Two of Atlanta’s most beloved veterinarians
have a new hospital.
And it’s inside the perimeter, right in northeast Atlanta.
Drs. Robin Hochel and Hiro Iwamoto are a husband and wife team who’ve provided high-quality, relationship-centered veterinary care to the Decatur area for close to 30 years. With a focus on developing long-term bonds with their clients, Robin and Hiro will now be bringing their knowledge, experience, and love closer to home, and closer to you.
Dr. Hiro Iwamoto
Dr. Hiro is an Atlanta native and grew up in Dunwoody. After graduating from Davidson College in North Carolina he moved back to Atlanta and served as the service manager at a bicycle shop, was as a mechanic on an automotive race team, and worked as a software engineer.
After adopting a dog from the Atlanta Humane Society Dr. Hiro became fully immersed in the importance of the human animal bond and decided to pursue a career to help others in this aspect of their lives. He returned to school to become a veterinarian and graduated from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Hiro then moved back to the Atlanta area to practice veterinary medicine in the Decatur area for over a decade before establishing Briarlake Animal Hospital to better serve friends, family, and community.
Dr. Hiro lives with his wife, Dr. Hochel, and two wonderful kids. He loves spending time at the kids events and hanging out with friends and family. In other spare time he restores decrepit old cars and banjos.
DR. ROBIN Hochel
Dr. Robin Hochel grew up in Aiken, South Carolina and always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She attended Guilford College in North Carolina and then graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to the Atlanta area after graduation and worked at another veterinary hospital in the Atlanta area until starting Briarlake Animal Hospital with Dr. Hiro.
Dr. Hochel enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but especially enjoys internal medicine, dermatology, behavior, nutrition, and hospice care. She is also certified as a fear free veterinary professional and focuses on making sure visits are as stress free as possible for you and your pet.
Dr. Hochel and Dr. Hiro have one dog, a corgi named Saki and two cats named Leo and Yuki. They have two children as well and live in the Brookhaven area. Dr. Hochel enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, reading, and gardening.
Dr. Megan Duvall
Dr. Megan Blasier Duvall joined us in 2021 from Half Moon Bay, CA where she was the Medical Director of her local VCA. She graduated from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003 and completed internships in both small animal medicine, emergency and surgery at Friendship Hospital for Animals in DC, and Wildlife/Zoo medicine at UGA. She helped to open the Georgia Aquarium but now focuses on small animals. Dr. Duvall loves the teaching aspect of animal care and often has her nose deep in research looking for the newest information for her patients. Dr. Duvall is Fear Free Certified and will work to make your visits as low stress as possible. Dr. Duvall originally wanted to be a Broadway Star and is still hopeful she can play Elphie one day. She lives with her husband, 2 sons, super handsome shepherd-mix Banjo, and evil alien-kitty Delilah. When not at work, she can be found on a paddle board, reading, daydreaming about the ocean. Go Dawgs! .
Dr. Rebecca Earl
Dr. Rebecca Earl (Shrivastava) received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois. Prior to that, she earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University. She joined Briarlake in 2022 after working several years at a different veterinary clinic in Atlanta.Her professional interests include internal medicine, dermatology, oncology, dentistry, behavior, and hospice care. She is fear free certified and cares deeply about improving pets’ quality of life in and out of the vet clinic.
Dr. Earl can often be found out enjoying local food or coffee, cooking, gardening, or attending Atlanta United games. She lives in the Virginia Highlands with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Joyce McClain - Practice Manager
My love for animals landed me at the Washington Humane societies animal control program where I gained my vast knowledge and care for all animals. I have been a veterinary assistant for about 15 years. Prior to joining Briarlake Animal Hospital in May 2022, I worked alongside Dr. Hochel and Dr. Hiro starting in 2007. I live in Clayton county with my family of four-legged family that consists of three dogs (Opal, little Girl and Champion) a cat (Zora) a leopard gecko (Piglet) a crested gecko(Tiny) and two freshwater fish tanks. My hobbies include reading nature walks, Netflix, Hulu and anything animal related.
Courtney Leak, RVT - Lead Technician
Courtney Leak is a Registered Veterinary Technician with a special interest in surgery and anesthesia. Her knowledge and love for animals encompasses wildlife as well as domestic pets! Her home is filled with Atlanta sports fanatics. Her husband Ben, her daughter Annabelle, even her 2 dogs and 2 cats, all adore the Falcons, Hawks, Braves, and Atlanta United!