Meet Our Staff!
Meet the veterinarians & staff of Summerlin Animal Hospital! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Get to Know Our Team!
Veterinarians
Dr. John Ankenbrandt, DVM
DVM
While in veterinary school, he met his wife, Dr. Cheryl Ankenbrandt. They moved to Florida the day after graduation, settling first in Spring Hill, which is an hour north of Tampa. In 1999, they sold their practice in Spring Hill and moved to Fort Myers to be closer to family. In December of 2001, they opened Summerlin Animal Hospital. Three years later, the practice was thriving, and the size of the clinic had doubled.
In his free time, Dr. John can usually be found on his boat. He enjoys fishing and spending time with his wife and two children.
Dr. Karen Rasmussen, DVM
DVM
Dr. Karen graduated from the University of Maryland in 1991 and Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. She began in equine and small animal practices in the Maryland area before moving to a small animal/equine practice in Weeki Wachee, FL.
Dr. Karen moved to Ft. Myers in 1998 and has been with Summerlin since 2007. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and has special interests in internal medicine and geriatric medicine.
Dr. Erica Fry, DVM
DVM
Dr. Erica Fry is a 2005 graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up the daughter of a military officer, so she spent her childhood in many different states and military bases. Prior to moving to southwest Florida to be closer to family, Dr. Erica practiced at veterinary clinics in Alabama, Missouri, and Texas. Although she finds many aspects of veterinary medicine exciting, she has a special interest in all things related to feline medicine. She enjoys the challenges of wound management and geriatric care. She is a certified Feline Friendly Practitioner through the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
Dr. Erica shares her home with her two spunky children and their two mischievous Siamese cats (littermates Molly and Olive). When not herding kids or cats, she loves to watch college football, explore new restaurants, and be outside. She is also a self-proclaimed bookworm and is perfectly content curled up with her cats and a great novel.
Management
Chelsea, Manager
Management
Chelsea was raised in Redondo Beach, California, and moved to Southwest Florida in 2018 with her husband and two children. She joined the Summerlin family in July 2019. She started in the veterinary field when she was just 17 years old and has ten years of veterinary experience. She has an English Bulldog, a Red Heeler, four cats, and a ferret. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, boating, and gardening.
Technicians and Assistants
Sandra, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
Sandra was born in Bogota, Colombia, and relocated to the Miami area with her family as a young child. In 2000, she started working at an animal hospital as a grooming assistant, eventually training to become a veterinary technician. Sandra joined Summerlin Animal Hospital in December 2010. Her hobbies include photography and drawing.
Francesca, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
Francesca was born in Pennsylvania but relocated to Florida with her family when she was five. She has a background in banking and customer service and has recently earned her degree in Veterinary Technology. Her love of animals and longtime dream to work with them led to a career change. Her dog Xena and her cat Bandit are best friends. In her spare time, she enjoys the beach and spending time with friends and family.
Sandra, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
Sandra moved from Ohio to Florida in 2010 and has years of experience working in veterinary medicine. She holds a veterinary technology degree from the University of Cincinnati and has two lab mixes named Mason and Mia.
April, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
April was born in Ohio and raised in Kentucky until moving to Florida. She has years of experience working with animals. She has three dogs. A poodle named Henry, a Dachshund named Ollie, and a Maltese named Cheyenne. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her dogs and relaxing.
Alex, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
Alex has been working in the veterinary field for six years. He was raised in Atlanta, GA, and went to college at Auburn University in Alabama. His wife is also a veterinary technician, and they have two dogs. Alex studied in Barcelona, Spain, for a year, where he traveled much of Europe. He enjoys baseball, football, fishing, and being a MUFON investigator. He also enjoys traveling to historic sites in different countries. Alex has spent time in Egypt, at the pyramids, and in Greece at the ancient temples. He is thrilled to be a part of the Summerlin family!
Jessica, Technician/Assistant
Technicians and Assistants
Jessica was born and raised in Fort Myers and has been in the veterinary field for 3 years. She enjoys traveling, watching football, and doing outdoor activities. She has 3 dogs: Whiskey (Rottweiler), Scooby (pitbull mix), and Goose (golden retriever).
Lindsey, Technician/Assistant
Lindsey moved to Florida from Chicago to be with family. She enjoys long talks with her dogs, Eggs Benedict and Archie, and enjoys cycling, horror movies, and video games.
Client Care
Cecilia, Client Care
Client Care
Cecilia was born in California and moved to Fort Myers when she was four years old. She attended school in Lakeland, FL, for film production and recently started working in the vet field in 2022. She has no pets at the moment, but she recently became a new mom to a baby girl and hopes to adopt a furry friend for her soon!
Julie, Client Care
Client Care
Julie is originally from Missouri. She moved to Florida 12 years ago. She’s a busy mom to three boys and two Golden Retrievers, Penny and Goose. In her spare time, she enjoys taking long walks with her fur babies and working out.
Koral, Client Care
Koral was born in North Carolina and moved to Florida during High School. She has been living in SWFL for 7 years now. She has grown up with all types of animals, from Dogs and Cats, fish and lizards, to Chickens and Ducks. She spends her free time with her dogs Vinnie Barbarino and Peach and her cat ABBA. She enjoys traveling back to Puerto Rico to visit family.
Dr. Whiskercloud
Veterinarian
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Growing up in Decatur, Illinois, Dr. John had always known he was going to be a veterinarian. He spent his childhood begging his parents to let him keep every stray dog and cat he ran across! After finishing high school, he went to the University of Missouri, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and then graduated from the veterinary school in 1989.