Dr. Beckner grew up in Schaumburg, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago. She’s always been passionate about animal welfare and the human-animal bond, which, ultimately, set her on the path of wanting to become a veterinarian at an early age.

Dr. Beckner completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2015, where she also spent a lot of time working at their veterinary school’s wildlife medical clinic, and diagnostic laboratory. After this, she attended the University of Melbourne Veterinary School in Melbourne, Australia, completing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2020. After graduating, she remained in Melbourne for a year, working in a busy two-clinic practice while gaining numerous experiences - including medicine, surgery, and emergency care with dogs, cats, companion exotics, avian, and wildlife. Once she came back to the US, Dr. Beckner moved to Florida and has been working in Ormond Beach for the past few years, but has now made her way to St. Johns. She is fear-free certified, and cares deeply about making each clinical experience as stress-free as possible for every patient. 

Dr. Beckner’s favorite animals are rabbits, and she's very passionate about educating regarding their behavior, diet, and environment. She knows that exotic animals make wonderful companions, so long as they have their specific behavioral, nutritional, and habitat requirements met. She believes that every animal is as valuable as the next, and is very excited to be able to help both wildlife and pets within the St. Johns and neighboring communities. Her special interests include small companion mammals, wildlife, exotics, avian, soft tissue surgery, dentistry, and animal behavior and enrichment. She also enjoys taking the time to educate clients on the proper care and well-being of their animals, and ensuring that clients understand the treatment plans for their pets.

In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, painting, scuba diving, reading, movies, baking/cooking, traveling, exploring the outdoors, amusement parks, and spending as much time as she can with her husband, family, and pets. Her pets include a dwarf-Jersey Wooley rabbit mix, a domestic shorthair tuxedo cat, and a yellow lab-hound mix.