Dr. Erica Ellis
Medical Director

Dr. Ellis realized that she wanted to be a veterinarian when she was four years old and it was explained to her that this was different from a vegetarian. Now she is both. She has been a certified wildlife rehabilitator and veterinarian since 2011. She earned her degree in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota, and her doctorate at the University of Tennessee. During vet school she worked in the wildlife ward during breaks, started the pain management club, gathered and analyzed samples from leatherback sea turtles, and completed externships at the Santa Barbara Zoo and Tufts wildlife hospital. She served as the veterinarian on record for City Wildlife and Kitten Lady while living in Maryland, and spent a year interning at The Raptor Center and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Minnesota. She is currently the medical director at Academy Animal Hospital, which is now Fear Free Certified.
She and her husband and child foster dogs, cats, and sometimes humans. Her two rescue dogs and rescue rabbit are moderately supportive of these endeavors. In her spare time she is an avid boulderer, a bookworm, and a jammer on the local roller derby team. She loves all wildlife, especially opossums, and she is excited to work with skunks for the first time at Shalom Wildlife Hospital!


Brenna Dail
Wildlife Veterinary Nurse