Veterinarians
Dr. Claus A. Helsted
Dr. Claus A. Helsted was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. After obtaining a Master of Science degree, specializing in Parasitology, from the University of Copenhagen, he achieved his childhood dream of becoming a Veterinarian, graduating from the Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 1984. After practicing in mixed and small animal practices in Denmark and England for ten years, he decided to pursue another lifelong dream of living and practicing in the Promised Land, finally settling in Rancho Cucamonga, California, as the owner of Upland Animal Hospital.
He currently holds active licenses in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut and Illinois.
In his spare time Dr. Helsted likes to spend time with his wife and two sons, not to mention his 3 dogs and 3 cats. He enjoys gardening and traveling around the Southwest which is part of the United States that has a natural beauty including wildlife and Native American Indian History that is especially dear to his heart.
Dr. Jillian Austin
Dr. Jillian Austin was born in Canada where she spent most of her younger years. As a child Dr. Austin focused her attention primarily on two things:
1.- Trying to escape the cold and
2.- Animals
Her family, although supportive, never understood either intention as she was the only one actually born in Canada (and was often referred to as the “Worst Canadian Ever”) and none of her immediate or extended family had any interest in animals. Still undiscouraged, she tried to save everything with four legs, wings, feathers or fur; she worked her way up through every position in a small animal practice. She also dabbled in wildlife rehabilitation and large animal medicine in order to expose herself to various facets of the veterinary field.
When she was old enough Dr. Austin moved down south to Alabama, escaping Canadian winters, to complete her undergraduate studies majoring in Biology and Psychology. It is here where she learned about her love of human and animal behavior. Alabama’s weather and southern charm kept her there where she studied Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University graduating in 2011. She then completed an internship and settled in at a small animal practice in Nevada for 6 years. There as Acting Chief of Staff she mentored and trained veterinary technicians, veterinary students, and newly graduated veterinarians. She hopes to continue mentoring new graduates and students as she strongly believes in giving back and the “each one, teach one” model.
In veterinary medicine, Dr. Austin embodies the importance of preventative care and client communication and education. She is compassionate and understands that our pets truly are family members. She hopes to pursue her passion for animal behavior to strengthen the human-animal bond in order to prevent discord between owners and their pets.
She recently relocated to Southern California with her husband Adam and their two rescue dogs Madea and Titan. In her free time, she has been working on the skill of cake decorating, learning Spanish, and she tries to travel as much as possible. As of today Dr. Austin has traveled to over 20 countries!
We are very excited to have Dr. Austin join the team at Upland Animal Hospital. We hope you will come to meet her!
Dr. Ana Chazaro
Dr. Ana Chazaro attended UNAM, School of Veterinary Medicine graduating in 1996. With over 15+ years of experience, Ana practices compassionate veterinary medicine across Southern California. She has extensive experience in soft tissue surgeries, dentistry, and internal medicine. Her academic passions lie in point of care ultrasonography, urgent care, and novel surgical techniques. She strives to provide high quality veterinary medicine to all her patients while acknowledging the unbreakable bonds between her patients and their owners.
Dr. Chazaro has one dog at home and 3 cats that live with her two children living in Denver, CO and New York City, NY. In her free time, Ana channels her attention to detail as an avid multi-media artist participating in classes and art swaps. Upland Animal Hospital is excited for her to join the team!
Dr. Janina Luciano
Although Dr. Luciano did not grow up with any pets, she always had a love for animals. Her original plans were to become a doctor for humans, until she adopted her first dog. With her first pet, she met a veterinarian for the first time. Dr. Luciano was really intrigued by the multidisciplinary aspect of veterinary medicine, because veterinarians have to know multiple fields of medicine in order to be successful. Switching to veterinary medicine then became an easy choice for Dr. Luciano.
Dr. Luciano got her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Rochester Institute of Technology and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from University of Illinois. Dr. Luciano has a passion for dermatology and dentistry. She owns French Bulldogs so she is very aware of the allergies pets can have. Dentistry is important to her because you can often provide a lot of relief for a pet who has been suffering with dental pain for a long time with appropriate dental care.
Dr. Luciano was excited to take her position as a veterinarian at Upland Animal Hospital because the practice is led by doctors who genuinely care about the medicine and their patients.
The most rewarding aspects of her job are all the puppies that come in for their visits. Every. Single. Puppy. Visit.
Outside of work, Dr. Luciano likes spending time with her energetic and loving toddler. She also enjoys cooking and eating, some of the finer things in life.
We are super excited to have Dr. Luciano as part of our Hospital!
