info@yourcaninephd.com
+1 404 931-2035
And it’s inside the perimeter, right in northeast Atlanta.
Drs. Robin Hochel and Hiro Iwamoto are a husband and wife team who’ve provided high-quality, relationship-centered veterinary care to the Decatur area for close to 30 years. With a focus on developing long-term bonds with their clients, Robin and Hiro will now be bringing their knowledge, experience, and love closer to home, and closer to you.
Dr. Hiro is an Atlanta native and grew up in Dunwoody. After graduating from Davidson College in North Carolina he moved back to Atlanta and served as the service manager at a bicycle shop, was as a mechanic on an automotive race team, and worked as a software engineer. After adopting a dog from the Atlanta Humane Society Dr. Hiro became fully immersed in the importance of the human animal bond and decided to pursue a career to help others in this aspect of their lives. He returned to school to become a veterinarian and graduated from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Hiro then moved back to the Atlanta area to practice veterinary medicine in the Decatur area for over a decade before establishing Briarlake Animal Hospital to better serve friends, family, and community. Dr. Hiro lives with his wife, Dr. Hochel, and two wonderful kids. He loves spending time at the kids events and hanging out with friends and family. In other spare time he restores decrepit old cars and banjos.
Dr. Robin Hochel grew up in Aiken, South Carolina and always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She attended Guilford College in North Carolina and then graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to the Atlanta area after graduation and worked at another veterinary hospital in the Atlanta area until starting Briarlake Animal Hospital with Dr. Hiro. Dr. Hochel enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but especially enjoys internal medicine, dermatology, behavior, nutrition, and hospice care. She is also certified as a fear free veterinary professional and focuses on making sure visits are as stress free as possible for you and your pet. Dr. Hochel and Dr. Hiro have one dog, a corgi named Saki and two cats named Leo and Yuki. They have two children as well and live in the Brookhaven area. Dr. Hochel enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, reading, and gardening.
Dr. Megan Blasier Duvall joined us in 2021 from Half Moon Bay, CA where she was the Medical Director of her local VCA. She graduated from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003 and completed internships in both small animal medicine, emergency and surgery at Friendship Hospital for Animals in DC, and Wildlife/Zoo medicine at UGA. She helped to open the Georgia Aquarium but now focuses on small animals. Dr. Duvall loves the teaching aspect of animal care and often has her nose deep in research looking for the newest information for her patients. Dr. Duvall is Fear Free Certified and will work to make your visits as low stress as possible. Dr. Duvall originally wanted to be a Broadway Star and is still hopeful she can play Elphie one day. She lives with her husband, 2 sons, super handsome shepherd-mix Banjo, and evil alien-kitty Delilah. When not at work, she can be found on a paddle board, reading, daydreaming about the ocean. Go Dawgs!
Dr. Rebecca Earl (Shrivastava) received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois. Prior to that, she earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University. She joined Briarlake in 2022 after working several years at a different veterinary clinic in Atlanta. Her professional interests include internal medicine, dermatology, oncology, dentistry, behavior, and hospice care. She is fear free certified and cares deeply about improving pets’ quality of life in and out of the vet clinic.Dr. Earl can often be found out enjoying local food or coffee, cooking, gardening, or attending Atlanta United games. She lives in the Virginia Highlands with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Dr. Jodi Nichols grew up in Newport, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan and then obtained her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1999. She also studied at the University of Florida where she obtained a masters of public health degree in Epidemiology. Dr. Nichols has been enjoying the veterinary medical field for over 20 years. She loves working with both cats and dogs. Her interests are in wellness, dentistry, general medicine, and surgery. She enjoys getting to know her clients and building lasting relationships with them. She is also certified as a Fear Free veterinarian and will help to find ways to make your pets visits less stressful. Dr. Nichols lives in Brookhaven with her husbands and daughter. They have a Cavalier King Charles dog named Cooper and a rescue tabby cat named Ben. They also have had the joy of living with English Bulldogs in the past. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, practicing yoga, being outdoors, boating and learning.
My love for animals landed me at the Washington Humane societies animal control program where I gained my vast knowledge and care for all animals. I have been a veterinary assistant for about 15 years. Prior to joining Briarlake Animal Hospital in May 2022, I worked alongside Dr. Hochel and Dr. Hiro starting in 2007. I live in Clayton county with my family of four-legged family that consists of four dogs(Opal, little Girl, Honey and Champion) a cat (Zora) a leopard gecko (Piglet) a crested gecko(Tiny) and a freshwater fish tank. My hobbies include reading ,nature walks, Netflix, Hulu and anything animal related.
Courtney is a Registered Veterinary Technician with a special interest in surgery and anesthesia. Her knowledge and love for animals encompasses wildlife as well as domestic pets! Her home is filled with Atlanta sports fanatics. Her husband Ben, her daughter Annabelle, even her 2 dogs and 2 cats, all adore the Falcons, Hawks, Braves, and Atlanta United!
Born and raised in Chicago Robert has been in the verterinary field for 5+ years. Robert lives in Dekalb county with his significant other and cat (Neferpitou). When he isn't providing love and care to our patients Robert enjoys video games and watching anime with Neferpitou on his lap.
Silia has been a veterinary assistant for 2 years. As an only child, she was born and raised in Norcross but she is mixed with a French and Algerian background. She has 1 dog (Roxy) and 2 cats (Thomas and Jerry). Her love and compassion for fur babies is what drover her to the field. Outside of the clinic she is a Certified Professional Coder and a professional dancer and dreams to go on tour and travel the world. She is spiritually driven and enjoys nature, health, and fitness and her favorite animal is a wolf.
Laura Abbott began her veterinary career in general practice in 1999 and has been loving it ever since. She graduated from Jefferson State Community College in 2011 with an AAS in Veterinary Technology and shortly thereafter passed the VTNE to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. Laura moved to specialty, where she became the head veterinary technician of a local radiation therapy department. After 9 years in RT, Laura decided it was time for a change, and found the perfect fit with the wonderful crew at Briarlake! In her spare time, Laura enjoys reading with her daughter, sleeping late (7:30!) and snuggling with her dog Lily and her 2 cats Sifie and Georgie.
An Atlanta native, Amanda has been in the veterinary fieldfor 6+ years. When not at work sheenjoys juicing and spending time with her family. She currently lives in Fulton county with herpartner and is excited to expand her family soon.
Sonja O’Herron is a Veterinary Technician with over 20 years experience. She graduated from Gwinnett Technical College in1999 with an AAS in Veterinary Technology. Sonja’s career has included small animal practice, emergency medicine, and some exotics. Prior to joining Briarlake Animal Hospital in 2019, she worked alongside Dr. Hochel and Dr. Hiro for seven years (2009–2017). Sonja lives in Gwinnett with her family which includes three male humans, two cats (Henry and Lily), one dog(Zuri), and a Ball Python (Esmeralda). She enjoys gardening, reading, and hiking.
Kathleen Delaney is a devout animal welfare advocate and has a strong background in dog and
cat behavior. She volunteers at her local shelters, working with fearful, under-socialized dogs.
She is so thrilled to work at a vet practice that offers Fear Free techniques for stress-free visits.
In her downtime, she gardens for wildlife, is a nerdy bird watcher, and spends time loving on her partner Lucky, her 4 cats and 2 dogs.
Amanda is a hometown girl born and raised in Chamblee. She has 22 years of animal experience. Despite only having 1 cat currently, she is a crazy cat lady at heart. When not working she enjoys live music, wandering in the woods and her new hobby snorkeling!
Originally from Philadelphia, Clarke has been in theveterinary field for 10+ years and while not working at Briarlake she is also adog groomer specializing in Doodle cuts. She currently lives in Dekalb county with her husband, son, 4 dogs and bearded dragon.
What does it mean to be Fear-Free?
Briarlake Animal Hospital strives to ensure that every visit with your furry loved ones is as free from fear, anxiety, and stress as possible. We believe the mental well-being of your pets is every bit as important as their physical health. Our veterinary team has thorough training and knowledge of methods and practices that greatly reduce the anxiety typically associated with visits to the vet. We are passionate about providing Fear Free visits and would love to provide more information or answer any questions you may have. Please call our front desk staff or click on the link to visit the Fear Free website.