Meet Our Staff
Doctors
Yuko Eguchi-Coe
Practice Owner, DVM, CVA, CVAT, CCRT, CVMMP, CVPP, CVBMA, CVCH, CVFT, CVTP, CTPEP, MS-TCVM
Dr. Yuko Eguchi-Coe has specific focus on Integrative Medicine at our Animal Healing Location, which includes laser therapy, acupunture, medical manipulation, physical rehabilitation, and Chinese Medicine.
Dr. Yuko grew up in the Tokyo, Japan area. She came to Jacksonville, Florida as a high school exchange student and elected to stay in the United States to attend Oregon State University. She assumed ownership of West Hills Animal Hospital in September of 2015 after practicing in the Portland/Salem area.
Dr. Yuko earned her Bachelor of Science, Masters of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees at Oregon State University, as well as a Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Chi University. She has worked and trained with numerous board certified specialists including surgeons, dentists, oncologists and anesthesiologists. She has her certification in Radioisotope 131 therapy to treat hyperthyroidism and set up the treatment unit at VCA Raleigh Hills in Portland. She is also trained in endoscopy and surgical laparoscopy, and is always learning new material from various classes that she travels to around the US. Yuko has been Fear Free Certified since 2017, and a Cat Friendly Certified Vet since 2021.
Her leisure hours are spent tending to the family farm, canning, reading, quilting and crocheting.
Yuko and her husband, Matt, have 2 children - Madeline and Sierra. The girls attend school here in Corvallis. They also have many furry children ranging in sizes from a 5 lb mini pinscher to a 90 lb Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, a few different breeds of cats, backyard chickens and ducks, and some cows.
Her additional certifications are as follows:
Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Veterinary Acupuncture Therapist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Certified Veterinary Medical Manipulation Practitioner, Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner, Certified Veterinary Balance Method Acupuncturist, Certified Veterinary Chinese Herbalist, Certified Veterinary Tui-na Practitioner, Palliative and End-of-life Practitioner and is a MS-TCVM (Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine).
Candace Remcho
DVM
Dr. Candace Remcho sees cats and dogs, and her practice interests include internal medicine, chronic disease management and hospice, as well as wellness and cooperative care for all ages.
Dr. Remcho grew up in southern Maryland and attended Virginia Tech for undergraduate studies before completing her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She practiced in Utah, Washington and West Virginia before moving to Corvallis and joining West Hills Animal Hospital in 1998. With support of the staff, she contributed to the hospital’s AAHA and Cat Friendly Gold status certification. She has been Fear Free Certified since 2017, and is also a Low Stress Handling and Cat Friendly Certified Veterinarian.
Dr. Remcho teaches as a guest instructor at the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University, sharing insights on the topics of communication and preventive medicine in private practice. She also serves as an OVMA member on the college’s admissions committee.
Candace is married and has three children, Parks, Nate and Olivia. She loves all that Oregon has to offer like hot yoga, hiking, flying, the Portland Timbers and specialty coffee shops. Until recently, she shared her home with Eddy, a Border Collie rescue and Jack, an off the track thoroughbred turned eventer. Currently she has a Basque Shepherd mix named Hegan that her and her husband acquired recently.
Jessica Cole
DVM
Eric Glaze
DVM
Dr. Eric Glaze sees cats and dogs, and has a passion for preventive and internal medicine as well as soft tissue surgery.
Dr. Glaze moved from Los Angeles to Eugene, Oregon as a teenager with his family in the late eighties. He received his undergraduate training from the University of Oregon, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He then received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from Oregon State University, graduating in 2006 with honors. Dr. Glaze settled in Albany after graduating, where he practiced medicine for fifteen years before moving to WHAH in 2021. He received his Fear Free Certification in 2021 and has been a Cat Friendly Certified Veterinarian since 2022 and looks forwards to implementing these skills to help better the patient experience.
Dr. Glaze enjoys hiking and camping in the Pacific Northwest with his longtime girlfriend and their mighty little mountain dog Mo during his time away from work. Mo is a 6-lb terrier cross they rescued and nursed through an almost fatal case of parvovirus when he was 3 months old. They have also accumulated seven cats between them, many of whom have unique needs - a feature common among veterinary professionals. Dr. Glaze also enjoys cooking and even cleaning the dishes!
Team Members
Trina Scharlau-Neuwirth
Practice Manager, Certified Veterinary Technician, CCRA
Trina was born in Paducah, KY but mostly grew up in the Puget Sound area in Washington (though she did live in Guam for a couple years!). She attended OSU as a Zoology Major, then found a job with West Hills in 1998 and has been with the team ever since. Along with her Practice Manager and CVT titles, Trina is a Certified Canine Rehab Assistant, Fear Free Certified since 2017 and a Cat Friendly Certified Veterinary Professional since 2021, and a Hill's Nutrition Advocate. She loves that every day at the clinic is different and that we get to help pets and people while working with an amazing team.
Trina lives with her husband Dan and 2 indoor kitties, Kramer and Leo, who are both rescues that were brough to the clinic as kittens. Kramer, now 13 yrs, had been hit by a car and had a long recovery. Leo, 3 yrs, was spotted as he ran across Philomath Blvd. and found hiding in the bushed at Dairy Queen. Trina enjoys cooking, hiking, camping, and probably our staff favorite, pickle making!
Lauren Santamaria
Certified Veterinary Technician
Lauren S. is originally from Turner, OR and has an Associates in Veterinary Technology from Yakima Valley Community College. Lauren relays that the standards of care that WHAH upholds makes it easy for her to stand behind a hospital that shares the same values as she does. "Working at WHAH is like working with my family". She loves how well our team gets along and how we all work together. Lauren has been Fear Free Certified since 2017, and has been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2021.
Lauren and her husband Alex have 2 cats, Harold and Lars, and 3 guinea pigs at home - Chewbacca, Han Solo, and Lando. Lauren enjoys swimming, yoga, and camping in her free time.
Lauren is pictured with one of our celebrity clients, Zen!
Courtney Williams
Certified Veterinary Technician
Courtney W. is originally from the Central Valley in CA but has spend her adult life in beautiful OR. She has her B.S. in Biology and minored in Chemistry. Courtney W. earned her CVT in 2012 and is in pursuit of getting her specialty in felines. She has worked at Heartland Humane Society since 2006 and has run the HVHQSN clinic for the past 12 years. Courtney W. is Fear Free Certified for both veterinary clinics and shelters and has been since 2017. She has also been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2021. Her skills and love for helping others and their animals has given her the opportunity to work with Animal Balance, an orginization that provides medical care to animals around the world.
Courtney W. relays that she loves the team and talent and knowledge base of the doctors at West Hills. She also loves the variety of animals we see and says it is a "super bonus" to see recently adopted animals come through for their wellness exams. She appreciates all the options in care we are able to provide owners at all the various stages of their pets life. Courtney W. has a multi-cat household, a pair of lizards and a pair of turtles and has recently taken much curiosity to the free range spiders in her house. In her free time she likes to foster kittens, go to concerts, do needle point and watch baseball - preferably a live game Go Cubs Go! Halloween is her favorite holiday... She starts decorating for it in August!
Uta Briggs
Certified Veterinary Technician
Uta grew up in the Monterey Bay area, CA. Beginning in 2006, Uta started out where many of us animal lovers do: being by pet and owners’ sides as they start their life together, in general practice. She was excited by the opportunities when the clinic grew into a buzzing specialty practice, opening doors into specialty surgery, oncology, ophthalmology, and radio-iodine therapy. During this time, Uta worked alongside Dr. Yuko and many other notable doctors.
Nearly a decade later, Uta found a special interest in emergency medicine, and in particular, anesthesia. Her two chihuahuas, Chancho and Sister, found her at the emergency clinic after their elderly owners passed away.
Uta says that wherever her career has taken her, she has been witness to the sound minds of veterinarians and tender moments shared between pets and their nurses, and West Hills is no exception; the thoughtful decisions about keeping animal’s visits Fear Free is unmatched. Over the years, she has most enjoyed keeping an artistic outlook: be ever curious, attentive, and imaginative.
Uta attended Portland Community College’s Vet Tech Program, as well as OSU to study Art and Fisheries/Wildlife Science. She has been Fear Free Certified since joining our team in 2021, and has been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2022.
You can find her love of animals expressed as artwork on Instagram @artsyuta.
Akiko Nagai
Certified Veterinary Technician
Akiko was born and grew up in Japan. She spent several years traveling while working in Europe and Canada after graduating high school in Japan. Eventually she moved to Oregon where she earned an Associates in Veterinary Technology at Portland Community College. She spent fifteeen years as a veterinary techinician practicing in Albany
until she decided to leave the field and become a Medical Laboratory Scientist receiving her bachelors degree from The Oregon Institute of Technology and OHSU in 2021. Recently she returned to veteinary medicine part time while working as a medical laboratory scientist here in Corvallis at Good Samaritan Hospital. She is enjoying working with the WHAH team and growing her skills as a CVT.
Akiko has always had a strong interest in medicine and the quality care that veterinary medicine can provide. She has chosen to adopt only animals with special needs as she wants to use the skills and experiences she was able to gain over the years to give them a chance to have a life. In her free time Akiko loves to hike mountains, garden and cross-stitch.
Elly Hall
Certified Veterinary Technician
Laurie Flood
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Laurie grew up in So. Cal where she completed her college degree along with a veterinary technician program. Laurie has been working in the veterinary field for over 40 years and still enjoys the opportunity to provide compassionate care to many beloved family pets. She has been Fear Free Certified since 2017, and has been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2021. Her husband and 2 adult children are her biggest supporters and cheerleaders. Laurie's family relocated to Oregon in 1999 to enjoy a slower pace in life. Laurie says she has too many pets to list but currently has a cat household plus 1 fish!
Aside from work and family Laurie enjoys cooking, gardening, travel and genealogy. She has also been an artist for 35 years and is currently volunteering her time painting at The Historic Albany Carousel.
Shay Bateman
Technician Assistant
Michele McCann
Technician Assistant
Michele in an Oregon native from Eugene, OR and moved to Corvallis to attend Oregon State University. She is currently a fourth year working to complete her honors undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. In high school she worked predominantly with horses and other livestock, but more recently has had the opportunity to work with a variety of animals both large and small. In the past year she volunteered at Chintimini Wildlife Center and enjoyed getting to know more about avian species. She also appreciates that West Hills gave her the opportunity to become Fear Free Certified!
Michele has 3 rats named Presely, Beethoven, and Mozart who are very mischevious but incredibly sweet. At her childhood home in Eugene she also has a siamese cat named Bisbee who came into her life when she was 10.
Divya Storniolo
Technician Assistant
Divya was born and raised right here in Corvallis, OR and has grown up exploring the surrounding areas in Oregon. She got her Fear Free certification after joining the West Hills Team, and has really enjoyed learning new things about veterinary medicine and surgery.
Divya and her dog Peanut (pictured above) love to do lots of adventuring together including but not limited to hiking, camping, swimming, and cross-country skiing. Their favorite places to visit are the beach and the mountains!
Juls Mckinney
Technician Assistant
Terra Sadowsky
Veterinary Assistant
Terra was born and raised in Albany, OR, and has lived in Corvallis, Eugene, and San Rafael, CA. She completed the Veterinary Assistant program at LBCC in 2018, and completed her 30 day internship at West Hills. She loved it so much and got hired directly after! Her Fear Free Certification and Cat Friendly Professional Certification is an important and much needed aspect of being a part of WHAH. She also volunteers at Heartland Humane SOciety and loves giving extra help to the fearful kitties.
She has a trerrier mix named Zoey, an orange tabby cat named Simon, and three sphynx cats named Cashew, Truffle, and Raddish. In her free time, Terra enjoys walking, hiking, kayaking, camping and spending time with her beloved pets.
Jordan Dolezal
Veterinary Assistant
Jordan was born in Las Vegas, NV but has spent most her life in Klamath Falls, OR until moving to Corvallis, OR to attend Oregon State University with an interest in Zoology. She has a Radiology Certificate and has been Fear Free Certified since joining our team in 2019, as well as is a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional. She loves learning new things to increase her knowledge. Jordan has two German Shepherd Dogs, Asher and Aero, and likes taking them on adventures to explore the outdoors. She also recently added a rambunctious little kitty named Shiori to the household.
Kayla Cavender
Veterinary Assistant
Kayla has lived in Oregon all her life, and has enjoyed having animals for as long as she can remember. Kayla enjoyed becoming Fear Free Certified when she joined our team in 2020 as well as has been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2021, and works hard at making sure animals are comfortable for any treatments needed while at the hospital.
Kayla is an adaptible team member and also helps out at our West Hills Animal Healing integrative therapy location.
She has a few pets of her own, including a large dog named Koa and 2 littermate cats named Gherkin and Sauerkraut.
Cody Thiede
Veterinary Assistant
Cody was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating high school he moved to Corvallis to attend OSU with an interest in Zoology. Since being in Oregon Cody has worked on a farm with horses, was an assistant manager at a dog boarding kennel, and is now with the West Hills team. He enjoys the many species that come through the door and loves the variety of patients he gets to greet each day. Cody loves all of the different learning opportunities West Hills offers, and got his Fear Free Certification after joining our team in 2020 as well as has been a Cat Friendly Advocate since 2021.
He currently has a shepherd mix named Fish sweet kitty named Gnocchi.
Lauren Limburg
Veterinay Assistant
Lauren L. grew up in Davis, California and moved to Corvallis in 2019 to attend Oregon State University. She graduated in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences with pre-veterinary and animal behavior options and a minor in Spanish. Since starting at West Hills she has become Level 2 Fear Free Certified. She also volunteers with pro-bono clinics in the Eugene area, interns/volunteers at Chintimini Wildlife Center, and fosters for Heartland Humane Society (pictured is one of her foster kitties at the time!).
She does not currently have any of her own pets, but she does get to live with her roommates 4 cats and those she fosters.
Sarah Jane Gore
Veterinary Assistant
Sarah Jane is originally from Cordell, Oklahoma, and moved to Corvallis in September 2018. She graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in Biology with a Chemistry minor. Her love of animals started early while growing up on a farm taking care of cattle and household pets. Since moving to Oregon, Sarah Jane has worked at Heartland Humane Society and an emergency veterinary clinic. She is excited to be a part of the WHAH team, and enjoys the ability to continue her education in veterinary care and to facilitate the relationship between WHAH, clients, and their pet(s). Sarah Jane is Fear Free certified and a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional. She works part time as a pet sitter and enjoys being able to apply her knowledge and skills to caring for special needs pets.
Sarah Jane lives with her partner Kyle and her pets - Autumn, a sassy, talkative calico, and Winona, a dwarf lop, fondly nicknamed the Cocoa Puff. She enjoys visiting the coast, hiking the PNW, crocheting, reading, being a plant mom, and spending time with her partner and beloved pets.
Willow Thompson
Patient Care Coordinator
Willow grew up in the Columbia River Gorge catching snakes and frogs in her backyard. She moved to Telluride, Colorado in 2007, and has spent most of her life working in and around the ski industry, making her an avid snowboarder. Willow moved back to the Pacific NW to be closer to her family, where she decided to pursue her interest in helping animals. Willow enjoys the great community of people that work here at West Hills, as well as our clients and their unique pets that she gets to greet, and completed her Fear Free Certification and became a Cat Friendly Advocate when she joined our team in 2021. In her free time she likes to explore the outdoors with her dog Roscoe or stay in and read a book with her cat Gideon.
Bex Lese
Patient Care Coordinator
Bex is originally from East Troy, Wisconsin and moved to the Corvallis area with her husband in 2022, both of them ready for a new adventure. She has owned and worked with cats, dogs and equines for most of her life. She used to work in a human ICU as a receptionist and has always had an interest in pursuing pet medicine. Bex enjoys the energy and wonderful care that West Hills brings to clients and its patients, and has been working towards becoming a pharmacy technician.
In her free time, Bex enjoys crocheting, video games, reading, and hiking trails with her husband.
Atari Gauthier
Patient Care Coordinator
Atari was born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge, but moved to the Willamette Valley for college to study English literature and music. They became Fear Free Certified when they joined the team in 2023, and they have loved getting to know all the furry friends that come through the doors.
Outside of work, Atari spends most of their time reading in their hammock, writing music, or playing Dungeons & Dragons with their friends.
At home, Atari has two cats named Mercury and Minerva, and the two enjoy causing all sorts of havoc around the house.
Carly Bingham
Patient Care Coordinator
Carly was born in Poway, CA but grew up in Lebanon, Oregon. She lived in Corvallis for 2 years before moving back to Lebanon and commuting to West Hills. She became Fear Free Certified and a Cat Friendly Advocate after joining our team. Carly has 2 dogs that go on many adventures with her such as camping with her family, taking day trips to the beach or the lake, and both dogs enjoy paddleboarding. Kona (pictured) is a 5 year old German Shepherd and Mikky is a 5 year old English Springer Spaniel, and when not adventuring like to cuddle up with Carly while she reads.
Carly also has a 23 year old Quarter Horse named Buddy.
Emily Delaplain
Social Media Coordinator
Emily was a Veterinary Assistant and Certified Dog Trainer on staff for 3 years before moving out of the area. She now works remotely from La Pine, managing WHAH's social media accounts and keeping the website up to date.
Emily is an Oregon native with an Associates degree in Business and Companion Dog Studies from Bergin University. She has a passion for training dogs and specializes in techniques to help them understand, accept, and even get excited to participate in veterinary procedures. Her Level 3 Fear Free Certification and continuing education has helped her implement and achieve ways of managing and preventing unneeded stress from animals in the veterinary world, and she continues to strive to make every experience for them a good one.
In her free time, Emily also enjoys playing soccer, riding four-wheelers on the sand dunes, camping of any kind, riding horses, and exploring the PNW with her husband and dogs.
Animal Healing Team Members
Alyssa Van Cleave
Integrative Therapy Assistant, CSCC
Alyssa grew up in Portland, OR and moved to Corvallis in 2012 to pursue a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Animal Science. She is a certified dog trainer and has taught various dog sport classes locally, as well as has competed herself in agility, nosework, barn hunt, dock diving, and Rally FrEe with her Border Collies. She has four rescue parrots who also enjoy training with her! Alyssa is very passionate about animal behavior and implements knowledge from her Fear Free certification (attained in 2019) to help create better experiences for all types of animals at the hospital, and has also been a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional since 2021. She is a Certified Canine Strength and Conditioning Coach and is currently studying to become a Certified Veterinary Technician.
Sage Gustafson
Integrative Therapy Assistant
Sage has grown up in the Corvallis, OR area and attended Oregon State University. She has a BS in Music performance from OSU and received her MA in Bioethics and Science Policy from Duke University. Sage's parents were veterinarians and she grew up on a farm, so she has had a lifelong love for animals of all kinds and is currently a local CPDT-KA certified dog trainer in the area as well as working at West Hills Animal Healing.
Sage and her partner Kyle share their house with a 3 y/o Border Collie named Jed, a 1 y/o herding dog mix named Kayoss, and their 5 y/o cat Minnie.
Amelia Schroeder
Swim Attendant
Amelia was born and raised in Albany, OR and graduated from West Albany High School in 2023. She is currently having a lot of fun helping out at West Hills Animal Healing and has plans to attend college in the future. She is Fear Free Certified and has the best job of getting to help animals swim in our lovely indoor pool for fun or for their rehabilitation.