Dr. Nunez grew up in Miami, Florida and discovered his passion for the healing arts at a young age. He spent several years volunteering as a medical assistant in the Yucatan Peninsula, working with the local indigenous population. Dr. Al completed his bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas University in 1986, and graduated with honors from Ross University in 1991, with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

His travels took him to Wakeman, Ohio where he practiced mixed animal medicine in a rural setting attending to creatures large and small. Dr. Al relocated to South Florida, and practiced small animal and exotic medicine in Coral Springs for the next few years. The opportunity arose in 1995 to purchase a small animal hospital in Orlando, and Dr. Al continued his career growing and developing Herndon Veterinary Center. The clinic took a holistic approach in order to better serve pets and their families, and in 2001 Dr. Al furthered his holistic options by becoming certified in Veterinary Acupuncture while attending the Chi Institute of Veterinary Medicine. The year 2001 also became the birth date of Animal Hospital of Lake Mary, increasing his opportunity to reach out to the community and work with like-minded veterinary colleagues.

Herndon Veterinary Center found a new home at Baldwin Park in 2006. Dr. Al now practices out of the “little red house,” as it is often referred to, on Lake Baldwin Lane. The new facility allows Dr. Al to expand his veterinary family, thus continuing to enhance his ability to further serve the community. Dr. Al is furthering his education adding ultrasound and endoscopic diagnostics to enhance the clinics’ medical capabilities. He introduced energy medicine at both practices becoming certified in Quantum Touch. Dr. Al currently uses laparoscopic technologies to perform certain surgical procedures, thus minimizing patient recovery time and discomfort.

He enjoys writing and has been published in several local periodicals. Dr. Al is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, and enjoys playing and recording music in his spare time. His first CD, “Earth School Now,’’ explores provocative social issues as it takes you on a spiritual journey. His interests include shamanism, energy healing and sharing the human experience.

     Dr. Beth Carson grew up in New Jersey and moved to south Florida in 1980. She completed her undergraduate education at Florida Atlantic University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in biology; and received her Doctorate of Veterinary medicine from the University of Florida. Upon completion of veterinary school, Dr. Carson continued her education by completing an internship in acupuncture at the University of Florida. This internship was started in 2005 at the University of Florida, and is the first American Veterinary Medical Association recognized acupuncture internship in the world. She is proud to be the third student to complete this innovative and renowned program. During the internship program Dr. Carson was guided by the distinguished acupuncture expert Dr. Huisheng Xie. Throughout this time, she treated a wide variety of clinical cases, conducted research, and taught veterinary students at the University of Florida Medical Center.

Dr. Carson has had extensive training in all areas of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) and is certified in both acupuncture and tui-na (Chinese medical manipulation). She has completed both small animal and equine acupuncture training in basic and advanced therapeutic techniques. She has also completed training in tui-na, food therapy, and Chinese herbal medicine therapies. Dr. Carson teaches these techniques to other veterinarians from all over the country and the world at the Chi Institute in Reddick, Florida.

Dr. Carson enjoys practicing integrative medicine, combining the best of both Western and Eastern medical modalities, to benefit the patient. Her areas of interest include arthritis and chronic pain management in geriatric patients, skin problems, allergies, behavioral issues, as well as cancer therapy.

Dr. Carson has lectured both locally and internationally on TCVM techniques, and has published articles on the subject. She is on the advisory committee for the American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. Her future plans include completing a Masters in TCVM and continuing acupuncture research.

      My full name is Nicole Dominique Eggleston.  I resided from Aurora Colorado which is the home of the Rocky Mountains.  Since the age of seven, I had a passion to work with and care for animals.  As the youngest of four children, I started my college education in Texas at PrairieView A&M University.  There I graduated with honors in 2001 with a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture and Human Sciences.  I continued furthering my education at Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in Tuskegee, Alabama.  After completing my veterinary education in 2006, I moved to Naples, Florida where I joined a mixed animal practice.  I felt a desire to narrow my expertise to practice medicine only with small animals and pocket pets, after spending a year of practice with large, small, and exotic medicine.  I proceeded to get hired as Lead Doctor for Banfield the Pet Hospital, in Fort Myers, Florida.  I obtained valuable experience in leading a veterinary hospital and training fellow associate doctors in hospital protocols, surgery, and general medicine.  In addition, I was a mentor for veterinary students by mentoring them through clinical medicine and surgery.  I spent two years with Banfield and was recognized as one of the top producing veterinarians in South West Florida.  In addition, I gained qualifications to become a Coach Doctor while in the process of completing my certification for chief of staff.  Currently, I have interest in holistic medicine and plan on obtaining my certification for acupuncture. 

      Kristine McCormick was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She went to Lake Mary High School where she graduated cum laude in 2001 and went on to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biology at UCF. Kristine is the proud owner of three Chihuahuas, Anna, Little Brother, and Maya, as well as a Maine Coon named Samantha, and a Hans Macaw named Nicuru. Kristine started as a part time technician in 2002 at the Animal Hospital of Lake Mary, and has grown with the company. She is now the office manager of the Animal Hospital at Baldwin Park. The best parts of her job are watching the pets grow and develop over time, and forming lasting friendships with her coworkers.

     Paula Ferguson was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Her father was in the air force, and she moved to Spain when she was only two years old. Paula had the unique privilege of being raised in Seville, Madrid and then later Aviano, Italy. Her father’s military career brought her back to the United States when she was 13 years old. Paula attended Sumter High School in South Carolina where she graduated with honors in 2002. Paula moved to Orlando and attended UCF and received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Heeding her love of animals, Paula adopted Kobe, her sweet Italian Greyhound. She came to our animal hospital as a client, and joined our staff to love and care for animals almost immediately thereafter. Paula enjoys watching horror movies, supporting the local metal music scene, cooking and hanging out with her friends.

      My name is A.J. Nunez II. I have been immersed in the field of veterinary medicine since I can remember; performing services ranging from simple tasks like wiping the sweat from my father’s brow (Dr. Albert Nunez) during an intense surgery, to more recently, assisting in rooms and performing treatments on patients. I have come to love the process of keeping animals healthy from all of this experience and enjoy few things more than helping people’s pets feel better. I look forward to applying this passion at the Animal Hospital of Baldwin Park for many years to come.

    Katie Bazan was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She started riding horses when she was 8 years old, and rode competitively for 7 years. Katie attended Lake Highland Preparatory School and received her diploma in 2008. She started working at the Animal Hospital at Baldwin Park that same year and has work her way from receptionist to technician. Katie is currently working on getting a degree as a veterinary technician. She looks forward to coming into work every day to learn something new, and spend time with the animals. She is the proud owner of Coli, a grey Chihuahua.