Dr. Grant Cumberbirch
Grant Cumberbirch was born in Red Deer Alberta as the youngest of four boys. His father was a fighter pilot in the RCAF and as such he spent much of his childhood on the move. His father's postings took Grant to St Hubert near Montreal then on an overseas tour to France as part of the NATO forces and finally to the west coast which he now calls home. All of the boys were actively involved in hockey throughout their lives and continue to be involved to this day. Time that the young Mr. Cumberbirch spent on a dairy farm in Goathland, Yorkshire planted the seed of veterinary medicine in his mind. After graduating from Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver, Grant attended UBC where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. On admission to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1977, he spent the following four years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Upon Graduation, Grant secured employment back in his old neighbourhood at Dunbar Veterinary Hospital under the tutelage of Dr Rex Meares. It was Rex's influence that instilled the essential elements into him on being a thorough, progressive, and compassionate veterinarian. In 1987, following the sale of Dr Meares' hospital, Grant and his newlywed wife Armida started Amherst Veterinary Hospital on Dunbar and 26th Avenue. The hospital was forced to relocate to its present site in 1996 due to demolition and redevelopment and now stands at 4th and Alma in Jericho Village.
Grant's interests in veterinary medicine span the broad scope of all he has encountered. He enjoys surgical challenges, orthopaedics, dermatology, and internal medicine. Recently, with the acquisition of an ultrasound unit, he has continued to challenge himself through numerous courses and continuing education courses to achieve proficiency in this invaluable diagnostic tool. It is his wish to continually upgrade and expand his expertise, personnel, and facility to provide the most comprehensive, diagnostic, and therapeutic facility for the care of your pets.
Apart from the technical side of medicine, Grant believes that communication and compassion are essential elements to caring for both you and your pets. It has been his goal to ensure that this culture is reflected in the staff he and Armida employ at Amherst.
Dr. Jared Power
Dr. Power is a thorough, caring and innovative presence at Amherst. Though Canadian by birth, Jared was raised in Australia and returned to his country of origin with a polished accent and a boomerang in his kangaroo pouch in 2001. He obtained a science degree that was conferred by the University of Sydney, Australia in 1995. His wish to live in Canada prompted Dr. Power to acquire a Certificate of Qualification enabling his licensure as a veterinarian within North America. This accomplishment was conferred by Canada’s National examining board in 2003 after a series of examinations and a sojourn working under a restricted veterinary license in rural Alberta. Dr. Power is not only an internationally educated veterinarian, but also has attended Regent College in Vancouver where he focused on Christian Studies. In this path of learning Jared concentrated on his Masters Degree in Ancient Languages, specifically Hebrew and Greek, a feat he accomplishment in 2008. As a veterinarian, Jared has had a wide range of experience with both large and small animals all over the world. He worked as a vet in rural Australia from 1996-1999, and in the United Kingdom from 1999-2001. From 2001-2002 Jared experienced a different perspective of animal medicine when he worked at Amherst as an Animal Health Technician. From 2002-2006 Dr. Power practiced in Alberta and also worked as a locum vet in Australia for a short period. He has been a full-time member of the Amherst team since May of 2006. His particular areas of medical interest include the unique bond between humans and animals, Zoonosis, and preventative medicine. He has also recently taken the initiative to investigate different, more effective methods of detecting parasite eggs in animal stool. Dr. Power states that “I consider myself to be a generalist, my strength being an increasing capacity to understand and place the detail of the specific within the context of the whole. Within this framework I particularly value an approach to medicine and surgery that emphasizes establishing clear diagnoses so as to be as well informed as possible about treatment options and expected outcomes of treatment.” Despite his devotion to his profession, Jared has many different interests in life, including fly-fishing for trout and salmon. He aspires to live sustainably and is particularly supportive of sustainable agriculture, but above all, Dr. Power is an avid, never-die fan of the Liverpool Football Club. His lovely wife Kate and beautiful daughter Enye keep Jared on his toes, and he maintains a long-distance relationship with his dog, a fox terrier named William Wallace. William Wallace lives in Australia with Dr. Power’s father, who was not expecting to look after his son’s dog for the past 9 years. Jared would like to add that “As a Veterinarian I have lived and worked on three continents. Amherst Veterinary Hospital holds its own amongst the practices I value most highly for its culture of progressive medicine and attention to detail.”
Dr. Nina Speyer-Ofenberg
Nina Speyer spent her childhood years in Montreal, and then headed south to the University of Pennsylvania where in 1992 she obtained a Bachelor of Arts. Dr. Speyer then went on to acquire her DVM from Tufts University in Boston in 1996. Nina undertook a small animal internship in medicine and surgery at Angel Memorial Hospital in Boston from 1996-1997. It was shortly after Dr. Speyer finished her schooling that she joined Amherst after moving to Vancouver in 1998. She has been a strong feature among our veterinarians ever since. Her particular interests are in internal medicine, preventative medicine, and geriatric care. Nina enjoys not only keeping our animal friends healthy, but also keeps herself in shape by running, biking, and skiing in our beautiful city. Nina and her husband Brian have two lovely children, handsome Samuel who was born in May 2006, and gorgeous little Alexandra who was born in February 2008. At the moment the Speyer-Ofenbergs are without a family pet, however, they look forward to adopting again soon. Dr. Speyer would like to add that “Having worked at Amherst for over ten years I have seen the clinic grow in many areas. It has remained current with the ever progressing world of veterinary medicine. It has been a privilege to work with the staff at Amherst. They are a group of individuals committed and passionate about the care of animals.”
Dr. Caroline Wark
Dr. Wark is a vibrant and devoted addition to the Amherst team. Born and raised in our own Vancouver, she completed her undergraduate degree in Agricultural Science at the University of British Columbia. Caroline has always been passionate about animals and their health care as she worked as an assistant in a vet hospital from the age of 13. Another of our doctors who is internationally educated, Dr. Wark attended the University of Melbourne for her first two years of Veterinary education, and then transferred to Massey University in New Zealand in order to complete her American/Canadian accreditation. Shortly after her return home to Vancouver, Caroline joined the Amherst team in March of 2008. Her particular areas of medical interest include internal medicine and radiology. Caroline is very active and enjoys all that her city can offer including hiking, snowboarding, running, and walking her dog Lucy. Lucy is a 2 year old German Wirehaired pointer that Caroline rescued from an organization specializing in this breed. Dr. Wark did not only return from New Zealand with a veterinary education, but she also brought back two souvenirs. Moby, a 3 year old grey tabby, and James, her boyfriend whom she lives with in Vancouver.
Dr. Loretta Yuen
Loretta Yuen is an exceptional and astute member of our Amherst team. A native to Vancouver, she attended high school at Eric Hamber and completed her undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science in conservation biology, at the University of British Columbia. Loretta then went on to Saskatchewan and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine where she obtained her DVM and graduated with honours in 1999. It was September of that same year that Dr. Yuen joined Amherst. Since that time Loretta has established herself as a highly respected doctor. One specific area of interest for Dr. Yuen is dentistry, an avenue in which she excels. However, Loretta’s main interest is to “provide compassionate quality care for pets and informing their owners of all options available to them.” Dr. Yuen is not only an active member of our Amherst team, but she also plays for the Metro Vancouver Women’s Soccer League, and sings in a choral group, which performs at volunteer events such as fundraisers and seniors homes. Loretta’s family includes a supportive husband and two fabulous children. In 2005, Loretta gave birth to a strapping boy. A talkative little one, his first word at the age of one was “Sadie,” the name of their family dog. In 2008, a beautiful baby girl became the newest addition to the Yuen gang. Loretta’s dog Sadie, a rescued dog from the SPCA resembles the famous Benji, enjoys coming to work with Dr. Yuen, and is a renowned escape artist. Loretta would like to express that Veterinarians work best as an interactive team. The benefits of a multi-vet practice like Amherst is that “the doctors communicate with each other, offering help and advice so that each patient and their owner is actually getting the medical opinion of several veterinarians in a collaborative effort to provide the best possible care.”
