Derek grew up in Oakland, California, where he graduated two years early from high school, attending junior college, then transferring to California State Universit, Hayward, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2004.
He won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, which he used to obtain a Master of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2005, also Summa Cum Laude. He then realized his kindergarten dream of becoming a “betterinarian”, graduating from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.
He spent several years practicing general, emergency, shelter, and relief medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area and Napa Valley region, where he met the love of his life, Ace. Together, Ace and Derek started an in-home pet euthanasia practice, Harper’s Promise, after euthanizing the best-worst dog who ever lived, Harper, at their home in Oakland.
Derek and Ace relocated to Ace’s hometown of Boynton Beach, Florida after their marriage in 2019. After several years of general, emergency, and relief practice, Derek joined the team at Delray Beach Animal Hospital in May of 2026.
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