Our Team
Meet the veterinarians and team of West Ballantyne Animal Hospital below! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!
Get to Know Us
We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Tom Linfante, DVM
Dr. Linfante's Bio
Few people are able to find a career that allows them to work with their passion. I consider myself one of the lucky ones! I wanted to be a veterinarian from a very young age, and everyone knew it. My great aunt Claire gave me my very first veterinary book when I was a young teenager – “The Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners.” I couldn’t really understand much of it at that point, but it was always there to remind me of where I was headed. She is also responsible for sparking my obsession with Giraffe Manor – a fantastic hotel in Kenya where giraffes actually come up the windows and interact with the guests! It is now the TOP item on my bucket list.
I received my undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania in 2002. I graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. The first three years of school were done on the island of St Kitts in the Caribbean, with my final clinical year at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (also known as Virginia Tech.) Living on a rock in the middle of the Caribbean Sea definitely had its ups and downs.
One of my veterinary school highlights was traveling to South Africa for a two-week wildlife veterinary course. I made friends with an emu; microchipped over 50 wild white rhinos, and relocated zebra, wildebeest, and crocodiles. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience! You don’t fully know adrenaline until a rhino charges you in the wild!
I have been treating pets in the greater Charlotte area since I moved here in 2009. So happy not to deal with six feet of snow as I did growing up in New Jersey! I treat my patients as if they were my own pets because I know what an essential part of the family they become. I have two dogs – Rocco and Mr. Banks and three cats – Colin, Nikolai, and Oscar. Our pets can’t tell us what’s wrong, so I make it my mission to keep them healthy. My goal is to provide great medicine, surgery, and emergency vet services to your furry friends in an inviting environment with great customer service.
Katie Miller, DVM
Dr. Miller's Bio
Dr. Miller graduated from Michigan State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. She has been practicing in the Charlotte area since August 1999. Dr. Miller first started her relationship with West Ballantyne Animal Hospital in 2016, filling in as a relief doctor. She enjoyed working with our team so much that she decided to stay on seeing patients here with a regular schedule since May 2020.
Dr. Miller enjoys complicated internal medicine cases and soft tissue surgery. She is also very comfortable with emergency medicine based on her past experiences working at Carolina Veterinary Specialists.
Dr. Miller is married with two young daughters that keep her on her toes! She loves to travel and going to Orangetheory. Dr. Miller currently has two cats that are three years old, Tiny and Joey. They were from a litter of kittens that she helped to hand raise after a neighbor found it.
Mr. Banks
Mr. Banks' Bio
Travis
Travis' Bio
Travis is originally from Virginia but lived in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before moving to the Charlotte area in 2009. Travis has a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Appalachian State University. He previously worked as a registered nurse, managing an endoscopy clinic before embarking on his real passion, working with animals!
Travis is married and lives in Wesley Chapel, NC, where his three cats and two dogs keep him busy. Travis enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, reading, yard work, and swimming when not working.
Michelle
Michelle's Bio
Michelle has worked in the veterinary industry for over 30 years. She lives in Fort Mill with her family, including her husband, daughter, two dogs, and three cats.
Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, reading, swimming, and any other outdoor activities she can do with her dogs.
Jess
Jess' Bio
Jess is our only Registered Veterinary Technician here at West Ballantyne Animal Hospital. She graduated from Central Carolina Community College in 2011 with an associate’s degree in veterinary medical technology. Jess also has a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Andrews Presbyterian College, where she graduated in 2009.
Jess has a particular interest in animal dentistry and prides herself in your pet’s “before and after” teeth photos! When Jess isn’t taking care of your pet’s teeth, she is at home taking care of her two dogs, cat, ferret, two aquatic turtles, hamster, leopard gecko, bearded dragon, and horse. She loves to knit, take pictures of animals and landscapes, and visit her parent’s farm, where they own two llamas!
Julie
Julie's Bio
Julie is a Charlotte native and has been working professionally with animals since 2013. She spends most of her time here as one of our veterinary technicians, but she is also our social media manager.
Julie has two cats named Tobias and Luke and a rescue mutt named Jude. Julie likes hiking, graphic design, and baking bread.
Tori
Tori's Bio
Tori was born and raised in Mount Holly, NC. She has been with WBAH as a Veterinary Technician since January 2020. She is also in charge of our positivity board and creating fun team-building exercises within the clinic!
Tori has been working in veterinary medicine since 2016 but has always had a love for animals since she was a little girl. She currently has four dogs and six cats, as well as some wildlife friends such as deer and opossums that she feeds to keep them safe from the hazardous roads around her home.
Tori is a wife and mother to one daughter, who is quickly following in her mother’s footsteps by helping her “care” for her pets at home!
Katie
Katie's Bio
Katie is from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She has been working with animals for over 20 years. Katie has a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from Clemson University. Go Tigers!
Katie lives on several acres in Lancaster, South Carolina, where she has two dogs, one cat, one rabbit, and a quarter horse. She enjoys reading, gardening, and watching movies in her free time.
Karen
Karen's Bio
Karen grew up in the blustering state of Maine and moved to the Carolinas in 2010. Talk about a change! Animals have been Karen’s passion since she was a child. She currently has five dogs and one cat that keep her very busy when she is not working at West Ballantyne Animal Hospital.
Marcie
Marcie's Bio
Marcie pursued a career in veterinary medicine due to the undeniable unconditional love received from these furry critters. If your little one comes home with some lipstick kisses on their nose… it’s likely Marcie!
Marcie has quite a comical little dog of her own that keeps her laughing and smiling daily, a poodle and chihuahua mix named Mavis. She is the light of Marcie’s life!
Beth
Beth's Bio
Beth loves working in the veterinary field and is very happy to be a part of our team! Disney World is her favorite place on earth, so her two yorkies are named Chip and Dale!
Nichole
Nichole's Bio
Nichole is our hard-working veterinary assistant. She is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. Nichole loves all creatures, big, small, furry, or scaly! She owns two dogs and six reptiles.
Nichole is a plant enthusiast who also loves spending her free time outdoors when the weather is nice! Gardening, fishing, hiking, camping, creek mining, and live music events are a few of her favorite things.