Meet Our Staff

Dr. Tom Austin has his roots in West Virginia. He was born in Charleston and raised in Ripley, where most of his immediate family still resides. He received his B.S. degree from West Virginia University and his DVM from Purdue University. Dr. Tom began his veterinary career in his hometown as a mixed animal practitioner. After this, he moved to Southern California, where he became co-owner of a multi-doctor small animal hospital. He worked in California for approximately 25 years prior to returning home to West Virginia and opening Grace Animal Hospital with his wife, Dr. Farrah Austin. Dr. Tom Austin has special interests in orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, as well as surgical and non-surgical diagnostics such as ultrasound and endoscopy. He is a seasoned orthopedic surgeon regularly performing cruciate ligament repair including the TTA method, patellar luxation repair, and fracture repair with external fixation, and IM pinning. Dr. Tom is also a very skilled soft tissue surgeon and performs many corrective, intra-abdominal, thoracic, and oncologic surgeries.

Dr. Farrah Austin was born and raised on the western coast of Congo, Africa. She holds dual citizenship with the United States and Switzerland, however made the U.S. her permanent residence in 1986. She has a B.S. degree in animal science from California State Polytechnic University, and she received her DVM from the University of California, Davis in 2008, tracking in small animal medicine. Following her graduation, Dr. Farrah worked in a small animal practice in Southern California, until she and her husband relocated to West Virginia and began Grace Animal Hospital. Dr. Farrah Austin has special interests in internal medicine, ultrasound, and holistic medicine. She became credentialed in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) in 2018, and is also a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture. 

In their free time, Dr.'s Tom and Farrah enjoy spending time with their three dogs, Abraham, Crystal, and Joy, and three cats, Jasper, Emily, and Liberty. They also enjoy cooking, gardening, traveling, cycling, and spending time with family. Dr. Tom has two sons, Hunter, who lives in Wheeling, WV, and Miles, who lives in Fort Collins, CO. 

Dr. Joe Conlin grew up in rural Eastern Tennessee with his 2 brothers and 4 sisters. He received his undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a minor in anthropology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Following this, he relocated to Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he has been living for the past 23 years. Dr. Joe resides with his best friend and partner, Angie, and for the past 18 years has helped raised her two children. Sharing their home are four dogs and four cats, all who needed rescued at some time of their life. When not working, Dr. Joe enjoys cooking, hiking, canoeing, and fly fishing. He is also a back yard beekeeper, and loves American and pre-Columbian History.

Dr. Jay Adams was born and raised in Fairmont, West Virginia. He graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018 after receiving his undergraduate degree at Davis and Elkins College. He feels like practicing veterinary medicine Is his way to make a meaningful impact on peoples’ lives. He has an interest in exotic medicine. He has attended multiple conferences and continuing education events to further his skills and knowledge. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time outside riding his motorcycle, exploring state parks, hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, playing piano, and competing in running and swimming endurance events.

Originally from Mineral Wells, Lisa moved to Clarksburg in the year 2000. She has three children, Daniel, Mackenzie, and Olivia. In her free time, she enjoys searching for new recipes, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends. Lisa began working at Grace Animal Hospital as our client service manager since it first opened in 2011. Her caring personality and dedication to the practice have made her an integral part of the hospital family. She says the opportunity to interact with our clients and their furry family members is what she enjoys most about her work. Lisa has a dog, Ebony, and four cats, Jasmine Akilah, Elliot, and Lance.

Originally from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Tanya now lives in Bridgeport with her husband, Derrick, and their two children, Alex and Addie. Tanya joined the Grace staff in May 2013 and enjoys helping with the care of our patients. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching her kids activities, cooking, sewing, hiking, and woodworking. She shares her home with five cats, Inka, Hanzo, Bibbles, Frick and Frack, two dogs, Cavall and Dani, and a bearded dragon named Mushu.

Originally from Lewis County, Candice now resides in Bridgeport with her two daughters, Cora and Leah. They share their home with two cats and a loyal dog named Bootsie. In her free time, Candice enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family. Candice has been part of the hospital family since September 2016 and feels blessed to be part of a team that cares so much about pets and their owners alike.

Denise was born and raised in the Clarksburg area where she continues to live happily with her husband, David. She is the mother to three sons, one adorable pug named Fei Fei, and a loving cat named Samantha. She started with Grace in the summer of 2018 after working in the human medical field for more than 20 years. She now says that coming to work and receiving puppy kisses is her favorite part of her day.

Savannah is a graduate of Pierpont’s Veterinary Technology Program and joined Grace Animal Hospital in March of 2021.  She was born in Clarksburg and graduated high school in Elkins. She came to Bridgeport where she began her pursuit for a career in Veterinary Technology. Some of Savannah’s hobbies are reading, writing, playing video games, and going for walks after a long day. She lives with her mom and younger brother along with her Morkie, Teddy, and her calico cat, Lola. As a part of the Grace Animal Hospital family, Savannah hopes to continue lending her services to all the clients and patients in any way she can.

Originally from Shinnston, WV, Autumn now resides in Fairmont, WV with her partner, Danny and his two sons. They share their home with their dog named Duckie, who they rescued. She has a B.S. degree in Animal and Nutrition Science from West Virginia University. In her free time, Autumn enjoys spending time with family, reading, and hiking. Since joining Grace Animal Hospital in December of 2021, Autumn says the best part of her day is interacting with our furry patients and their humans.

Ashley was raised in Bridgeport, WV and graduated from Bridgeport High School in 2014. Shortly after graduation, she joined the team at Grace as a veterinary assistant. Ashley graduated from Pierpont Community and Technical College in the spring of 2017 with her Associates of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and soon after passed her boards and became a licensed technician. Ashley continued her education at WVU and graduated in December of 2019 with a Bachelor's of Agriculture in Animal and Nutritional Science with a minor in Communication Studies. In the spring of 2020, she moved to Nashville, TN where she worked at Nashville Veterinary Specialists and Animal Emergency as a Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician in the intensive care unit. Ashley moved back to WV over the summer of 2021 and rejoined the team at Grace. She is also currently pursuing her passion to teach as assistant faculty at Pierpont Community and Technical College in the veterinary technology and assisting programs. Ashley has special interests in emergency medicine and critical care nursing and loves to share her love for veterinary medicine with her students and coworkers alike. In her off time, she can be found spending time with friends and family and her Beagle, Rowdy and her cat, Binx. 

Ashlynn was born and raised in the Clarksburg area. She has had a passion for animals ever since she can remember and has always wanted to work them. She graduated from Pierpont Community and Technical College in 2018 with an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology and soon after joined the Grace family and became a registered technician later that year. Ashlynn enjoys spending time with her friends and family, being outdoors, cooking, reading, playing video games, and fostering animals. She currently has three furry felines of her own; Thomas (Tom), Merlin, and Suki.

Mikey was born in Weirton, WV, and currently resides in Clarksburg. She graduated from the Vet Tech Institute in 2019 with her Associates degree in Animal Science, and became a registered veterinary technician in November 2021. Her love for animals started at a very young age and has continued to grow. In her free time, Mikey enjoys singing, acting, spending time with her friends and family, and painting. She has one cat, named Howl.

Emily was born and raised in the Clarksburg area, where she graduated from Robert C. Byrd high school in 2015. She graduated from Pierpont Community and Technical College in 2021 with an Associate's degree in Veterinary Technology. She joined the Grace Animal Hospital family in April of 2021, and loves being able to care for their animal patients. When not working, Emily spends time with her husband, Matthew and family pets. Emily also loves spending time with family, friends, working on crafts, or enjoying different outdoor activities.

Sydney was born in Shinnston, West Virginia. She is currently attending Fairmont State University pursuing a B.S. degree in biology. Sydney currently has two critters, a quaker parrot named Stella and a dog named Asa McCoy. In her free time she enjoys martial arts, reading, writing, and being with her family

Born and raised in the heart of the south, Mississippi, Carley relocated to West Virginia in January 2020. She has always had a love for animals and currently has two dogs and one horse. Carley began barrel racing and showing horses at a young age and is passing this tradition on to her two young daughters. She began her career with Grace Animal Hospital in 2022 and is dedicated to ensuring all your fur-babies receive compassionate care. When not at work, Carley enjoys spending time with her husband, their two daughters, and being outdoors.

Megan was born and raised in Clarksburg, WV. She currently lives in Lost Creek with her husband, Mitch, their son, Dean, and their family German Shepherd dog, Honeybee. Megan has always had a passion for any and all of God’s creatures. She looks forward to sharing her compassion to each animal and their human families. In her downtime, Megan adores spending quality time with her family and doing many different types of outdoor activities.