Technicians
Lilliana Balam, RVT
Lilli and her patient "Athena."
Lilliana discovered the veterinary field in 1988 while volunteering for a high school senior project. A graduate of the Pierce College technician Program, she took the California board exam in 2002. Through her continuing education, she has taken a special interest in anesthesia, exotic medicine, and critical care.
She regularly attends the Western State Veterinary Conference and is a member of the National Veterinary Technician Association. Lilli’s love of veterinary medicine must be genetic, as her children, Rachael and Andrew, can often be seen helping out at the hospital on their days off from school.
Rebecca Biggs
Rebecca and her angel "Annie"
Rebecca has been with BHSAH since 2008 and has worked in the veterinary field for over 10 years. She is an east coast transplant, having graduated from the University of Baltimore with a Bachelor of Science. She has a perfect mix of intelligence and compassion when it comes to caring for her patients. An advocate of animal welfare, Rebecca has had a hand in finding countless rescue pets new homes, and has even kept “a few” herself. She enjoys hiking with her dogs, Annie, Bronco, and Steve or going out on the town with her fiance, Ryan and their 14 year old cat, Oscar.
Jaron Naiman
The famous "Truffles."
Jaron, a former student of Beverly Hills High School, came to BHSAH as an intern through a program at the school. Now, years later, Jaron is attending his senior year at UCLA and works at the hospital as a technician. Next year, Jaron will be leaving us to go to vet school. Although his school choice is yet undecided, we know he will excel wherever he goes, just as he has done here. Jaron loves rock-climbing and is always trying to get his coworkers to accompany him on daytrips. He has two great dogs, Buddy and Truffles.
Stephanie Latterman
Steph and baby Bruin.
Stephanie graduated from UCLA in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She has had a strong interest in animals for as long as she can remember and has been a part of the BHSAH team since 2008. In addition to her love of companion animal medicine, Steph also has a love for conservation and wildlife studies. She was among a select few to conduct research in the rain forests of Uganda her senior year where she caught, tagged, and took data on weaver birds.
She enjoys nursing, fostering, and finding homes for stray kittens and other rescue animals, and spends her time with her family and their million pets. She lives in west LA with her Puggle, Bruin and her cats, Ares and Lily (brother and sister Maine Coon mixes).
Marisa Villarreal
Marisa and Charlotte
Marisa has been working in the veterinary field for the past 5 years. She began at BHSAH as a receptionist, but soon found her niche as Dr Winter’s assistant. She can be found most mornings working alongside him as they tend to the many walk-in patients he sees every day. She has also begun to learn the in and outs of being a technician in ICU and surgery. Marisa hopes to one day get a degree in agriculture and own a farm. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and hiking Runyon Canyon with her baby girl, Charlotte, a Cocker Spaniel mix she rescued. If you have a medication or item that you need special ordered, contact Marisa, as she is in charge of our Inventory and Ordering.
Joseph Romanosky
Joe and Sid
Joseph got his start caring for animals 10 years ago at the Audubon Zoological Garden in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a zookeeper he looked after a wide range of diverse critters from orangutans and gorillas, to alligators and black bears. Even a giant snapping turtle! Joseph joined BHSAH in 2007 and has been enjoying working with these slightly less wild animals. He has always been fascinated by wildlife, and loves to go hiking in the mountainous wilderness areas of Southern California with his best buddy, Sid. He also loves wine-tasting and playing drums.
Alec Lane – Technician’s Assistant
Alec at home in Hollywood.
Alec has been volunteering at BHSAH since 2007. He aspires to one day be a veterinarian himself. In the meantime, he spends every holiday from school at the hospital helping with anything and everything. He has also been instrumental in finding many homeless dogs and cats new families. He lives in Hollywood with his family and his dog, Blue.