Meet Our Team
Meet Our Veterinarians
Our veterinarians are some of the best in Tampa Bay! Here at Circle of Life Animal Hospital, we pride ourselves on providing personalized care for your pets.
Dr. Palma is the founder of Circle of Life Animal Hospital! She completed both her undergraduate education and veterinary school at Michigan State University, graduating from veterinary school in 1985. She first opened Circle of Life Animal Hospital in 1998 and her goal has always been to give her clientele personalized, individual care for their pets in a family environment.
Dr. Palma has been an official veterinarian for the AKC Eukanuba National Championship in both 2005 and 2006. She was honored to be asked 2 years in a row to take care of the health and well-being of the top show dogs in the world during the national event. Circle of Life Animal Hospital believes in giving back to the community and is a proud supporter of the Shriners organization.
She loves continuing education for both herself and her entire staff. They attend the Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in January each year to further their knowledge and increase their education in the veterinary field. She enjoys the opportunity to bring state-of-the-art knowledge to her clients and their pets. She has a special interest in skin and ear allergy diseases and enjoys creating maintenance treatment plans for chronically allergic patients. Dr. Palma also has a passion for preventive veterinary care. She loves working closely with her clients to uncover trends in their pet’s blood work diagnostics that allow for more proactive intervention before clinical signs of disease actually occur! Preventing a problem or disease with proactive decisions with her clients is a consistent goal on a daily basis. And because each pet is an individual, she believes in giving each pet and client a personalized treatment plan that works best for them.
Dr. Palma has been married for over 10 years and has two beautiful, twin daughters. As a family, they have 3 dogs, all rescues: 2 Chihuahuas and a chocolate Lab mix. Over the years they have had a menagerie of dogs, rats, fish, etc. The clinic also houses their two rescue clinic cats, Simba and Nikko. When she isn’t working, Dr. Palma enjoys being active with her family, biking, going for walks, swimming, and doing anything that has to do with the outdoors. She also loves musicals, entertainment, and the arts.
Dr. Youssef graduated from veterinary school in Egypt in 2012. He loves wildlife, which is the reason he chose this career path. While in Egypt, he had his own veterinary clinic where he worked as a vet for 4 years before he and his family came to the US.
At home, he and his wife, Amany, have three children: Emma, Marco, and Levi! In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music, photography, and fishing.
Meet Our Team
Meet the care team of Circle Of Life Veterinary Hospital. We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Stacy joined the Circle of Life team as Practice Manager in February 2021! She has worked in the veterinary field since 1994 and has experience in nearly every aspect of an animal hospital, including general practice, emergency, and critical care.
As a practice manager, Stacy is always looking for continued education opportunities for her staff because she loves to watch her team learn new skills! When she is in Vet tech mode, she has a passion for patient care and surgery (with special interests in internal medicine and orthopedic patients).
Outside of work, she loves to spend quality time with her family (especially her two grandchildren). If the family isn't over then she's working in the yard with her very patient husband of 30 years and enjoying time outside. Her very patient husband of 30 years understands Stacy's need to bring home any and all strays or orphans that may need her!
David has been in the Veterinary field since 2019, starting soon after he moved to Florida from Vermont. Growing up, David always had loved being involved with animals. He started riding horses at 7 and later worked on a horse farm, training horses, and teaching children how to ride. David’s passion for animals really has grown since moving to Florida, not only has he worked to become 1 of 4 senior associates here at Circle of Life, but at home has many more animals of his own, including 4 dogs (Tim, Stuart, Bruce, and Charlie), ducks, an asthmatic miniature horse, and even a pet turkey! Outside of working with animals, David has passions for kayaking, cooking, and board games!
Born and raised in Lutz, Fl, Elise has had a passion for animals from the very young age of 3 years old ( this would be around the first time she snuck her first kitten into the house). Elise has been a veterinary assistant for 15 years! Even though she joined us recently, she's been a wonderful addition to our COLAH Family.
Elise has two wonderful daughters, Hannah and Aliyah. And a house full of fur babies! She has a Jack Russell mix, Toby, and two crazy Frenchies named, Sapphire and Reggie! Then there are her four friendly felines Piper, Freddie, Scooter, and Skylar. In her downtime, she enjoys cooking on the grill, family time on the lake, and cheerleading competitions with her two girls.
Juan joined the COLAH team in October of 2022 as a certified veterinary assistant. Juan had a love for animals at a young age and focused on a career path that would allow him to work with them daily. During his down time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family and enjoying a good laugh.
Kilannie joined the COLAH team in April of 2023. She was raised in Michigan but moved to Florida when she was 13. She has a passion for animals and learning and learns something new each day.
Lisa has been a veterinary technician since 1981 and a Registered Veterinary Nurse since 1983. She is also our hospital’s technical “cat whisperer!” Lisa’s patience is what drives her superpowers of being able to calm, medicate, and pull blood from unwilling cats. She was nominated for Technician of the Year and was on the cover of Veterinary Technician Magazine in January 1995.
She enjoys giving attentive nursing care to our hospitalized patients so that they may get better quickly, and she also loves being able to assure owners that their pets are receiving the best care that can be provided.
Lisa has a son who is an Eagle Scout and graduated from FSU with a master’s degree in accounting. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School. Her pets include Stitch, Chloe, and Pogo, three Chihuahua rescues. When she isn’t working, Lisa enjoys golfing, cruising, walking around flea markets, most pro sports, college football, and traveling.
She enjoys giving attentive nursing care to our hospitalized patients so that they may get better quickly, and she also loves being able to assure owners that their pets are receiving the best care that can be provided.
Lisa has a son who is an Eagle Scout and graduated from FSU with a master’s degree in accounting. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School. Her pets include Stitch, Chloe, and Pogo, three Chihuahua rescues. When she isn’t working, Lisa enjoys golfing, cruising, walking around flea markets, most pro sports, college football, and traveling.
Melissa has been a Credentialed Veterinary Technician at Circle of Life Animal Hospital since 1999. She's been in the veterinary field for over 30 years, and may be a very familiar face for some of you as she is also on staff at Blue Pearl Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Tampa where she is a Level 3 Technician with the Emergency Service!
Her foot in the field began when she graduated with Honors from St Petersburg College in 1991 with an Associate in Science degree in Veterinary Technology, now known as the Veterinary Nursing Program. Upon passing the Veterinary Technician National and State Board Exams in 1991 she became a Credentialed Veterinary Technician! She has maintained her credentials each year by attending national veterinary conferences and symposiums, as well as attending many webinars.
Melissa excels in pet anesthesia and dentistry and has a special interest in pain management, emergency medicine, and preventive care. As one of COLAH'a Critical Care Coordinators, she leads our technicians' advanced dental training. She's also been instrumental in developing our state-of-the-art in-house laboratory and advocating for advances in pain management and nursing care of our patients.
Her pets include Noodle, a miniature Dachshund; Petunia, a pug mix; Popit, a Yorkie poo; Butternut, a pygmy goat; and Squash, a pygmy goat. Melissa is married with 2 children. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys scuba diving, and underwater photography, along with kayaking and wildlife observation.
Robert joined the team last year and has been growing with our Level Up program since. Though his degree in Business Management from Everest University suggests a different career path, Robert's inspiration to become a Veterinary Assistant started at the Tampa Bay Humane Society, as an intake coordinator!
He's a father of four amazing children who definitely keep him on his toes. At home, he has three furbabies, Chiqui a 5 yo Pomeranian, and 2 exotic mix Persians.
On the weekends, specifically on Sundays, you can find Robert volunteering at City Life Church in the kid's ministry as a Sunday school teacher MVP!
Val joined our team in February of 2022. She graduated from Southern Technical College later that year with a certification in Veterinary Assisting, with summa cum laude honors. She is also Fear Free certified. When it came to choosing her career, she already knew that she wanted to be in Vet med since she was very young living in Puerto Rico. Val was working at a doggy daycare, grooming, and boarding facility before she joined the Circle of Life family.
Val enjoys making sure every pet is cared for with the highest quality of care like they are her own. She has two beautiful older sisters, Alanis and Thalia. Her pets include 2 miniature schnauzers, Smiley and Bella, a rescue dog named Linda, whose breed is unknown, a chihuahua named Cachorro, and the newest addition to the house, Cora who is an Aussie doodle! When Val is not working, she enjoys snuggling up with her baby Cora, going to the beach, zoo, and national parks, and camping with family.
Val enjoys making sure every pet is cared for with the highest quality of care like they are her own. She has two beautiful older sisters, Alanis and Thalia. Her pets include 2 miniature schnauzers, Smiley and Bella, a rescue dog named Linda, whose breed is unknown, a chihuahua named Cachorro, and the newest addition to the house, Cora who is an Aussie doodle! When Val is not working, she enjoys snuggling up with her baby Cora, going to the beach, zoo, and national parks, and camping with family.
Brenda has been in the veterinary field for more than 20 years! She's been on the Circle of Life team since the very beginning, helping in all aspects of building and advancing COLAH for over 15 years.
Brenda loves being one of the first friendly faces that you see, along with Ms. Mary, her Jack Russell!
Kasey joined our team in April 2023. She graduated from St. Petersburg College with an A.S. in Early Childhood Education, with Magna Cum Laude honors. She is currently enrolled in St. Petersburg College’s Veterinary Technology A.S. program. She has a special interest in animal dentistry, as well as exotic and large animal medicine.
Kasey’s fur babies include a fluffy Boston-Terrier and Wire Fox Terrier mix, Rookie; a hyper-active boxer and hound mix, Candie; a chaotic orange tabby, Antares; and an escape artist orange cat, Spica. In her free time, she enjoys PC and console gaming, reading, and spending time outdoors hiking and kayaking.
Kasey’s fur babies include a fluffy Boston-Terrier and Wire Fox Terrier mix, Rookie; a hyper-active boxer and hound mix, Candie; a chaotic orange tabby, Antares; and an escape artist orange cat, Spica. In her free time, she enjoys PC and console gaming, reading, and spending time outdoors hiking and kayaking.
Linda has been in the veterinary profession most of her life. Having grown up on a farm in South Dakota, it was first nature to become a part of this profession. Her love for pets and people and the enduring bond of love each has for the other, makes it the perfect job for Linda.
Linda has 2 sons, Robert and Joel, which she is very proud of. She has had a multitude of pets over the years (dogs, cats, rabbits, birds) and was an active farmer as a young adult (from milking cows to all stages of farming). When starting in veterinary medicine, she thought “I get paid for doing this?”. Work is not work when you enjoy what you do. Linda began her career as a kennel assistant and progressed to a “house-trained” assistant, receptionist, emergency office supervisor, and client financial coordinator.
Linda joined the Circle of Life family in May of 2022 and has enjoyed the return to primary veterinary care. Developing a relationship with doctors, co-workers, and owners to keep everyone’s furry family members happy and healthy is an everlasting goal for her.
Linda has 2 sons, Robert and Joel, which she is very proud of. She has had a multitude of pets over the years (dogs, cats, rabbits, birds) and was an active farmer as a young adult (from milking cows to all stages of farming). When starting in veterinary medicine, she thought “I get paid for doing this?”. Work is not work when you enjoy what you do. Linda began her career as a kennel assistant and progressed to a “house-trained” assistant, receptionist, emergency office supervisor, and client financial coordinator.
Linda joined the Circle of Life family in May of 2022 and has enjoyed the return to primary veterinary care. Developing a relationship with doctors, co-workers, and owners to keep everyone’s furry family members happy and healthy is an everlasting goal for her.
Sylvia’s background includes a degree in childcare management, but it was her deep love for animals that led her to use her skill in the veterinary field. She finds her career to be most rewarding, particularly the connection and bond shared between owners and pets, taking her role in strengthening that bond seriously. You can regularly hear her laughing and interacting upfront with all our clients!
She is married to Eric Miller and has two beautiful children and two wonderful stepchildren. Her four-legged children include a Pitbull, Gaia; a Boston-Terrier, Maynard; and a Chihuahua, Maya. She loves being with her family and is proud to be a wife and mother. When she’s not at the hospital, you can find her enjoying the outdoors, whether at the beach, by the pool, in parks, or traveling.
