New River Valley, VA
Our New River Valley team works in unbridled collaboration to raise money for their local chapter of The Street Dog Coalition. To donate to their efforts to provide free veterinary care to pets of people experiencing homelessness in New River Valley, click here.
Team Leads:
Dr. Laura Parkhurst
Dr. Laura Parkhurst is a clinical instructor for the Shelter Medicine & Surgery program at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine where she and her team instruct veterinary students in providing medical and surgical care to shelter animals within southwest Virginia. In addition to her enthusiasm for mentoring the next generation of vets, Dr. Parkhurst is extremely passionate about educating owners on pet care, increasing public outreach by engaging with local government entities and non-profits, developing partnerships between human and animal safe-havens, and addressing the lack of affordable access to quality veterinary care within her community. Dr. Parkhurst volunteers throughout the year with RAVS, The Parker Project, and Animal Balance. She lives on a small farm with her husband that is home to numerous rescue animals including cats, dogs, and chickens. During her downtime, she likes to read novels, travel to far-away places, hone her bushcraft skills, watch British procedurals, and binge true-crime podcasts.
Dr. Trina Murphy
Dr. Trina Murphy is a 2003 graduate of the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. After 18 years in private practice, she enthusiastically transitioned to shelter medicine in 2021. Currently, she serves as the Supervising Veterinarian at Pulaski County Animal Control (PCAC) in southwest Virginia, and as the Veterinarian in Charge at the Pulaski Animal Wellness Services (PAWS) clinic located at PCAC. At PAWS, Dr. Murphy focuses on spay/neuter surgeries, including the Community Cat TNRV program, in addition to providing medical and wellness care for both shelter animals and community pets. Dr. Murphy also mentors veterinary students through the VMCVM Shelter Medicine Clerkship, which gives students the opportunity to increase their experience and knowledge of shelter medicine and surgery by participating in an immersive 3-week clinical rotation at PCAC/PAWS. Dr. Murphy is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, the Feline Veterinary Medical Association, and the Southwest Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. She resides in Radford, Virginia with her family and a menagerie of pets, most of which—perhaps not surprisingly--are former PCAC shelter animals.
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