Dr. Mark Andersen was born and raised in Michigan and is a graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit. He started his college career in 1966 at Michigan State University as a Chemistry major. Two years later, he transferred to Florida State University and changed majors to marine biology. His interest changed and in 1971 he graduated with a degree in biology.

He returned to Michigan, got married, applied and was admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University where he graduated with high honors in 1974. He was offered a research position at the newly opened University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine but chose to leave academia and enter private practice instead. His first of two daughters was born in Detroit in 1975. He practiced for one year in Southfield, Michigan before taking the Florida Veterinary Board Exams and returning to Florida in 1975.

Dr. Andersen moved to Port Orange, Florida and has lived in this community for thirty-five years. His second daughter was born in 1979. He worked for Dr. William Rippey for four years before opening his own office at a temporary site in 1979. In 1980, the first building to be called Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic was opened at it’s current location on South Clyde Morris Blvd. 

Dr. Andersen became interested in bird medicine in the early 1980’s and was one of the few practitioners in the country at that time to continue to develop the clinical skills to treat avian patients. He joined the Association of Avian Practitioners in it’s second year of existence and has been a member ever since. He continues this interest to this day and routinely attends continuing education meetings in avian medicine.

Dr. Andersen has been an innovator in laser surgery, endoscopy, and other areas of clinical practice. In the last few years, he has rekindled his interest in orthopedic surgery and has taken advanced courses to enhance his skills.

In 2002, he found an exceptional practitioner in Dr. Alicia Emerson with whom he formed a partnership. Together, they designed and built a new facility and have advanced Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic to a new level of excellence. The recent addition of Dr. Pamela Schrager and Dr. Lynn Wilson and each with their special skills, completes a team of veterinarians unmatched in most private practices.

Dr. Andersen takes great pride in his profession and his skills. He is an avid motorcyclist and kayaker when not attending to his profession.

Dr. Alicia Emerson grew up in Port Orange, Florida and attended Spruce Creek High School. After receiving her Bachelors in Biology from University of Central Florida in 1990, she went on to earn her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. After graduating, she moved to Middletown, Connecticut and began her career as a small animal general practitioner. Over the next four years she focused on her skills in soft tissue surgery and treating sick patients for several animal rescue groups and Humane Societies.

In 1998, Dr. Emerson returned home to Port Orange and continued small animal practice and rescue work. After starting her family with the birth of twins in 2002, she joined Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic working part time. Over the next two years, she expanded her family with two more children and eventually expanded her work at Ravenwood in to full time. In 2006, she partnered with Dr. Andersen and became co-owner of Ravenwood.

Over the last ten years, Dr. Emerson has had extensive training in internal medicine, advanced dentistry and small mammal medicine. She continues to focus her studies on veterinary dentistry and hopes to become fellowship certified by the AVDS (the American Veterinary Dental Society).

When Dr. Emerson isn’t working, she enjoys her family with her husband Roger. Their hobbies include surfing, fishing, snowboarding, traveling, cheerleading, soccer and football.

Dr. Pamela Eastlake Schrager was raised in Port Orange, Florida and is a graduate of Spruce Creek High School. She completed her undergraduate and veterinary degrees at the University of Florida, graduating with high honors in 1995. She then completed a one year Small Animal Medicine/Surgery/Emergency Internship at the University of Minnesota.

She stayed on at the University of Minnesota for two years as an Assistant Clinical Specialist in Emergency Medicine, developing the after-hours emergency service at the University ICU and starting and Emergency Medicine clinical rotation for senior veterinary students.

In 1998, she and her husband, moved to Washington, D.C., where she became Chief of Emergency Services at Friendship Hospital for Animals; a twenty-four hour, 25 plus doctor emergency and referral center in downtown D.C. She also became the Internship Coordinator and the Co-Chief of Medicine, and was on call 24/7 for emergency ultrasound and surgery.

After the birth of her son in 2005, she started working part-time as an emergency consultant. In 2007, she moved with her family to Kansas, where her daughter was born and her husband taught at Kansas University, while she did part-time emergency receiving for a large referral center in Kansas City.

In 2008, she moved to DeLand, where her husband teaches at Stetson University. She joined Ravenwood part-time shortly after her move in 2008, where her focus still is on critical cases, surgery, and ultrasound.

She is an avid runner, having completed eight marathons, and generally enjoys an active outdoor lifestyle with her family.

Dr. Lynn Wilson was born and raised in Hobart, Indiana. She attended Indiana Univer-sity Northwest, where she earned her undergraduate degree. She then continued on to Ross University where she graduated, earning her veterinary degree.

In 1999, she moved to Georgia starting her veterinary career practicing at a small animal clinic in Vidalia. In 2001 she moved to Florida to be near her family.

Dr. Wilson has spent the last 6 years practicing as a relief veterinarian. Also during that time, she was a staff veterinarian at Halifax Humane Society where she performed surgery and managed the medical care of the shelter animals. Dr. Wilson was very involved in the investigations of neglect and cruelty cases while with the shelter.

Since 2004, she has been filling in at Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic doing relief work. In 2010 she was asked to join our staff as a full time practitioner.

Dr. Wilson has special interests in pain manage-ment, feline medicine and forensic medicine. In her free time, she enjoys photography, gardening, hiking and her most recent hobby kayaking.