Dr. Emily Kuo

Veterinarian

Dr. Emily Kuo was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Baylor University in 2005 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University in 2009. She decided to start her career at Rice Village Animal Hospital because of the hospitality of the staff, the availability of state of the art equipment, and the performance of quality of medicine.

Dr. Kuo is currently a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and the Harris County Veterinary Medical Association. She participated in several externships during her academic career, including the Houston SPCA and other private hospitals, where she gained extensive experience in surgery and internal medicine. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but is most interested in preventative care, shelter medicine and feline medicine.

On her time off, Dr. Kuo enjoys traveling, trying international cuisines, bowling, and spending time with family and friends, including the furry ones. She has three cats: Bowser, Monkey and MooMoo.

Dr. Rita Jou

Veterinarian

Dr. Rita Jou grew up in San Antonio, Texas. She left Texas to complete her undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she studied Brain & Cognitive Sciences. Upon graduating from MIT in 2004, she worked in the field of human neuroscience research in Boston and New York City, until she found her passion for veterinary medicine.

Dr. Jou attended the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts where she obtained both her Masters and Doctoral degrees. She has practiced as a small animal veterinarian in the Boston area for six years prior to her move to Texas in 2018. Dr. Jou’s clinical interests lie in preventative health, nutrition, and behavior.

In her time away from the hospital, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, which include her husband and young son, exploring all the attractions and great food that Houston has to offer.

Adrienne Turner, LVT, CVPM

Practice Manager

Adrienne joined Rice Village Animal Hospital as the Practice Manager in March of 2015. She brings with her over 15 years of veterinary experience and an extensive background in business management. Prior to working in veterinary medicine, Adrienne spent many years in retail management where she developed her love for team building. She found her niche when she transitioned to veterinary medicine and it allowed her to marry her love of team building with her love for animals and the human-animal bond. Adrienne is credentialed both as a CVPM (Certified Veterinary Practice Manager) as well as an LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician) in Texas. This diversified education and background allow her to address the needs of the practice, its clients, and patients, from both a business side as well as a medical one. She has a firm commitment to creating the best environment for clients and patients of the hospital as well as for the employees of the practice. She holds a strong belief in family and community and believes that no one should ever stop learning.

Adrienne has lived in Houston for most of her life after living in Libya, Africa as a small child. When not busy with practice management, veterinary medicine, and her education, she enjoys time with family and friends. She is the mother of three grown children and “Mimi” to her grandchildren. She is also “mom” to her two pugs, Major and Daisy.

Anthony Bennett

Lead Kennel Technician

Anthony has been part of the pet care industry for over 4 years with experience ranging from small business boarding facilities to corporate retail.

He acquired 2 of his beloved pets, Koda a German Shepherd mix, and “Ekans” a California Kingsnake, while on the job. He is also the pet parent of “Orion”, a beautiful, longhaired cat he adopted from the ASPCA.

Anthony loves learning about, and caring for animals and aspires toward a lifelong career in pet care.

Brandi Barragan

Community Outreach / New Clients Director

Brandi has been working for RVAH since 2001. She is our Community Outreach/New Client director. It is her job to work on our social media accounts, welcome and care for new clients, find ways for RVAH to contribute to our local community and do anything that she can to ensure that every client experience is exceptional.

Brandi says, “I love working with people who love and care for their animals!” She and her husband have a beautiful Labrador named “Sophie”, a sassy Chihuahua named “Chi Chi”, and two frisky cats. When she is not working here, Brandi enjoys cooking (especially baking), spending time with her family, socializing with her friends, and traveling to Mexico.

Anita Martinez

Lead Veterinary Technician / Assistant Practice Manager-in-training

Anita started her career in veterinary medicine in 2006. She was the Director of Pet Nursing/Veterinary Technician in her previous job and currently works as Lead Veterinary Technician/Assitant Practice Manager-in-training and is the supervisor of the kennel technicians. She is also our Safety Coordinator. Anita is a Certified Veterinary Assistant Level II. She has participated in an Emergency First Aid for Pets course, with an emphasis on CPR for animals.

She enjoys spending time with her family, most importantly her young daughter Selene. She is so excited to watch her grow! She is also going to school to obtain an Associates Degree in Animal Sciences. Anita has three pets: “Lacy,” a Pitbull Terrier; “Jasmine,” a chocolate Lab mix; and a cat named “Duncan.” In her spare time, she enjoys reading, music, kickboxing and outdoor activities.

Anita says, “I love animals and get satisfaction when helping pets. I like to have the opportunity to make a difference in any way possible!” Here she is pictured with a regular patient “Bella.”

Monica Alfaro

Veterinary Technician

Monica was born and raised in Elizabeth New Jersey. She has had a love for animals from as far back as she can remember. As a child, she just could not resist feeding and trying to care for every stray animal she came across.

She joined the veterinary field because she wanted to make a difference in the lives of as many “fur-babies” as possible. Monica feels that “being able to care for animals and help them return to their healthy and happy selves makes all of her hard work worth it.”

Outside of her life as a veterinary technician, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, Leslie, and her husband. She is also the “fur-mom” to 5 cats: “Jaspurr,” “Violet,” “Sky,” “Snow” and her newest baby “Binx.” She said spending time with all of her family (“fur-babies” included) is the best part of her life.

Monica aspires to continue her education of veterinary medicine so she can continue to provide exceptional care for all the animals she meets.

She says “she loves working at RVAH because all of the caring doctors and team members make her feel at home and so proud to know our patients are always in the best hands.”

Karen Williams

Receptionist

Karen, originally from Panama, moved with her parents and her sister to Connecticut in 1995. She began working in customer service and retail, but always had a passion for animals. She began working in her first veterinary hospital in September of 2001 and fell in love with the small animal practice world. She strives to give 100% every day to honor the very special bond between a pet and their owner.

She moved to Houston in 2013 and is loving the southern way of life!

In her spare time, she enjoys learning more about computer software, listening to music, playing volleyball, and snowboarding.

Karen is seen here with a very cute Rive Village Animal Hospital patient named “Cassius.”

April

Receptionist

April has been working with animals since 1991. She especially enjoys helping pet parents help their anxious pets be more comfortable both at the clinic and at home. She has one dog and two cats who mostly love each other.

Nancy Quinteros

Receptionist

Nancy was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After working in retail for some time she decided to join the RVAH team. Nancy has found a great deal of joy in working with our furry friends and their owners. Every day she looks forward to being able to help our clients and to see our patients, welcoming them with a smiling face and providing compassion and care. Nancy’s love for all animals has just continued to grow since joining our team.

Livi Robles

Receptionist

Bio coming soon!

Jonathan

Kennel Technician

Jonathan was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He moved to Houston during his junior year of high school. Upon graduating, he decided he would like to become a kennel technician because of his love for animals. When he comes to work every day, he takes great pride in knowing he makes a difference in the lives of our patients.

He says his favorite part of being a kennel technician is “getting to love on and play with so many wonderful cats and dogs.”

In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys playing soccer and video games.

Elias

Kennel Technician

Elias has grown up around animals all his life due to his immediate family being in the veterinarian field, and introducing the passion for taking care of animals very early on. He decided to pursue it, and has since then interned with several different animal clinics, been a part of the FFA, and even was an equine vet assistant before finally finding his place at RVAH as a kennel technician. He also a proud pet parent of his own rat terrier/chihuahua mix dog named Toni, and a ball python snake named Silas.