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About Us

Get to know the team at Apple Grove Veterinary Clinic located in New Castle, PA.

About Us

Get to know the team at Apple Grove Veterinary Clinic located in New Castle, PA.

Veterinary care for New Castle and surrounding areas!

Welcome to Apple Grove Veterinary Clinic, your local veterinarians in New Castle, Pennsylvania. We’re pleased to provide a wide variety of veterinary services for animals in New Castle and the surrounding areas including Ellwood City, Koppel, New Bedford, Pulaski, Volant, Slippery Rock, Portersville, and Fombell.

Contact us with your questions or to schedule an appointment.

Call to Book an Appointment

Meet Our Team

Dr. Jeffrey McKissick

Owner, Veterinarian

Education: Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Jeff attained a Bachelor degree in Animal Sciences from Penn State University and graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He founded Apple Grove along with Dr. Deane “Skip” Smith in 1983.

Dr. Jeff’s favorite activities outside of work include attending his grandchildren’s activities and going to cow shows (the latter being his most expensive hobby, according to his wife Brenda). At the clinic, Dr. Jeff says he’s been blessed to enjoy his job so much that he doesn’t even consider it “work.”

Dr. Andrew McKissick

Veterinarian

Education: Westminster College, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Attained a Bachelor degree in Molecular Biology from Westminster College. Graduated as a veterinarian from Michigan State University in 2005 and joined Apple Grove shortly after graduation.

Dr. Andy’s clinical interests include soft tissue surgery and complicated internal medicine cases. Outside of work, Dr. Andy enjoys basketball, all things culinary, and spending time with his wife and three children.

Dr. Kathleen Medarac

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Medarac grew up in Annandale, VA and Picayune, MS. She attended Picayune High School, Pearl River Junior College, University of Southern Mississippi, and obtained her veterinary degree from Mississippi State. Dr. Medarac worked at Avalon Veterinary Hospital for Dr. Thomas Moore until he retired (almost 20 years), and she joined Apple Grove in February 2015. Outside of work, Dr. Medarac enjoys horseback riding and hanging out with her daughter Hannah, going on walks with her dog Amos, and watching the game with her daughter and friends. At work, Dr. Medarac loves to see appointments and perform surgery, and she especially enjoys lancing abscesses. She’s motivated by her love of her job and her love of animals.

Dr. Katie Sharp

Veterinarian

Education: Slippery Rock University, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Katie attained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Biochemistry and American History from Slippery Rock University. She graduated from the Ohio State University with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2016 and joined Apple Grove in 2020.

At the clinic, Dr. Katie enjoys soft tissue surgery, internal and emergency medicine, and behavioral cases. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her friends and animals, reading, gardening and working outside, and attending truck races. Dr. Katie lives in Mercer County with her husband Shawn and their slightly-feral son Evrett, a sizeable collection of rescued cats, dogs, horses, goats, and a Poitou donkey.

Katie Edwards

Office Manager/Certified Veterinary Technician

Katie Edwards (known in a former life as Katie Majors) is Apple Grove’s office manager/chief veterinarian handler and one of our veterinary technicians. Born and raised in Laurel, she also attended Slippery Rock University and graduated from the Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. Prior to joining the family at Apple Grove, she worked at Brown’s Country Kitchen and also milked cows. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time kayaking with her friends and chasing around her son Clayton. At work, she loves to reorganize and declutter the clinic, as well as making sure the staff is well-fed. One of her favorite parts of working at the clinic is seeing pets grow from their first visit as a baby, as well as helping to heal pets as they’re diagnosed and treated for their illnesses.

Billie Jo Pacifico

Veterinary Technician

Billie Jo Pacifico is one of our technicians at Apple Grove. She grew up in Princeton and attended school at Laurel. Prior to joining the Grove, she worked at another local veterinary clinic for 10 years. Outside of work, Billie enjoys spending time with family and friends and working on all of her never-ending projects. At work, she enjoys cuddling and playing with the surgical patients, and she has a special love of cleaning ears (and eating snacks, although not necessarily at the same time). Billie is motivated by her love of animals and their owners, respect for her boss (the one and only Dr. Jeff McKissick), spending time with her fellow AG employees, and also a paycheck.

Hannah Dean

Veterinary Technician/Receptionist

Hannah joined Apple Grove in the summer of 2017. She grew up in the Castlewood area of New Castle and graduated from Shenango High School. She’s currently attending Slippery Rock University as a biology major. Prior to coming to Apple Grove, Hannah worked as a farm hand on a horse ranch. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys archery hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. At work, she looks forward to assisting with surgery and especially puppy wellness visits! Hannah is motivated by seeing our ill patients improve with treatment, and she loves it when patients are happy to see us!

Kayla Pisor

Veterinary Assistant

Kayla joined the Apple Grove family in the summer of 2021 as a veterinary assistant. From the Portersville area, she graduated from Laurel and attended the Great Lakes Institute of Technology for her veterinary assistant training. Prior to coming to the Grove, she worked at a local small animal clinic for 5 years before spending time as a stay-at-home mother to her two little girls. When not at work, Kayla enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, as well as reading and fishing. When at the clinic, she likes to be a part of keeping pets happy and healthy.

Becka Book

Veterinary Technician

Bio coming soon!

Sidney Andrews

Veterinary Technician

Bio coming soon!

Taylor Pfaff

Veterinary Technician

Bio coming soon!

Tara Lang

Receptionist

Bio coming soon!  🙂

Shelby Book

Receptionist

Bio coming soon!  🙂

Morgan Storti

Receptionist

Bio coming soon!  🙂