Dr. David Thomson attended Harvard University, graduating in 1976. After spending a year as an assistant shepherd in Wales, he went south to attend the Tuskegee Institute School of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama, graduating in 1982. Following graduation, Dr. Thomson undertook a 14-month internship program at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital/MSPCA in Springfield. He then stayed on as a staff doctor, taking care of a large caseload and being mentored in surgery by Dr. Joseph Stoyak.

In 1988, Dr. Thomson was accepted into the three-year residency program in surgery at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Following successful completion of the program, Dr. Thomson returned to the MSPCA/Angell Memorial Animal Hospital West in Springfield, where he joined the staff as a surgeon.

In the fall of 1999, he and Ann McEwen opened Riverbend Animal Hospital. Initially Dr. Thomson handled all the wellness care, medicine and surgery cases. Since 2004, however, as the referral-surgery side of the practice grew, his work has been exclusively in surgery.

David lives in Northampton with his wife and a small gang of animals: Tiny Tim (pug), Jackson (golden retriever), and a cat (Sweet Pea). They have two sons, Jamie and Mikey. In his free time David loves to run, hike (especially in the Grand Canyon), travel, read, ski, canoe, and play softball.

Dr. Margaret (Peg) Burgess has over 30 years combined experience in large and small animal clinical practice. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in neurobiology and behavior in 1975. She went on to earn her DVM degree from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell in 1979.

While in college, Dr. Burgess was an instructor in a laboratory section of the introductory biology class as well as a swimming instructor. She also worked as a phlebotomist, blood bank, and medical lab technician for the regional hospital.

After graduating, Dr. Burgess worked the next seven years at the Nassau Veterinary Clinic where she treated dairy cattle, horses, and small animals. She next worked at several small-animal hospitals in Pennsylvania, including a stint as a house-call veterinarian.

Peg moved to western Massachusetts in 2007 and lives on a mountaintop farm in Southampton with her husband and an assortment of pets and 4H ponies left by her college aged children. Her interests include trail riding, snowboarding, and driving her favorite toy, a John Deere tractor.

Dr. Christina (Tina) White grew up in the Boston area. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan and worked for two years as a research chemist in the bio-tech industry. She returned to her love for animals and earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1996 from the University of California, Davis. In 2017, she became certified in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture. Dr. White is a member of AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) and IVAPM (International Veterinary Association of Pain Management).

Dr. White has worked at small-animal hospitals in the Bay area in California, suburban Philadelphia, and Massachusetts, as well as at feline practices in Chicago and in Maryland. In 2013, Dr. White led Riverbend through the certification process to become a Cat Friendly Practice through AAFP and is our designated cat advocate. She has special interests in geriatric medicine and pain management in small animals.

Tina lives in Florence, MA, with her husband of 25 years, two sons, and her animals: Misty and Ray (tabby cats), Sampson (a senior golden retriever, rescued at age 9), and Molly (another golden retriever), who was the “cover girl” for the 2012 Sunshine Golden Retriever Rescue Calendar. Tina loves hiking,cross country skiing, kayaking, and spends free time watching her boys at baseball games, swim meets, and track meets. She is pleased to be back in Massachusetts and working with the fabulous team at Riverbend!