Ana Bascuñán, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
Dr. Bascuñán is a board-certified small animal surgeon and the owner of Monarch Pet Surgery. Her expertise is derived from ten years of secondary education and five years of advanced surgical training. She graduated in 2008 from Arizona State University/Barrett Honors College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Psychology. She then went on to complete her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University in 2014. Following veterinary school she completed a one year internship at the Texas A&M Veterinary Teaching Hospital and a four year small animal surgical residency at the University of Florida. During her residency training she also earned her Master of Veterinary Science degree from the University of Florida. After completing her residency in 2019, Dr. Bascuñán passed the board certification exam for small animal surgery, earning her Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Surgery (Small Animal focus) in 2020. Dr. Bascuñán has three dogs (Lola, Dolly, and Oso) and three cats (Elmer, Poppy, and Pete) at home. She has a particular love of pit bulls and Boston Terriers (preferably mixed together!).
Chelsey Santiago, AS, LVT
Chelsey Santiago is a licensed veterinary technician (Texas and Colorado) and is excited to lend her expertise to Monarch Pet Surgery PLLC. Chelsey received her degree in Animal Science from the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver, Colorado in 2013. Chelsey’s passion in veterinary medicine is surgery and anesthesia. Patience, compassion, and client education are Chelsey’s pillars for exceptional pet care. Chelsey is also Fear-Free certified, so she has many tricks to keep patients calm and content at visits. Chelsey has worked as an LVT at small animal practices in the Central Texas region over the last 5 years. Outside of work, Chelsey enjoys gardening, reading, and crafting. Her pets are Indie, a Pit Bull, and Blooper, a Boston Terrier/Husky/Pit Bull mix. She also has three chickens (Grita, Fanny, and Flora).
Maggie Heard, BS
Maggie Heard comes to Round Rock as a recent transplant from Tucson, Arizona. She serves as Monarch Pet Surgery’s administrative and veterinary assistant. Maggie met Dr. Bascuñán in 2007 on a study abroad trip to Ecuador, where they studied biodiversity in the rainforest. She graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Arizona. She has since built her career in administration and will bring her excellent customer service skills to Monarch. Maggie has three cats (Hank, Dean, and Bernadette) and a cocker spaniel (Libby) at home, and looks forward to taking great care of your pet!
Joshua Welch, BS, PharmD, BCGP
Joshua Welch is the administrative director for Monarch Pet Surgery PLLC. Joshua graduated from the University of South Florida in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a minor in Public Health. He then completed his Doctorate of Pharmacy at the University of Florida in 2017. He worked as a registered pharmacist in a clinical position, counseling patients over the phone, until July 2021. During this time he passed a board certification examination for Geriatric Pharmacy, earning his board certification in 2021. He made the difficult decision to leave the field of pharmacy in 2021 in order to join his wife (Dr. Bascuñán) in her dream of starting Monarch Pet Surgery PLLC. He loves all animals and kindly tolerates Dr. Bascuñán bringing home a new pet more often than she ought to.