About Thoreau Veterinary Hospital

Elizabeth E. Burke, D.V.M.

Dr. Burke is a native of Easton. Always loving animals, she had her sights on becoming a veterinarian by the time she was nine years old. She received her B.S. from Northampton Community College and her B.S. from Cornell University. Her first application to veterinary school was denied. There was a quota of only two females per class in the mid-seventies.

After working for Pfizer, Inc., as both a lab technician and a pharmaceutical sales representative (calling on medical doctors), she reapplied to veterinary school and was accepted. The veterinary class was then comprised of 80% women. She received her veterinary degree from Cornel University in 1985. She completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City in 1986. Dr. Burke was employed as a staff veterinarian at North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, N.Y.for two years. It was at this no-kill shelter that she learned not to give up on a patient.

Thoreau Veterinary Hospital, Inc. was founded by Dr. Burke in December 1988. AAHA certification was awarded in 1993. After practicing in the city of Easton at tenth and Northampton street for thirteen years, the hospital was relocated to its present location in 2001.

Dr. Burke is married and has twin daughters due to the advances in infertility medicine. She presently has two cats and two guinea pigs.

Anya Valdes, V.M.D.

Dr. Anya Valdes-Dapena graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She then completed an additional year of intensive training in San Diego as a rotating intern in small animal medicine and surgery at the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center. She became certified in acupuncture in 2015 through IVAS. Her other professional interests include internal medicine and senior care. Dr. Valdes is also Fear Free Certified, a certification to help prevent and alleviate fear and anxiety in pets during veterinary visits.

Dr. Valdes lives in College Hill in Easton with her husband, two children, two dogs, and cat. When she isn’t busy with work and family, she enjoys horseback riding, running, and working in her garden.

Jennifer Malarchik, D.V.M.

Dr. Malarchik graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. She spent 12 years working in a variety of small animal practices across Pennsylvania. Most recently she spent the last 2years working in Veterinary Emergency clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Her professional interests include dentistry and ultrasound.

Dr. Malarchik lives in Nazareth with her husband, two children, and two cats. When she is not working she enjoys spending time with her family, being in the outdoors, cooking, and gardening.

Stacie, C.V.T.

Stacie has been working at Thoreau Veterinary Hospital since August of 1999. She received her Certification at that same time. Stacie enjoys many aspects of Veterinary Medicine but she has a special interest in Dentistry. When not performing dentistry on your pets she enjoys spending time with her husband and Children on their boat. She also likes spending time at home with her cats Neegan and Kayla. Stacie looks forward to treating your pets for years to come!

Laurin, C.V.T., Herbalist

Laurin has been involved with veterinary medicine for 18 years, having first started as a technician assistant while attending Northampton Community College to become a CVT, which he has been for the past 16 years. He has worked for Dr. Burke since 2010. Prior to that, he had graduated from St. John’s College with a BA in Liberal Arts. Laurin has studied herbal medicine for over 32 years, with 4 years of formal study with David Winston at the Center for Herbal Studies. He has practiced as a clinical herbalist for Dr. Burke for over 12 years. Laurin is also a member of the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association and is the Integrative Therapeutics Manager at Thoreau Veterinary Hospital. Outside of the practice, Laurin spends all of his time caring for his army of cats.

Alicia Scott, C.V.T.

Alicia was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley. She attended Northampton Community College and graduated with a degree in Veterinary Technology. She has been a Certified Veterinary Technician since December 2021. Alicia currently resides in Bethlehem with her dogs Rylee and Luca and her cats Marvin and George. She enjoys spending time with her family, both human
and furry.

Samantha Peterson, C.V.T.

Samantha grew up in the Slate Belt in a home that encouraged her interests in
science, animals, and art. After high school, she attended East Stroudsburg University, where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Art and Art/Design degrees. It was a few years after working in various fields that she decided to follow her other passions. She completed an Associate in Applied Science
degree as a Veterinary Technician at Northampton Community College in 2018 and passed her VTNE later that year.

She has previously worked as a Certified Veterinary Technician in several
animal hospitals in her 4 year career. Her interests in the field include
pain management, physical rehabilitation, and animal behavior. She hopes to
pursue a specialty in animal behavior, one day. In her personal life, she
enjoys reading in the hammock, painting or sketching, watching horror movies, attending concerts, and spending time with her pups. She currently has three dogs: Louie (boxer/hound mix), Polly (staffordshire bull terrier mix), and Peggy (boxer mix) – all of whom keep her house a mess, but her heart full of joy!