Meet Our Staff

Dr. Lisa Harrenstien founded Avian and Exotic Veterinary Care in April 2016. Dr. Harrenstien has over 30 years of experience as a veterinarian, including employment in private small animal/exotics practice, university exotics practice, postdoctoral training in zoological pathology, consultant work related to avian and exotic species, and zoo practice. She was an associate veterinarian at the Oregon Zoo for 13 years, and is a Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine^TM, an ACZM Diplomate. The ACZM is the American College of Zoological Medicine, which is the veterinary specialty organization related to the care of avian/exotic companion animals, as well as free-ranging wildlife and animals in zoological facilities. Dr. Harrenstien was the first veterinarian in Oregon to achieve this specialist ranking, and remains the only private practice veterinarian in the Pacific Northwest with this status. 

Dr. Harrenstien belongs to numerous veterinary organizations, including the Portland Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She also recently completed a 9 year term as the treasurer of the American College of Zoological Medicine.  She has been a Fear Free Avian certified professional since 2020.

Dr. Harrenstien’s favorite patients over the years have usually been the ones that heal well from serious illnesses and still appreciate her veterinary visits, including a California sea otter named “Thelma” who needed a lung removed, a young double yellow headed Amazon parrot named “Miss Lilly” who had her upper beak bitten off by a macaw, and a Houston toad named “Ratatouille” whose face and toes healed well after a predatory attack by a rat.

Dr. Mattucks originally hails from Kansas City and went to the University of Missouri for both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees. After veterinary school, she completed a rotating small animal internship at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey, then an avian and exotic specialty internship at The Animal Medical Center in Manhattan, New York, then a residency in avian medicine at Island Exotic Veterinary Care in Long Island, New York. She is actively working on multiple publications and preparing to become an ABVP specialist in avian medicine. Dr. Mattucks’ love of exotic species started from a young age and led to several trips to South Africa to study wildlife management and medicine. While practicing medicine, she finds joy in educating owners about the unique needs our exotic pets have to live happy lives. She hopes to one day extend her career to include actively giving back to conservation efforts around the globe. She moved here to Portland in late 2020 with her husband, dog, cat, two birds, and far too many house plants. In her free time, she is excitedly exploring all the Pacific Northwest has to offer, hiking, restoring furniture, and exercising a self-proclaimed green thumb.

Dr. Kelsey Chapman was born and raised in Western Canada and has dedicated her life to caring for a wide variety of animals. As a child, she spent most of her time with dairy cattle, horses, and companion mammals, and as she grew up, she found her passion for herptiles. Dr. Chapman completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia, then moved to Alberta to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Calgary. Since she graduated from veterinary school, she has pursued research projects in wildlife and reptile anesthesia, presented at annual exotics conferences, served as the Canadian representative for the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV), participated as the overseeing vet at local reptile expos, and been a guest on several herptile podcasts. In 2023, Dr. Chapman moved to Oregon to be with her husband and she brought with her a menagerie of reptiles, two guinea pigs, Poppy and Spud, and her cat, Gooey. Dr. Chapman is excited to be a part of our growing team at AEVC, to add her experience and knowledge base to the exceptional care of Portland's exotic pets.

Dr. Wells was born and raised in Metro Detroit. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Wayne State University in downtown Detroit and then moved to East Lansing to complete her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Michigan State University. Dr. Wells loves Michigan so much that she stayed on at Michigan State University to complete her small animal rotating internship after graduation. From the beginning, Dr. Wells has had a strong passion for conservation and her ultimate goal is to become a board-certified specialist in zoological medicine (like Dr. Harrenstien). Throughout her journey, she has spent months training at multiple zoos across the United States and has published peer-reviewed research expanding our knowledge base in zoological medicine. To advance her own knowledge and training, Dr. Wells recently completed a rigorous avian, exotic, and zoological medicine and surgery specialty internship at Colorado State University. Dr. Wells hopes to continue to learn and provide specialty care to our incredible exotic species here at Avian and Exotic Veterinary Care in Portland. In her free time, Dr. Wells loves to appreciate the arts in all its forms, whether it's visiting art museums and galleries or going to the theater and symphony.  Dr. Wells is exited to explore Portland and all it has to offer!

Mandy has been a veterinary assistant with AEVC since 2018, and is now our Hospital Manager. Mandy is a born and raised native of Portland, Oregon. She first worked with exotic animals when she was a ZooTeen at the Oregon Zoo in high school, and she was able to follow her passion by attending PCC's Biology and Management of Zoo Animals program, obtaining an Associate of Applied Sciences degree. Mandy completed a year long co-op internship at the Oregon Zoo and a 3 month internship at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, WA working with a wide variety of species in their Asian Forest Sanctuary exhibit. Mandy previously worked in emergency veterinary medicine but is now extending her insight and her abilities at AEVC. In her spare time, Mandy enjoys time with her family, reading manga, watching anime and doing puzzles.

Juli's biography is coming soon!

Blu was born and raised in Oregon and has had a love for animals since they were little. Growing up in the country, animals both pets and wildlife surrounded them. They would watch the bats from the barn fly overhead at night and catch frogs at the pond in the summer. After moving to the city their passion for animals continued. They volunteered with FIDO, a pet food bank in Oregon City with their family. They hope to be able to apply and attend school to become a licensed veterinary technician in the future. In their free time, they enjoy playing video games with their partner, reading, and painting. They moved out with their partner and cats (Myla, age 3, and April, age 4) in August of 2023 and began working at AEVC as a receptionist in June of 2024. They recently added a third cat (Professor Snipperton, age 15) and a Western Hognose (Werm/Dr. Evil, age 2) to the family and are excited for the journey ahead.

Jackie is an Oregon native who has over 15 years of veterinary reception and client care experience. She has worked in both emergency and small animal practices, but has always wanted to learn more about the specialty of exotic animal medicine. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Oregon State University, and she also spent a year at Oregon Coast Community College where she earned a Certificate in Aquarium Science and participated in various volunteer and internship opportunities involving marine and freshwater fish and invertebrates. She absolutely loves being in a profession where she gets to help pets and their humans, and she has a great passion for all varieties of animal health and medicine. Her current pet family consists of one dog, a cat and two betta fish. She is very excited to start this new adventure with AEVC!

Kathleen has had a lifelong love for animals. Her first pets were a guinea pig and silkworms when she was four years old, and she started fostering orphaned kittens when she was twelve. Kathleen's passion for wildlife and conservation guided her to earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. With a desire to get hands on experience with a wide range of animal species, Kathleen completed the 2 year Biology and Management of Zoo Animals program at PCC. Through the program Kathleen completed a student internship at the Oregon Zoo, and she has been involved in wildlife rehabilitation at the Audubon Society of Portland for almost five years.  Throughout Kathleen’s life, she has had a variety of pets from box turtles and rats to parakeets. Currently, Kathleen has a dog, two cats, five goldfish, and a 20-year-old corn snake. And an update in 2022, she successfully passed the CPBT exam to become recognized as CPBT-KA, which stands for Certified Professional Bird Trainer - Knowledge Assessed; congratulations Kathleen!

Felicia was born and raised in Oklahoma. She has been in love with the science of veterinary medicine since she was a child. She began her work with exotic animals in high school through the junior curator volunteer program at the Oklahoma City Zoo, then she obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in zoology, and began working for an emergency clinic in Oklahoma after college. After gaining experience in intensive care and surgical medicine of dogs, cats and smaller numbers of exotics, she moved to the Portland area in 2020 to focus on learning more about exotic animal medicine.  Outside of her love of veterinary medicine, she has two main passions: music and tabletop gaming. She has played the double bass since 2001 through school, semi-professional, and community groups. She is joined in her move to the Pacific Northwest by her husband, who supports her every endeavor.

Jake is a Minnesota native who moved to Oregon in 2013. Growing up on a farm in rural northern Minnesota, he spent his youth raising chickens, rabbits, dogs, and the occasional goose and miniature horse. He has a passion for the care and well-being of all creatures and animals, especially those that have been lucky enough to find a forever home. When not at work, Jake is an avid urban farmer himself who enjoys spending time with his goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and ever fluctuating number of rabbits. He's deeply passionate about ensuing that all critters under his care have a happy and fulfilling life. Jake is currently studying pre-veterinary medicine, with the hope of being accepted into a doctoral program in veterinary medicine, to be able to continue serving animals and the people who love them.

Aeliana was was born in the Seattle area, and has always had a love for animals big and small. Growing up she spent time around many different animals, from horses to birds. Aeliana also spent time with rescues and did pet sitting for various animals. She has known she wanted to be working in veterinary medicine since she was in 3rd grade. When she moved down to southern Washington she was able to pursue that passion. She has worked with cats, dogs, and small mammals, and owns various reptiles. When Aeliana is not at work, she is spending time with her small menagerie of animals at home, as well as playing video games with her husband, or working on her garden.