Our Team

Meet Our Veterinary Team

The Veterinarians at Mountain View Veterinary Health Center practice Western Veterinary Medicine using the latest diagnostic techniques and treatments. In addition to standard veterinary medicine, the practice offers chiropractic, acupuncture, and herbal treatments.

Get to know our veterinary team!

Our doctors are focused on the complete and thorough care of your pets. Preventative care and early disease detection are imperative components for the life-long health of your pet and successful treatment and management of illness.

We provide comprehensive care for your pet’s needs, including grooming, boarding, and nutritional consultation.

Veterinarians

Dr. James Israelsen
Dr. James Israelsen
Veterinarian

Dr. Israelsen attended veterinary school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1995. He then went to Oregon and worked in a very busy mixed-animal practice until 1997, when he and Dr. Hillegass had the opportunity to purchase Mountain View Veterinary Health Center from Dr. Richard Jones, who was retiring. Dr. Israelsen is certified in Animal Chiropractic, adjusting performance horses, working dogs, and companion animals for numerous problems. He has a special interest in internal medicine and enjoys the challenge of aiding pets through difficult illnesses.

Dr. Melinda Hillegass
Dr. Melinda Hillegass
Veterinarian

Dr. Hillegass attended veterinary school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1995. She then went to Oregon and worked in 2 separate hospitals, including a 24-hour emergency clinic. In 1997, Dr. Hillegass and Dr. Israelsen purchased Mountain View Veterinary Health Center from Dr. Richard Jones, who was retiring. Dr. Hillegass is trained in Acupuncture and Herbal medicine and is interested in pet nutrition. She is a highly skilled surgeon and particularly enjoys soft tissue surgery.

Dr. Khirsta
Dr. Khirsta Jensen
Veterinarian

Dr. Jensen attended veterinary school at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, graduating with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. She previously worked at Mountain View before attending vet school as a technician. She enjoys the challenge of mixed animal practice and has done several externships at different practices to broaden her experience with various species, including camelids and small ruminants. Upon her graduation, Dr. Jensen eagerly returned to Logan to work under the mentorship of Dr. Israelsen and Dr. Hillegass. She has a special interest in orthopedic and soft tissue surgery and ultrasonography.

Team Leads

Cortney Kinder
Cortney
Lead Clinic Caretaker

Cortney joined our team in March 2018 as Animal Care and then moved to a Technician in May 2018. She is from Flaming Gorge, Utah. She graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in May 2018. Cortney has two dogs and one cat: Marley, the Dalmatian Labrador mix; Purdy, the Dalmatian; and Theo, the black and white kitty. She knows how hard it is to have a sick pet and loves being able to help them. Cortney doesn’t like chocolate but will eat anything else that’s sugary!

McKenna Wadman
Taylor
Taylor was born in Colorado and raised in St. George. She has been working in Veterinary Medicine for the past four years. “I love being the first and last person to greet patients and clients. I love building relationships with clients and being a shoulder for anyone who needs it.” Taylor graduated from High School, where she was very active in FFA, and received her state degree. She is hoping to continue her education and Major in Zoology. She has three dogs named Mocha, Bela, and Penny, a Chameleon named Chugz, an Axolotl named Miso, and lots of snakes! She cares for her nephew, which takes up most of her time, but she wouldn’t change it for the world! She loves reading and spending time outdoors. Taylor also spends a lot of time caring for and breeding snakes. She and her husband usually have booths at Reptile Expos and love doing them! Her long-term goal is to open a pet shop that also focuses on educating families about all exotics!
Melissa Herrera
Melissa

Melissa is from Logan, UT, and joined our team in May 2016 as a Technician. She graduated from Bridgerland Technical College’s Veterinary Assistant program and graduated from Utah State University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science. She is currently attending PennFoster College’s Veterinary Nursing program. Melissa became Fear Free Certified in 2019 and has since completed Level 3 certification. She is working on her Elite Fear Free Certified Professional status and becoming Low-Stress Handling certified. Melissa is our clinic’s Fear Free Program Lead. She particularly loves the behavior aspect of veterinary medicine and strives to provide a low-stress experience for all patients. Melissa has two dogs and two cats: Oakley (Heeler Mix), Willie Nelson (Red Fox Labrador Retriever), Pepper (Dilute Tortoiseshell), and Milo (Tabby). In her spare time, Melissa plays co-ed softball and takes care of her plants.

McKenna Wadman
Makenna
Makenna has worked for Moutiatin View for 7 years now and is working her way toward becoming a certified veterinary technician. She loves being able to care for animals and help them to feel better! She has 6 animals at home; 2 horses, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. In her free time she loves to do anything outdoors or train her dogs.

Client Relations

McKenna Wadman
Eva
Eva joined our team in July 2023 as Client Relations. She is from Central, Illinois. Eva is new to veterinary medicine, and her favorite part of her job is seeing all the animals that come in. She has two years of college experience and plans to continue her education in the near future. Eva enjoys spending time with her pets Maverick, a German Shepherd; Willow, an Alaskan Shepherd; and Apollo, a Ball Python. In her spare time, she has been renovating and preparing her new home to raise ducks and chickens.
McKenna Wadman
Megan

Megan grew up in Garland Utah, but moved to Smithfield a few years ago. She has worked with us for the past three years and loves to meet all the different patients who come in. She has seven animals in total, four dogs Nala, Daisy, Kona, and Odie and three horses Ace, Lily, and Guy. Megan loves barrel racing! She spends most of her free time with her horses, she has been training horses since she was 13 and some day hope to have a training facility in Texas.

Ren Hill
Raygen
Raygen is from Preston, Idaho. She joined our team in August 2023 and is very excited to be here. She loves seeing the cute patients come in with their owners and their dynamics. Raygen graduated from Preston High School and received her associate of general science degree at BYUI. She loves music and listens to music constantly; she enjoys going to concerts. She plays the cello, piano, and ukulele and is teaching herself to play guitar and viola. In her spare time, she usually has her nose in a book or plays with her two dogs, a Corgi named Samson and a Red-Eared Slider named Timmy!
McKenna Wadman
Ricki
Ricki joined our team in August 2023. With less than a year’s experience, she is eager to learn and be around clients and their pets. She is from Spanish Fork, Utah. Ricki has two beloved pets: a dog named Mayzie and a horse named Dolly. She has finished her generals in college and plans to continue her education at Utah State University in the near future. In her spare time, she loves to participate and be a part of the rodeo world.
McKenna Wadman
Lynzey
Lynzey has 2 Dogs! She loves them like her children! She also loves art and music. Lyndzey is new to Vet Medicine field. She loves working in our Client Relations department and helping our clients!

Technicians

Aubrey Pierson
Aubrey

Aubrey joined our team as a Technician Assistant in September 2022. She is from Mendon, Utah. Aubrey obtained the Skilled Technician Assistant certificate in the Animal Science program from Bridgerland Technical College in 2022 and plans to begin schooling for a Veterinary Technician license through Penn Foster. Aubrey has two cats (an American Shorthair and an American Longhair) and a dog (a German Spitz). Aubrey’s favorite part of this job is getting to help the animals feel better and seeing them progress. Aubrey loves playing video games, her favorite game being Final Fantasy XV, painting, and cooking – especially General Tso’s Tofu.

Technician Assistants

Lindsey Allen
Madison
Madison is from Eastern Idaho and calls the small town of Rigby home. She has worked in the veterinary field for roughly two years and joined our team in May 2023. She loves meeting new fluffy friends of all shapes and sizes and building client relationships. Madison has recently graduated with her associate degree in animal sciences from the College of Southern Idaho. She plans to attend Utah State University to obtain her Masters in Bioveterinary Science and eventually her DVM. She has 3 fur babies: a six-month-old tri-color female Corgi named Boozey, who is full of energy and adores her toys; a 5-year-old female Idaho Shag Mix named Moose, who was a foster fail that loves cuddles; and a male Tabby Domestic Shorthair that she rescued as a baby whose name describes his entire personality: Spazz. In her spare time, Madison enjoys showing livestock and horses with her family when she gets the chance.

Clinic Caretakers

Ellen Stanton
Tayler
Tayler joined our team in June 2023. She is currently working on getting her bachelor’s in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science from Utah State, then planning on applying to vet school. This is her first job in a veterinary clinic, and she loves to see all the animals that go through the clinic. Tayler is from Richfield, Utah. She has a Charcoal Lab named Gracie. In her spare time, she participates in competitive shotgun shooting, practicing, and traveling; when she’s not practicing, she enjoys doing anything with animals and being outdoors!

Other Familiar Faces

Danielle Israelsen
Danielle
Financial Officer

Danielle took on the role of Inventory Assistant in June 2020 and Financial Officer in March of 2023. She is from Hyde Park, Utah. Danielle has an Australian Shepard/Border Collie named Rascal. Danielle enjoys gaining a better understanding of how a business works from the inside perspective and interacting with the people and animals she works with. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and being out in nature, especially if she can take her dog.

Kira Naegle
Kira

Inventory

Kira joined our team in Inventory in September 2022. She is from Syracuse, Utah. Kira is currently a freshman at Utah State University. Kira has two dogs: Reba, the pug, and Sadie, the puggle. Kira loves seeing all the cute little animals that come through the clinic. Kira also loves spending time baking and is happy to bake a cake, cookies, or whatever fancies her when she has some downtime.

Danielle Israelsen
Jens
IT

Jens has worked for the clinic in different capacities for almost nine years, though his specialty is Information Technologies rather than veterinary medicine. He loves working with computers and making friends with the dogs along the way. Jens took a “creative” education path, originally went to U of U in the architectural program and started an IT services business with his self-taught IT skills. After the business took off, he dropped out of the architectural program and was self-employed for five years at various IT contracting gigs. Jens then left his business and began teaching IT and business courses at a local high school, and has happily been doing that for almost nine years now. Recently, he decided to pursue a “proper” education in IT and is currently working on his master’s degree in Information Technologies at Western Governors University. Jens has a dog named Kess and a bird named Kahn. His hobbies include aquariums, knowing all the facts about Star Trek, photography, and woodworking.

Looking to Join Our Team?

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