Cheryl Antonucci, DVM
Dr. Cheryl Antonucci was born in Concord, Massachusetts and raised in Rockville, Maryland. She earned her undergraduate degree from Towson State University before attending the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. After graduation, Dr. Antonucci began her career in small animal practice in Watertown, New York. She later transitioned to emergency medicine, working in emergency clinics in Birmingham, Alabama and Richmond, Virginia, before joining the team in Charlottesville.
Dr. Antonucci has a particular passion for emergency medicine and the unique challenges it presents, providing critical care for patients when they need it most.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Antonucci enjoys traveling the world to observe wildlife, with a special interest in primates.She lives outside of Charlottesville with her partner and their diverse family of pets, including three cats, two sheep, and six goats.
Lauren Conners, DVM
Dr. Conners is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree, graduating in 2005. She received her veterinary degree from Auburn University.
After veterinary school, Dr. Conners completed a rotating medical and surgical internship, followed by a second yearlong internship at the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center, focusing solely on emergency medicine. For over a decade she has continued to practice as a small animal emergency veterinarian, primarily working at emergency/specialty hospitals in the Richmond area.
Bethany Dyer, DVM
Dr. Bethany Dyer grew up in Maryland and earned her B.S. in Biology from James Madison University in 2019. She went on to receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University in 2023. During veterinary school, Dr. Dyer worked part-time in the university’s emergency and critical care department, where she discovered her passion for emergency medicine. She joined the team shortly after graduation. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Dyer enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, and horseback riding whenever she has the chance.
Scott Johnston, DVM
Born in Michigan, Dr. Johnston went to undergrad at UVA, then attended Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech for veterinary school. He worked in private practice for 7 years in Las Vegas after vet school, before moving back to Virginia in 2016. He has been working in emergency at Greenbrier since then. He is truly grateful to be living in beautiful central Virginia with his wife, 3 children, 3 dogs, and 3 cats. In his ever-dwindling free time he enjoys gardening, hiking, live music, watching the Cavaliers, and is an avid skier.
Anne Abernethy, DVM
Dr. Abernethy is originally from Georgia. She attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree, graduating in 2004, where she also played collegiate soccer. She went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
After veterinary school, Dr. Abernethy completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson in Tucson, Arizona. Following her internship, she worked in emergency and specialty hospitals in the Richmond, Virginia area. In the early 2020s, she spent two years as a traveling emergency veterinarian, providing relief coverage for hospitals across the country.
Sam Schaeffer, DVM
Dr. Sam Schaeffer was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she spent the majority of her childhood surrounded by animals and animal care. After falling in love with veterinary medicine at a very young age, she began working at her hometown’s veterinary clinic as a mentored student in high school. She went on to acquire her BS degree in Veterinary and Biomedical Science at Penn State University Park in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. She obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies and finished her clinical studies at VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine. While in Grenada, she was adopted by her soul dog: an abandoned street dog named Remy. After adoption, Remy proceeded to suffer from several health issues and played a major role in Dr. Schaeffer’s passion for emergency and critical care. Dr. Schaeffer joined Virginia Veterinary Specialty and Emergency in April 2025 as an emergency veterinarian.
She is eager to continue serving central VA’s pets and pet parents in their greatest times of need, and she prioritizes supplying the best possible care for patients and their parents alike on an individual-need basis. She takes pride in treating each patient with the care and consideration that she would her own animal. When not at the hospital, Dr. Schaeffer is a huge movie enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors and with her friends, family, and fur babies.
