Our Staff
We treat your pets like family.
Dr. Adam Conroy
Hospital Medical Administrator
Dr. Adam obtained both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois. He specializes in Bulldogs, currently seeing bulldogs on a referral basis from all over the state and neighboring states. Dr. Adam also has a passion for surgery (especially orthopedic).
If he’s not working as a partner at his clinic in South Elgin, IL, Dr. Adam can usually be found watching the Vikings game with his wife, two sons and two French Bulldogs, Hudson and Tug.
Fun facts about Dr. Adam:
Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning.
What was your first job? Busboy.
What’s your favorite hobby? Fishing and traveling.
Dr. Christine Wilmes
Veterinarian
Dr. Christine is one of our homegrown doctors! Born and raised in Aurora, IL, she left home to continue her education at Augustana College in the Quad Cities. Big Ten powerhouse University of Illinois was her next stop, where she graduated with her doctorate of veterinary medicine in 2005. While at Illinois, she was lucky enough to be student manager of the Wildlife Medical Center, which sparked her interest in exotic medicine.
Since graduation, she has pursued her passion of seeing all species, not only cats and dogs, but also small mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, rats, hamsters, etc.), reptiles, and birds. She enjoys both the medical and surgical aspects of veterinary medicine.
When not with her patients, she spends time with her family and furry son Willie, a Doberman mix. She loves following Chicago sports and is an avid Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, and (of course) Illini fan. In addition to professional sports, she also enjoys supporting the Rockford Ice Hogs (the Blackhawks AHL affiliate).
Fun facts about Dr. Christine:
What’s your favorite pizza topping? BBQ chicken!
What’s your favorite hobby? Anything to do with sports or family.
What was your first car? A Pontiac 6000.
Dr. Marissa Katt
Veterinarian
Dr. Marissa is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she completed both her undergraduate and veterinary education. She has been part of the Animal Care Clinic team since 2014. During her off time, Dr. Marissa enjoys long bicycle rides with her husband, cooking, riding horses and doing fun construction projects around the house.
She shares her home with her husband Brian and their energetic Puggle, Noodle.
Fun facts about Dr. Marissa:
Book or Movie? Both!
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? There are so many places left on my list! Ireland, South Africa, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, ah so many!
Are you a morning person or night person? How about an afternoon person?
Dr. Andrea Belcher
Veterinarian
Andrea is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed both her undergraduate and veterinary medicine degrees at the University of Illinois. Andrea also met her husband there, so it’s safe to say that she bleeds orange and blue! Andrea grew up in Elgin and always knew that she wanted to come back to her hometown to practice veterinary medicine. She recently got married, so she is enjoying living life as a newlywed.
Andrea has an interest in surgery and ophthalmology, and she can’t wait to see your pets! In her free time (and when it’s warm outside), Andrea loves to go disc golfing at local parks.
Fun facts about Dr. Andrea:
Book or Movie? Book!
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Italy
Are you a morning person or night person? Morning!
Dr. Nicole Conway
Veterinarian
Dr. Nicole joined the Animal Care Clinic in June 2017 and has a special interest in preventative medicine and cardiology. She enjoys running, baking, and spending time with her family as well as her dog, Ember.
Fun facts about Dr. Nicole:
If you could be an animal, what would you be? A cat owned by Dr. Sharon!
What was your first job? Laboratory technician.
Do you prefer books or movies? Movies.
Dr. Brittany Kaufman
Veterinarian
Dr. Brittany grew up in Lake Zurich, IL. She received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Purdue University in 2011 and obtained her DVM degree from the University of Illinois in 2015. In June 2015, she joined Animal Care Clinic/Barrington Square Animal Hospital. Dr. Brittany loves caring for people’s four-legged family members and forming life-long relationships with her clients and their furry companions.
In her free time, Dr. Brittany enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her husband, family, and friends. Dr. Brittany shares her home with a very spirited black kitty named Hannah and a food-motivated cat named Loki.
Fun facts about Dr. Brittany:
What’s your favorite pizza topping? Pineapple and ham.
What was your first car? Pontiac Grand Prix.
What’s your hidden talent? A party game called Celebrity, which is a combination of Charades/Catchphrase/Password.
Dr. Karen Hoersch
Veterinarian
Dr. Karen is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2000. She has worked in multiple small animal and emergency clinics in Wisconsin before her family moved to the Chicago area. Dr. Karen especially enjoys client education and teaching people how to properly care for their pets. Her other interests include internal medicine and soft tissue surgery.
Dr. Karen has three children; two dogs named Olga and Oliver; a cat named Pumpkin and a Blue Quaker Parrot named Indigo. She is originally from Wisconsin and is an avid Packer fan. Her favorite part of veterinary medicine is the variety that each day holds, from surgery to preventative care to helping sick animals.
Fun facts about Dr. Karen:
What’s your favorite hobby? Making candles and soap.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
What was your first job? Lifeguard.
Dr. Niki Gianni
Veterinarian
Dr. Niki, originally from Wrigleyville, attended DePaul University for her biology degree and then received her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois. She has worked in two Chicago animal shelters and volunteered for four trips to Native American reservations, providing vet care to communities most in need. Dr. Niki has also helped out at a manatee rescue in Belize! Her professional interests include dentistry, exotic pets, and ophthalmology.
Her hobbies outside of the clinic include listening to podcasts, doing puzzles, and promoting environmental conservation. She has three shelter pets – two rats (pictured is “Freddie”) and a dog, but has fostered just about every species of companion animal at some point!
Fun facts about Dr. Niki:
What’s your favorite pizza topping? Lots of veggies!
What was your first car? Honda Accord
What’s your hidden talent? Drawing animals
Dr. Dan Markwalder
Veterinarian
Dr. Dan is a graduate of Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and has been a practicing veterinarian for 26 years. He established the Animal Care Clinic in Algonquin in March 1994 to provide an environment of high-quality care for his patients. Dr. Dan has a passion to partner with clients in providing the best care for their pets. He attends over 80 hours of continuing education each year; skydived on his 50th birthday, is a die-hard Cubs fan, grew up in Indiana and has an extensive baseball card collection.
Dr. Dan married his college sweetheart. They have four sons and a daughter, along with a Mini Goldendoodle named Maggie, a parakeet and one bearded dragon.
Fun facts about Dr. Dan:
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? To see the pyramids of Egypt.
Are you a morning person or a night person? I am definitely a morning person!
If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? To be able to teleport.
Dr. Kristi Crow
Veterinarian
Dr. Kristi, originally from Indianapolis, attended Purdue University for her degree in Animal Sciences and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. She loves traveling the world and has already explored over 21 countries (& counting). Her favorite locations so far have been Malawi and South Africa, where she worked on public health and wildlife medicine/conservation projects. She is a new dog mom to a spunky goldendoodle named Ren. Dr. Kristi also has a passion for client education and in her free time, enjoys blogging and making educational videos for pet parents!
Fun facts about Dr. Kristi:
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? EVERYWHERE. My goal is to visit each continent at least once. The next spot I’d love to visit is Australia!
Are you a morning person or a night person? Night owl.
Favorite pizza topping? BBQ chicken or anything spicy.
Contact Us
Pharmacy
(847) 462-6142
Hours
Mon - Fri: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Have a question?
Complete the form below and a member of our team will get back to you as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please call us at (847) 742-5700.