Meet Our Veterinary Team in Washington, DC
Dr. Sarah Bowman
Medical Director
Dr. Bowman knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since the age of 4. When she was in kindergarten, she asked her Dad to write to the American Veterinary Medical Association and get a listing of veterinary schools. Later, she used that list to help her decide where to apply to college. While she had other interests throughout childhood like photography and basic science, she kept coming back to her love of animals and curiosity about veterinary medicine.
Dr. Bowman is now living her dream of becoming a veterinarian and really enjoys seeing patients, working up challenging medical cases, and the fun of new puppy/kitten appointments. She enjoys building long-lasting client relationships and using that to help improve her patient’s care. Dr. Bowman loves that every animal is individual and has completely different needs than the other patients she sees each day. No two appointments are ever the same; every day is a new and exciting day.
Dr. Bowman is a native Washingtonian. She first attended the Maret School and later received her B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She remained at the University of Pennsylvania for her V.M.D. Following school, she worked at a small animal practice in the East Village of New York City for one year and then returned to the DC area in 2001. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family: her husband Jolyon, and her two kids Zoe and Zac. They enjoy bike riding, swimming, and traveling. She is also an avid Washington Redskins and DC United fan. Dr. Bowman and her family have 2 wonderful dogs, Estrella and Kensington. Essie is a sato rescued from Vieques, Puerto Rico. Kensie is a big lovable English lab.
Dr. Ellie Cepo
Veterinarian
Hello CityPaws Uptown!
My name is Dr. Ellie Cepo, and I am so excited and pleased to begin serving your community and seeing your perfect little pawed children!
I am originally from Monroe, Michigan, and received my bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Toledo in Ohio. My degree in veterinary medicine was then awarded at Iowa State University. My focus was on small animal medicine with interests in dermatology, cardiology, and routine surgery.
Although I grew up with many dogs, I somehow accumulated three naughty kittens throughout veterinary school named Merck, Mikey, and Mavis. The four of us are thrilled with the new move to Washington, DC, and are very much looking forward to exploring the area and meeting all of you!!
Dr. Sarah Burke
Veterinarian
Dr. Sarah Burke hails from Gainesville, FL. She attended the University of Florida and earned her Bachelor’s and Doctorate as a proud Gator Grad. Dr. Burke initially worked in equine medicine, and at the start of career did an internship at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish, WA. She then spent several years traveling the world as an equine veterinarian with a circus! But after marrying her husband, a US Naval officer, she made the transition into the small animal medicine world to make those change of duty moves easier. They even spent time stationed overseas in Cuba.
Now that Dr. Burke has returned stateside to DC, she is back focused on her love of dogs, cats and our pocket pet exotic friends. Her veterinary passion is the care and love of our older animal companions out there, as well as an interest in emergency medicine. She herself has two cats, and a beloved, very well behaved, most handsome German Shepard ever named Iggy.
In her spare time, Dr. Burke can be found watching any sports that Gators play and outside getting the zoomies out of Iggy. Go Navy, Beat Army!
Dr. Kyle Decker
Veterinarian
Dr. Decker is originally from New Jersey, where he grew up always with pets in the house (a dog and usually two cats at a time). He first came down to this area for undergrad, attending the University of Maryland. Then he moved back home, because who doesn’t after college, and worked at a local veterinary practice, learning the ropes of a clinic before going to vet school. Dr. Decker attended Ross University, which is located in St. Kitts, and then spent a year at North Carolina State for his clinical year.
Upon graduation, he completed an internship at Friendship Hospital for Animals. Afterwards he continued practicing locally before joining CityPaws.
His professional interests include endocrinology, diagnostic imaging, and ophthalmology. Outside work, he enjoys American history and visiting historic sites in the area. He also likes watching baseball & football, the New York Mets & Los Angeles Rams specifically. He lives with two cats, Maddy (who is from St. Kitts) & Yumi (who is from North Carolina), who have been with him since vet school.
Dr. Kenya Barton
Veterinarian
Dr. Barton was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I’ve always had a love dogs, even going as far as creating my own doggie rolodex after printing out a single FAQ page on every known dog breed in alphabetical order when I was in middle school. Spending my summers with my extended family in Montgomery, AL allowed me to frequently visit Tuskegee University, both the undergraduate campus and the veterinary school. It was there that I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences in 2015. Following graduation, I moved across campus to attend Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM), where I earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in May 2019. Following graduation, I returned to the DMV area to complete a one year rotating internship at VCA SouthPaws in Fairfax, VA.
My professional interest include ophthalmology, some endocrinology and soft tissue surgery. My long-term goal is to be able to build a meaningful and lasting relationship with both pets and their humans and to also enjoy a work-life balance for years to come.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, traveling, listening to a wide genre of music collecting vinyl records and CDs and going to the movies any chance I can get. But most of all, I love spending time with my fur baby Kiwi, a Pembroke welsh corgi.
Dr. Sarah Bowman
Medical Director
Dr. Bowman knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since the age of 4. When she was in kindergarten, she asked her Dad to write to the American Veterinary Medical Association and get a listing of veterinary schools. Later, she used that list to help her decide where to apply to college. While she had other interests throughout childhood like photography and basic science, she kept coming back to her love of animals and curiosity about veterinary medicine.
Dr. Bowman is now living her dream of becoming a veterinarian and really enjoys seeing patients, working up challenging medical cases, and the fun of new puppy/kitten appointments. She enjoys building long lasting client relationships and using that to help improve her patients care. Dr. Bowman loves that every animal is individual and has completely different needs than the other patients she sees each day. No two appointments are ever the same; every day is a new and exciting day. Dr. Bowman is a native Washingtonian. She first attended the Maret School and later received her B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She remained at the University of Pennsylvania for her V.M.D. Following school, she worked at a small animal practice in the East Village of New York City for one year and then returned to the DC area in 2001. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family: her husband Jolyon and her two kids Zoe and Zac. They enjoy bike riding, swimming and traveling. She is also an avid Washington Redskins and DC United fan. Dr. Bowman and her family have 2 wonderful dogs, Estrella and Kensington. Essie is a sato rescued from Vieques, Puerto Rico. Kensie is a big lovable English lab.
Dr. Angela Leape, DVM
Veterinarian
Bio Coming Soon
Larry Cass
Operations Director
Bio Coming Soon
Dr. Wendy Knight
Veterinarian
For as long as Dr. Knight can remember, she has wanted to be a veterinarian. Her love for animals started the moment her parents came home with their first dog, Tinker, and continued through the years as her family cared for a vast array of pets from dogs and cats to baby ducks, whichever needed medical care, fostering, or just a warm home and TLC.
Dr. Knight started on her veterinary path at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received an undergraduate degree in Biology. She spent the summers in Greensboro working as a veterinary assistant and riding horses. A native of Tennessee and die-hard Vols football fan, Dr. Knight went home where she attended the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. While there, she completed summer internships, worked at a local emergency clinic and volunteered with Remote Area Medical, an organization that provides veterinary services to rural areas including the Navaho Reservation. In 1998, Dr. Knight graduated as a member of Phi Zeta Honor Society with a D.V.M. and moved to the Washington, DC area to start her career. Dr. Knight worked as a senior associate at a small animal hospital in McLean, Virginia for almost 8 years before making the decision to open CityPaws Animal Hospital.
She loved being a veterinarian but wanted more direct opportunities to get to know her patients, develop relationships with her clients, and connect with her pet-loving community.Dr. Knight enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Jim, their two children, Ella and Jack, their Boxers: Cooper & Beau and cat Racecar. If she is not spending time on the water at the Eastern Shore, she is usually working on a new home improvement project, going to Nationals games, running or following college football.
Dr. Vernon O’Berry, DVM
Veterinarian
Bio Coming Soon