Marisa DeAvilla, DVM, received her D.V.M. from the University of California Davis in 1989. She worked in mixed and small animal practices in Lake and Mendocino counties before moving to San Diego in 1996. Since that time, Dr. DeAvilla has practiced emergency and critical care medicine at the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital.

Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. DeAvilla received her B.A. in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, she worked as a biologist aboard a Tall Ship in the Western North Atlantic, focusing on population dynamics of free ranging cetaceans, primarily humpback whales.

In her spare time, Dr. DeAvilla enjoys gardening, cooking, and her American Saddlebred horses.