Animal Medical Center

Nancy Hampel, DVM

Born in Chicago,  my dad was a chemical engineer and my mom was a homemaker.  I was the youngest of 3 children, my brother John and sister Julie.  My family moved to a fruit farm in Southwestern Michigan when I was 4.  We raised grapes, cherries, peaches and tomatos.  This was the best fruit I have ever eaten!

It was here that we were given our 1^st two kitties (Frisky and Tootsie) and a German Shepard (Brutus).  I fell totally and completely in love with them and found my passion and purpose in life which is the care of animals.

My interest in veterinary medicine grew throughout my life.  I was blessed to attend Michigan State University in East Lansing as an undergraduate in 1975 and was accepted to MSU Veterinary School in 1977.  I graduated with the class of 1980 then moved to Colorado to complete a one year small animal internship at Colorado State University.

At the end of the intern year, I was accepted at the University of Illinois as a surgery resident.  It was here that Dr. Johnson and I met and we were married 15 years later.  We moved to El Cajon and developed Broadway Animal Hospital, which was started by Dr. Louis Mack.

We had a lifelong dream of building our own Veterinary Hospital and collected pictures of features we liked from many hospitals and boarding facilities around the country.  The dream came true in Animal Medical Center.  I continue a passionate pursuit of learning and practicing Veterinary Medicine.  It is an extraordinary combination of caring for animals, caring about and helping their (human) families, solving medical puzzles and science.

Our family includes 3 Boston Terriers (Ollie, Truman and Sherman) an American Bulldog (Cheyenne) and 2 orange kitties (Butternut and Buttercup).  My other interests include cooking (especially cakes and sweets) and gardening (roses and succulents).  Rich and I are creating our garden together using the natural rock on our lot to build steps and planters.

Richard Johnson, DVM

Jessica Tyler, DVM

Amy Jakobe, DVM

Originally from Maryland and graduated from Ohio State Veterinary School in 2007 before moving to Phoenix, AZ where she practiced emergency medicine for nearly 4 years. While she enjoys emergency medicine, she is eager to enter general practice and form longer lasting relationships with clients and their pets. Special interests include preventative medicine and emergency care. She has a French Bulldog “Bungee” who is a constant source of entertainment.

Karen Oven, DVM

My roots are in Florida, and I received both my Bachelor of Science and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of Florida (go Gators!). In veterinary school I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time working with wildlife and exotic animals, from the Florida Black Bear to pet parakeets. “Upon graduating I moved to Massachusetts to participate in a 1 year emergency medicine internship, then remained in the Boston area and worked primarily as an emergency veterinarian before relocating to San Diego.”Upon graduating I completed a 1 year emergency medicine internship, then worked primarily as an emergency veterinarian before relocating to San Diego.

I don’t miss the harsh Boston winters or the humid Florida summers and am firmly planted in beautiful San Diego with my 2 dogs Maybe and Vito. My professional interests include pain management and emergency and critical care medicine and surgery. In my free time, I enjoy cooking for friends, traveling and going to as many concerts as possible.

Selena Savides, DVM

Mitch Ferenstein DVM

Dr. Ferenstein received his Bachelor degree in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson in 2002. He went on to obtain his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed his clinical rotations at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Ferenstein joined a rigorous 1- year internship with surgical emphasis at a Specialty Clinic in San Diego. He has a special interest in orthopedics and recently completed the American Orthopedics course. He is especially interested in cruciate disease and fracture repair. Surgeries of special interest include the TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement), MRIT and Media patella luxation fixation.

Dr. Ferenstein is a very passionate traveler with a special interest in wildlife rehabilitation. He has spent numerous months backpacking around the world working with primates. He has worked with the mountain gorillas in East Africa, Orangutans of Borneo and various monkeys in the Americas. When not working or traveling he spends his free time with his 8 yr old Border collie mix named Oso, surfing and running.

Jane Harris, DVM

Mary Jungman, DVM

Born and raised in El Cajon I have been practicing emergency medicine for over 20 years.