Support staff

Richa holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Applications and a Graduate Diploma in Network-Centred Computing. With a business background and extensive experience in the tertiary education sector, she has cultivated a keen interest in education, strategy, policy, marketing communication, and people management.

Richa’s professional journey began in teaching, but she soon transitioned to General Management roles. She has served as the School Manager for the Sydney School for Veterinary Science, the Academic Support Manager for UTS Law, and held management positions leading the provision of Off-Campus Programs and Program Support Services at Macquarie University.

In addition to infrastructure management, student and education support, external engagement, outreach, and partner collaboration, Richa has extensive experience leading diverse teams of professional staff, overseeing the delivery of complex, accredited programs.

As the Director of Veterinary Operations, she provides strategic and operational leadership for UVTHS, playing a pivotal role in the successful delivery of world class veterinary education and research through the provision of veterinary services to the community.

Dr John House spent his childhood in Wyndham, Western Australia, where his parents worked with the flying doctor service.

After six years in London, he returned to Western Australia and spent much of his youth working on the family sheep and wheat farm, where he developed a keen interest in agriculture and livestock production.

Following his graduation from Murdoch University School of Veterinary Science, Dr House moved to Gippsland, Victoria, and joined a mixed practice. After two and a half years in practice, he pursued a residency in large animal medicine at UC Davis, which led to a PhD and a faculty position.

After 13 years, the draw of family and home prevailed, and Dr House, along with his wife Ann-Marie and their three young children, returned to Australia to join the University of Sydney.

BVSc (Hons I) PhD DACVIM (SAIM)

Dr Ruaux graduated from The University of Queensland in 1992 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine and went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1999. After which he then moved to the United States and worked as a researcher in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University. He completed his residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Oregon State University in 2008.

Dr Ruaux went on to work as an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Oregon State University. Before joining the University of Sydney team, he worked at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand from 2017 – 2020.

Dr Ruaux is interested in research into gastrointestinal diseases and has authored and co-authored a number of veterinary textbooks in Small Animal Medicine.

Simone brings over a decade of diverse experience in veterinary nursing, with a career spanning remote stations and veterinary practices in outback Queensland, rural clinics in Victoria, and surgical nursing in Melbourne.

She has worked across a broad range of roles, including primary care veterinary nursing with a focus on equine fertility, specialist surgery, and emergency veterinary nursing, honing her expertise in high-pressure environments.

James has worked in a most fields in the animal industry, beginning his career in the captive animal field at zoos and wildlife parks. He then moved into the lab animal and research field at USYD, before finding his home in veterinary nursing in 2008. In 2013, James began work in a private specialist hospital where he worked across many services including; Emergency, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Avian and exotics and Internal medicine. 

While still nursing, James began working with specialist veterinary software systems and high-end veterinary hardware. This is when he found a way to combine the roles and began work as Technical Resources Manager before he joined UVTHS in 2019. James manages back end support for all veterinary science related applications and technological improvement projects at UVTHS.

James shares his home with a Cocker Spaniel named, Elizabeth. 

Piper graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, which included two years of study in Louisiana, USA. She gained valuable experience in clinical management by overseeing a busy medical centre during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This challenging role honed her leadership and organisational skills, which she now applies at UVTHS as a Project Manager.

Piper plays a crucial role in executing key initiatives related to operational management at UVTHS.

Rhiannon graduated from the University of South Wales (formerly University of Glamorgan) with a BA Hons in Drama, Theatre & Media. She moved to Australia from Wales in 2015, leaving her job as a "rookie" police officer, having previously worked as an emergency dispatch officer for three years.

A fluent Welsh speaker, Rhiannon began her Australian career with the PSA/CPSU, where she spent seven years gaining valuable experience in IT/systems support and industrial relations.

She currently resides in Sydney with her husband and their dog, Peanut.

Dr MJ Keow graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2010. Her career began as a general practitioner in Singapore and Sydney, and she also engaged in locum work across Australia.

Her professional journey includes roles such as an orthopaedic support specialist for a human medical device company, a lead veterinarian at a small animal practice, and an operations manager at a specialty veterinary hospital.

Beyond her professional endeavours, MJ finds joy in spending time with her husband and their delightful menagerie of six pets: two dogs, three cats, and a mischievous Indian Ringneck named Chicken.

Paola moved to Australia from the Philippines in 2014 and began her veterinary nursing career in 2018. She has worked in general practice clinics across North, East and Western Sydney.

Outside work, she spends her time in the wilderness – camping, fishing and hiking. She lives with her partner and their two hand raised babies Ming Ming the ginger cat and Gringo, an Eclectus parrot. 

Paris qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2013 starting her career in a busy general practice hospital on the central coast NSW before making the move to the University of Queensland to rotate through the Small Animal & Equine Specialist departments within the hospitals.

During her time in Queensland Paris began to foster a passion for Internal Medicine which led her to move back to NSW and purse an Internal Medicine nursing position in a busy Specialist Referral Hospital in Sydney where she progressed into a Team Leader & Coordinator role within the Internal Medicine Department.

Paris joined UVTHS in 2022 as the Referral Medicine Nurse Unit Coordinator where she works closely with the Specialist and nursing team to provide gold standards of care to our Medicine & Oncology patients.

Paris has a passion for the pathophysiology of all small animal complex, acute and chronic disease states and the procedures utilised to diagnose and treat disease processes, she also has a keen interest in positively contributing to the teaching of our DVM students.

Outside of work Paris enjoys hiking, riding her horses Belle and Banjo. Paris' dogs are well known to the staff at UVTHS, first her gentle giant Hagrid, and now kelpie x, Neville.

Tayla completed her New Zealand Certificate (Level 5) in Veterinary Nursing in 2017, before moving to Australia in 2018, where she worked in a general practice clinic. Whilst there she completed her New Zealand Diploma (Level 6) in Veterinary Nursing through distance learning. 

After 2 years in a busy GP clinic, she went on to work in Internal Medicine, Emergency and Critical Care,  and as a Head Veterinary Nurse. This is where she discovered her passion for training and development of nurses, and wanted to explore the corporate operations side of the Veterinary industry and step away from full time nursing.

She has since worked in Veterinary HR, and Learning and Development before joining UVTHS as our Hospital Administrator in 2023. 

Tayla is an avid cat lover, and has a foster fail named Steve. She enjoys art, music, and travelling.

Holly completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (Hons) and developed a strong interest in science communications and public relations. After completing an internship in scientific communications in Illinois, USA, she returned to Australia to pursue a Master of Arts in Communication Management.

During and following her Masters degree, she worked at a large Australian agricultural company, and then worked across horticultural and agricultural, premium food and alcohol, and lifestyle brands both domestically and internationally.

Returning to her first passion for veterinary and animal science, Holly joined UVTHS in the role of External Relations Manager in 2023. She enjoys connecting with the hospital's referral veterinary clinic network and enhancing the experience of our clients and patients.

Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

Anja spent the first 10 years of her nursing career in a General Practice in Sydney’s East enjoying the varied roles of general practice, including running puppy preschool, grooming and all areas of nursing.

Then moving on to the exciting position of referral surgical nurse at a Specialist Referral Hospital in Sydney’s North loving the challenge of the fast-paced emergency and surgical nursing duties.

Anja joined the UVTHS reception team in May 2011 and thoroughly enjoys the move to the more client-facing role whilst still finding the fast pace of the referral and emergency service a welcome challenge.

Outside of work Anja enjoys time away camping and being a foster mum to kittens and dogs in need.

With five years of experience as a veterinary receptionist, Nancy is dedicated to providing exceptional support and care to both pets and their owners. Nancy is passionate about guiding pet owners through their journey at UVTHS with compassion and expertise.

In her free time, she enjoys reading and indulging in paint-by-numbers projects. Nancy loves spending time with her two rescue cats, Angus and Aggie. As a culinary enthusiast, she loves discovering new cuisines and sharing her experiences with her team. 

Before joining UVTHS, Sarah previously worked for 5-6 years in various GP Practices across Western Sydney. She has nearly completed Bachelor of Animal science and is majoring in Zoology.

She has been greatly passionate about animals for as long as she can remember, especially livestock and wildlife.

Outside of work she loves rollerblading, reading and road trips. She also spends time with her two dogs Maxxie and Cookie, and her spoilt kitty named Meow Meow.

Lino has worked at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Sydney for the past 20 years undertaking the roles of general maintenance and running the kennels for the hospital.

He is a mad keen NRL supporter and will happily talk about sports of any kind. In his spare time you could find him watching his beloved Manly Sea Eagles play and caring for his elderly cat Di-Di.