Dr Liam Donaldson

Clinical Director and Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care

Dr Liam completed his undergraduate veterinary degree in veterinary science in 2013 at James Cook University before undertaking a small animal rotating internship at Queensland Veterinary Specialists in 2014. It was during his rotating internship that he developed a passion for Emergency and Critical Care. This led him to a residency in Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Melbourne throughout 2016 – 2018. While undertaking the residency, he also completed dual master’s degrees in Veterinary Science (MVSc) and Veterinary Studies (MVS). It was also while at the University of Melbourne that he published a thesis looking at the immunomodulatory effects of lidocaine in dogs undergoing abdominal surgery.

Dr Liam sat and passed his specialist exams in emergency and critical care in Washington DC in September 2019 (DACVECC). Since passing his specialist exams, Dr Liam has returned to private practice. He has recently commenced training in haemodialysis through UC Davis, with the goals of furthering his theoretical understanding of dialysis. Dr Liam hopes this may lead to the establishment of a dialysis program in Melbourne, given the wide-ranging potential indications of haemodialysis and plasma aphersis in our critically ill patients.

In his spare time, Dr Liam enjoys going to the gym, or hitting up the bars of Melbourne with his beloved and overly spoilt Cavoodle, Charlie.

Dr Claire Cannon

BVSc(hons) DACVIM (Oncology)

Dr Claire Cannon graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2003 and spent several years in general practice in Australia and the United Kingdom before deciding to specialise. During her specialist internship, she worked as a Veterinary Oncologist for the first time and realised that there are always options for animals with cancer, ranging from surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, to palliative or comfort care, and she decided that oncology was the career path for her.

Claire moved to the United States in 2009 to undertake a residency in Veterinary Oncology at the University of Minnesota. She became board certified in 2013 and went on to undertake additional training in research. She has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota, University of Tennessee, and the University of Melbourne. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters, and presented her research at several international conferences and has an ongoing interest in clinical research, having coordinated and participated in several clinical trials of new therapies in dogs and cats with cancer.

Claire is passionate about providing excellent care to all animals with cancer, and their owners, with a focus on maintaining the best quality of life possible for her patients.

Dr Rob Turner

Dr Rob Turner: BVSc PCertSci MVS FANZCVS (Veterinary Radiology), Greencross Vet Hospital’s consulting specialist in Small Animal Radiology.

Dr Rob completed his undergraduate degree at Massey University in New Zealand and later pursued advanced studies in veterinary medicine, obtaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Science (PGCertSci) and a Master of Veterinary Science (MVS). After completing a diagnostic imaging residency at the University of Melbourne, Dr Rob successfully passed the ANZCVS Fellowship exams to become a specialist in Small Animal Radiology in 2021.

Before pursuing specialist qualifications, Dr Rob worked in general practice in Cairns, Adelaide, and Jaipur. He has also spent time volunteering with small animal welfare clinics in India and the Animal Asia Centre in Chengdu, China.

Dr Rob has a particular interest in vascular imaging, neuroimaging, swallowing studies, interventional radiography, and interventional ultrasonography. He is currently undertaking a PhD investigating the ultrasonographic characteristics of the pancreas and body composition in dogs, particularly the distribution of visceral abdominal fat.

Dr Stephanie Middlemast

BSc DVM GradCertSAUA (Ultrasound)

Dr Steph completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Melbourne in 2017 and has worked locally over the last five years at a busy small-animal practice. During that time, she developed an interest in diagnostic imaging, oncology, pathology and medicine. She further refined those skills by completing post-graduate studies at the University of Melbourne (2021) and the University of Sydney (2022). She has a Graduate Certificate in small animal abdominal ultrasound.

She enjoys diagnosing and managing complex medical conditions end to end and loves taking the time to discuss and ensure a thorough understanding of the conditions and available treatment options.

Dr Steph joined Greencross Vet Hospital in January 2023 as a Primary Care Veterinarian, forming part of the foundation team and helping shape the hospital’s direction by providing exceptional patient care.

She enjoys cooking, singing, and playing the piano in her spare time.

Dr Lana Robertson

B.Animal.Sc., DVM, MANZCVS (Dentistry)

Dr Lana Robertson was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Animal Science from the University of Adelaide in 2015.
She then moved interstate with her cat to study at the University of Melbourne, where she graduated with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.

After graduation, Dr Lana worked for two years in a busy not-for-profit general practice hospital in Melbourne. She then conducted a one-year small animal internal medicine internship in 2021.
Although Dr Lana enjoys small animal medicine, her main passion lies with small animal dentistry.
She is passionate about educating owners on the importance of preventative dental health care, improving patient quality of life and teaching high standards of dentistry to peers, students and owners.

She successfully became a member of the “Small Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery” chapter (ANZCVS) in 2022.

Dr Hannah Lobegeier

(BVSc, MANZCVS)

Dr Hannah graduated from the University of QLD in 2010, with first class honours. She worked in mixed general practice initially, then completed an extended internship in Internal Medicine at QLD Veterinary Specialists. She was awarded her Membership in Small Animal Internal Medicine from the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2015. After several more years in general practice, she decided to pursue her goal of becoming a specialist.

Dr Hannah completed her residency training program in Small Animal Medicine at Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre in April 2021 and is preparing to sit specialist examinations in the coming years. Hannah has a particular interest in gastroenterology immune-mediated disease and urinary tract disease, and has always been drawn to the discipline of Internal Medicine because of a love for solving complex problems. Her professional pathway has required an often challenging balance of career, family life, and study. This means she brings an empathetic and practical approach to her problem-solving. She has a focus on achieving excellent quality of life for her patients, and loves geriatric medicine. Outside of work and study, she spends her time with her family, including two young sons, and lots of sporting activities to keep everybody busy!

Dr Frans Venter (Japie)

BSc-Agric (Hons), MSc-Agric, BVSc, MBA, MMedVet (Small Animal Surgery)

Dr Frans (Japie) is one of Greencross Vet Hospital’s surgeons.

Dr Frans is extremely well trained, having obtained a Master’s degree in Agriculture in 1987, followed by his veterinary degree in BVSc in 1992, a Master of Business Administration in 2002, and a Master in Degree in Veterinary Medicine (Surgery) in 2013.

Dr Frans has been in private practice for well over 20 years, many of these in specialist referral hospitals. He has also previously lectured, having been a Veterinary Surgery Lecturer at both the University of Pretoria and more recently James Cook University in Townsville.

Dr Frans has published primary research looking at preventative measures to avoid orthopaedic disease. In addition to his research, Dr Frans has a keen interest in orthopaedic, soft tissue and reconstructive surgery.

The team at Greencross Vet Hospital are delighted to have Dr Frans as a member of our surgery team – he is enthusiastic about providing quality care to his patients and clients.

Dr Richard Woolley

BVetMed DipECVIM-CA (Cardiology) MRCVS

Dr Richard is the only specialist veterinary cardiologist in Victoria, and one of only a handful of registered specialist veterinary cardiologists in Australia.

Richard has many years of experience in cardiology and respiratory medicine of all animals, from mice to gorillas. He has worked in academia and in private practice, lectured extensively, and his present focus is on specialist cardiorespiratory medicine of dogs and cats.

Having graduated from the Royal Veterinary College London in 2002, Richard passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination in the same year. After graduation he completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Edinburgh, and then remained at Edinburgh University to complete a three-year cardiopulmonary residency, including one year working in the small animal internal medicine department.

Richard passed the first part of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Companion Animals diploma in 2006 and was employed as a veterinary cardiologist by the University of Edinburgh after completing his residency. During this time Richard also completed externships in the veterinary cardiology departments at Cornell and Florida Universities.

Richard’s professional interests and areas of publication include advanced echocardiography techniques, pimobendan in mitral valve disease, pacemaker implantation, balloon valvuloplasty, the use of Canine Ductal Occluders in PDAs and stem cell therapy.

In 2007 Richard came to Australia and has been working in Melbourne since then. That year he also passed the second part of his diploma and subsequently registered as a Veterinary Cardiology Specialist in Australia.

Dr Robert Menzies

BVSc, DAVDC, DEVDC

Dr. Robert Menzies is a registered specialist in veterinary dentistry and comes from western Victoria. He is a board-certified Diplomate of the American and European Veterinary Dental Colleges (Dipl.AVDC, Dipl.EVDC). From 2009-2012 he was a resident in dentistry and oral surgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary hospital. Prior to specialising he worked in mixed, equine and small animal practices in Victoria, NSW, UK, China and USA. Since becoming a Diplomate, he and his wife moved to Europe where he worked at the University of Helsinki veterinary school, the University of Veterinary Medicine – Vienna, and in private practice in Norway. Rob returned to Australia with his family at the beginning of the pandemic and established ANIDOS, a practice specialising in dentistry and oral surgery for animals, serving regional Victoria, NSW and South Australia and now Melbourne.

Dr Giovanna De Tommaso

Dr Giovanna came to Australia from Italy in 2003 after graduating in Veterinary Medicine in Bari (Puglia). While studying to be able to work as a vet in the country, Giovanna worked as a Veterinary Nurse in the Emergency and Critical Care at University of Melbourne for more than a year.

Dr Giovanna decided to spend 1 year in England working as a locum vet before sitting the National Veterinary Examination, which she successfully passed in 2008.

Dr Giovanna started her career in Australia teaching student desexing and working as a GP at Melbourne University, while doing some extra shifts in the Emergency team at the same University.

While raising her children, she has worked as a GP in few local clinics while continuing to do a few shifts in the Emergency Centre at U-Vet.

Dr Giovanna joined Greencross in 2015 and worked at Hoppers Crossing and then Williamstown for many years before joining Greencross Vet Hospital this year. She loves clinical work with an interest in preventative medicine and problem-solving in small animals.

In her spare time, Dr Giovanna likes spending time with her family, travel, cooking, going to the local gym and walking with her lovely dog Hamish.