Meet our Team

Within moments of meeting Dr. Beard, it is apparent that she was not only born to improve the lives of animals, but to translate their needs to humans. Her main interests in veterinary medicine are senior care and chronic pain management. Having three differently abled cats of her own (two with three legs, and one with no eyes), she is no stranger to the unique methods it takes to improve each animal’s quality of life. Every animal is different, and so is their treatment plan. She is exceptionally passionate about her work with rescue organizations and helping all pets live comfortably in their forever homes. Outside of the hospital, you can probably find Dr. Beard and her husband Joe, hiking up a mountain on their journey to becoming Adirondack 46ers, trying a new exciting local restaurant, or simply snuggling their cats.

If we showed you Dr. Purdon’s path to becoming a veterinarian as a movie, it would be the kind where you were blown away by the strong female lead’s purposefulness and confidence; the kind of movie you’d hope your daughters would see. Dr. Purdon left her Florida hometown to study pre-med at Northeastern University, where she found herself volunteering at a Boston animal shelter because she missed her dogs and cats back at home. She quickly became invested in the shelter’s law enforcement division and just as quickly came to an epiphany that she wanted to dedicate her life to helping animals. Medicine was already her passion and although she loves people, these animals had no voice and someone needed to advocate for them. The best way to do this was to become a veterinarian. So, off to Cornell’s school of Veterinary Medicine she went. While completing internships at Cornell Vet and Animal Medical Center, Dr. Purdon became especially interested in emergency medicine, surgery, and improving the lives of senior pets.

Using the doctorate she obtained with the energy a Boston shelter instilled, she finds nothing more fulfilling than helping animals that would otherwise suffer. She eventually transitioned out of emergency medicine as she craved long lasting relationships with these animals and their owners. What better a place to foster those relationships than Jersey City? She happily planted her roots just minutes from Sage in Hamilton Park. Here, she is able to apply her dynamic and integrative approach in the community she lives in. When she isn’t performing a head to tail exam, Dr. Purdon is likely logging more dives as a master scuba diver, cuddling up with her rescue dog and senior rescue cat, or enjoying her life at home as a new mom with her husband, David.

Dr. Matute was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, surrounded by family pets. Originally studying Archaeology in her undergrad years at Drew University, she quickly decided she’d rather give a dog a bone than dig one up herself! The epiphany came to her during her college years while working at doggy daycares and volunteering at St. Hubert’s animal shelter, where she felt pure joy providing care to all types of cats and dogs. She was able to combine her love of animals and science in an academic setting at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Louisiana State University.

Dr. Matute is especially interested in chronic disease management, senior care, and nutrition. For her, there is nothing better than watching an animal heal and recover, and being part of the reason our furry friends live long, happy, healthy lives! She couldn’t imagine a better place to be a healer than Sage.

A self-proclaimed homebody, when Dr. Matute isn’t tending to your fur baby, she is likely at home, snuggled up with a good book and her cat, Kitty, or practicing the violin. When she ventures out, she is ice-skating, hiking, and enjoying nature.

Katie is a licensed Physical Therapist who graduated from Quinnipiac University with a Bachelors of Health Science and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2015. Upon graduating, she moved to NYC where she worked in a human hospital up until 2019. Katie has always had a love for animals which led her to complete her CCRT training (certified canine rehabilitation therapist) from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. She switched exclusively to working with dogs in rehabilitation in 2019 and found her passion.

Katie is enthusiastic about providing an integrated treatment approach for animals to help relieve pain and improve quality of life. She truly believes the collaboration between veterinarians and physical therapists provides optimal patient care due to the tremendous value of each other’s unique skill sets when creating a comprehensive treatment plan. Katie is continuously learning more within the field of canine rehabilitation through canine rehabilitation courses and conferences. She is also active within the American Physical Therapy Association – Animal Physical Therapy Special Interest Group, currently leading the membership committee.

When she is not in the office, Katie enjoys exploring Jersey City with her wife Tatiana, going on runs along the waterfront, and spending time with her cat Tia.