Our Team
Meet Our Team!
Meet the veterinarians and team of Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Get to Know Our Team!
We are dedicated to your pet’s care! We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Veterinarians
Meet Our Team
Dr. Emily Gearig
Managing DVM
Dr. Emily Gearig, DVM, CVMST, joined Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital in July 2023, and took over as managing DVM recently. Raised on a family farm in Truro, Iowa, Dr. Emily Gearig developed a passion for animal care early on. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Northwest Missouri State University before earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.
Following graduation, Dr. Emily embarked on her veterinary career, starting with a mixed animal practice in Topeka, Indiana, before spending the last 11 years at a small animal clinic in Archbold, Ohio. Certified in veterinary spinal manipulative therapy since 2018, she specializes in small animal internal medicine and chiropractic care.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Emily Gearig enjoys upland bird hunting with her two German Shorthaired Pointers and exploring nature with her family. She is thrilled to be part of the Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital team and looks forward to building lasting relationships with clients and their beloved pets.
Dr. Christy Wauhob
DVM
Dr. Christy Wauhob, DVM, has been a dedicated associate veterinarian at Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital since 2006. Originally from Sioux City, Iowa, she pursued her education at Morningside College and the University of Central Oklahoma before earning her degree from Iowa State Veterinary College in 1998.
With a passion for oncology and internal medicine, Dr. Wauhob strives to provide quality and compassionate care to every patient she encounters. Her journey into veterinary medicine was inspired by her childhood love for animals and the special bonds she witnessed between pets and their owners.
Outside of work, Dr. Wauhob cherishes time with her husband, Larry, their two sons, Dan and Taylor, and grandchildren Mila and Crue. She enjoys frequent visits to Sioux City to reconnect with extended family and friends.
Kathy
Veterinary Assistant
Kathy, our Veterinary Assistant at Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital, joined our team in the fall of 2009, bringing a wealth of experience covering reception, kennels, and assisting roles. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Kathy’s love for animals traces back to her earliest memories—her first word was even ‘dog’.
After graduating in 1990 with a BS in Child, Parent, and Community Youth Services from Iowa State University, Kathy spent 8 years counseling chemically dependent adolescents and another 10 years in corporate America. However, her passion for animals led her to Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital, where she’s dedicated to helping our clients and their pets live fulfilling lives.
Kathy’s own furry family includes two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Gilly, and Rowen, along with three rescued cats: Puck, Tazer, and Smash, a black and white kitten from our clinic. In her free time, Kathy enjoys hockey, football, and Indy car racing.
Nadia
Veterinary Assistant
Nadia is a veterinary tech/assistant at Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital. She’s been in the industry for a little over 2 years and currently is in school at Penn Foster High School. She prides herself in building relationships with the clients as well as the patients. Nadia enjoys providing comfortable, positive experiences with our patients. She’s currently in school to become a registered veterinary technician. She enjoys learning the how and why of veterinary medicine, allowing her to provide the best patient care. In her free time, Nadia enjoys dog sports, such as agility and dock diving, with her Aussie, Ridge. She also has another dog and two cats.
Darian
RVT
Darian, RVT joined Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital in November 2023 as our Lead Technician. She graduated from DMACC and has been working as a registered veterinary technician for the last 7.5 years. Darian prides herself on the high attention to detail she has to provide gold-standard care. In her free time, she likes camping, kayaking, cooking, and lifting weights. She has 2 cats named Galadriel and Earendil who are named after Lord of the Rings characters.
Julie
Client Service Representative
Julie works up front as a Customer Service Representative, as well as assisting in other areas of the clinic. She is a life-long animal lover having had pets since she was a young girl. She discovered that this was her ‘retirement’ career with how much she enjoys meeting our clients, hearing their stories about their lives with their fur babies, and helping to provide the care they need.
She has spent most of her adult life in West Des Moines after roaming around the country with her family as a child. She shares her life with her granddaughter, Olivia, and four rescue dogs; Aaly, Fiona Cooper, and Onyx. She retired after 33 years with the State of Iowa and has worked at GAVH since February 2022 as a Customer Service Specialist.
She has served on the Board of Hope Animal Rescue since 2021 and enjoys fostering senior dogs for Hope along with other board responsibilities.
Lynn
Client Service Representative
Joining our team in May 2020, Lynn brings a wealth of experience in customer service and organizational communication to her role of Customer Service Representative. Graduating from UNI with a BA in Organizational Communication, she previously worked in nonprofit development fundraising and event planning in Cedar Falls and Des Moines. She enjoys forming relationships with clients and patients.
After relocating to Iowa City, Lynn spent a decade at the University of Iowa, writing biomedical research proposals and managing graduate student research programs. At home, Lynn and her husband are devoted pet parents to cats and two gentle giants: a black Great Dane named Midas and a Great Pyrenees mix named Mason.
In her free time, Lynn enjoys playing guitar, gardening, decorating, and baking. She also has had cats and dogs of all sizes through all life stages.
Haylee
Client Service Representative, Marketing Manager
Haylee works part-time at Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital, and part-time with a family that privately fosters litters of mamas and kittens, sometimes as many as 40 kittens at once! She specializes in social media, website management, and marketing strategies. Initially, she started at a veterinary clinic training to be a vet tech but soon discovered she preferred the client service side of the workplace – not that she doesn’t love ALL animals, she just doesn’t want to be the one poking them. It was also there that she discovered her love of social media and marketing management and wanted to pursue that fully. She is so happy to have found GAVH and is so excited to grow here!