsylvania. Her love of animals began while she volunteered at a therapeutic riding center. Following graduation from Wilson College in 2014, with a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, Ashlyn joined a busy Emergency and Referral Hospital as an ICU technician. Ashlyn’s passions include caring for the critically ill, playing games with family and friends, and going to the park with her dog, Captain. Ashlyn is thrilled to be working at EMMAvet with such a passionate team.

Hannah grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland, where she was always surrounded by pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, mice, and rats. With her bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, Hannah started working in a referral center as an ICU technician. She enjoys hiking, reading, writing her first novel, and snuggling with her dog, Mason. She is passionate about emergency care and is excited to be part of EMMAvet’s compassionate and caring team.

Danielle, a Virginia native, grew up in Stafford and moved to Northern Virginia to study biology at George Mason University. Knowing she wanted to explore the professional side of pet care, she began working at a local animal hospital and eventually returned to school to become a licensed veterinary nurse.

She has spent the past several years as a surgery nurse and comes to EMMAvet with a desire to grow the surgical side of our primary care expansion. Danielle’s professional interests include dentistry, pain management, and senior pet care. In her free time she enjoys caring for her growing plant collection, being outdoors with family and friends, thrift store shopping, and spending time with her two rescue cats, Dahlia and Keeli.

Mike was born and raised in Northern Virginia. He and Dr. Jarvinen met when they were just in middle school, and they share a passion for helping others. Mike’s history is in administration and management, and he spent five years working at a school for children with special needs. You may find Mike helping out around the practice, bringing Emma and Jaildog and baby Eszti to/from, or hanging around making people laugh. We love Mr. Mike!

Gennifer grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and relocated to Maryland almost 20 years ago. She has over ten years of experience in emergency and general veterinary practice. An avid animal rescuer, she's fostered hundreds of rescue dogs. She lives at home with her husband and their four rescue dogs: Toby, Dharma, Captain, and Morgan. During her free time, Gennifer loves beachcombing, photography, creating sea glass crafts, volunteering for a local rescue, and of course, fostering dogs. Gennifer is thrilled to be part of EMMAvet's team!

Shannon Chacon grew up in Syracuse, New York and graduated with an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Onondaga Community College. In 2002, she moved to Virginia for a new start. She has been in the veterinary field for over 10 years, working at several primary care veterinary hospitals in different positions. In 2014, she started her role as a Customer Service Representative in an Emergency and Specialty Center. Veterinary medicine is Shannon’s passion and she loves the interaction between the clients and patients.

Shannon lives in Centreville where she loves spending quality time with her husband and two sons, Matthew and Brandon. She is excited to join the EMMAvet team for the close-knit atmosphere and gold standard care offered!

A Northern Virginia native, Ashleigh began her veterinary career in 2004 as an assistant for a small animal practice in Herndon, Virginia. It was there that she developed a love for nursing care and medicine and went on to earn her degree as a Licensed Veterinary Technician from the Northern Virginia Community College Veterinary Technology program in 2009.
Shortly before graduating, Ashleigh began working at a large referral practice and became interested in rehabilitation medicine. In 2012 she graduated from the University of Tennessee's Canine Rehabilitation Program, a curriculum in which veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and physical therapy professionals become educated in veterinary rehabilitation. In 2018, she took her devotion to rehabilitation a step further by becoming one of only two veterinary nurses to pass the Academy of Physical Rehabilitation Veterinary Technicians (APRVT) exam earning her Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) certification in Physical Rehabilitation.
Ashleigh has a cat named Michael Keaton and an Ibizan Hound named Ferdinand (the bull)!

Kathy grew up in South Florida loving the sun, the beach, all outdoors, and of course her family Labrador Retrievers. She attended Florida State University - go Noles! - and graduated with a degree in Risk Management. Married to a recently retired Marine, she has lived all over the east coast and has now settled in Northern VA.

Kathy’s passion for animals collided with her career path when she stumbled upon a stray cat while living in New Hampshire. After taking him to the local humane society, she began volunteering walking and training the dogs. From there she was able to turn her volunteering into a full time job and for the next 15 years worked in animal welfare management combining her business background with her passion for helping animals. Most recently, Kathy was a supervisor at a local specialty vet practice where she was able to continue to help animals and the people who love them. In her free time she is very active with a local dog rescue, enjoys visiting local wineries, and watching FSU sports. Kathy lives in Alexandria with her husband Andy and their six rescue dogs - Teenie, Sam, Bruno, Pippi, Patty, and Roscoe (the token non-hound).

EMMAvet is thrilled to have Kathy join our team as a Client Service Representative.