About Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital

Haley F. Burke

DVM, Owner

Dr. Burke is a familiar face at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital, as she has been a veterinarian here since 2010. In 2023, she purchased the hospital from Alford’s founder, Dr. David Friddle, when he decided to retire. Dr. Burke earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, along with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. Her first job was at an all-exotics clinic in Louisiana. After Hurricane Katrina, she moved back to Birmingham and worked in a few practices before finding her home at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital. She honed her skills as an emergency care veterinarian at Animal Medical Center in Anniston and has been a relief vet at Steel City Emergency Vets since its founding. She earned her Fear Free pet handling certification in 2020.

Dr. Burke treats a wide variety of pets as part of her practice. She has a special interest in exotics, including small mammals, reptiles, birds, pot-bellied pigs, and tarantulas. Dr. Burke regularly helps families say goodbye to their beloved pets in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. She finds this work particularly meaningful, as she builds strong bonds with pet owners and their pets. She also gives back to the industry and the community, providing pro bono veterinary services for the Alabama Wildlife Center, the Alabama 4H Center, and more.

Dr. Burke shares her home with her husband, Dr. Adam Cooner, her son Benjamin, and their menagerie – which includes Odin, a one-eyed Siamese cat; two new rescue kittens Felix and Jones; a Cardigan Welsh Corgi named Wally; Mary Jane (her husband’s dog); Donut, her son’s Jack Russell Terrier mix; an Amazon parrot named Oliver; a corn snake named Stanley; George, a box turtle; and a sulcata tortoise. In her spare time, Dr. Burke enjoys reading, gardening, the occasional triathlon, and country-western ballroom dancing.

Adam Cooner

DVM, Owner

Dr. Cooner became one of the owners of Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital in 2023, along with his wife, Dr. Haley Burke. He earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to this, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences from Auburn University.

Dr. Cooner honed his craft in general practice, internal medicine, and critical care at Animal Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama. He served as a veterinarian there for 11 years, acting as a medical director there for almost 7 of those years. Like Dr. Burke, Dr. Cooner has served as a relief veterinarian at Steel City Emergency Vets in Hoover, Alabama.

Dr. Cooner provides veterinary care for dogs, cats, and exotics. He has special interests in reptiles and amphibians, small animal internal medicine—especially endocrine disorders—and diagnostic imaging, including abdominal ultrasound and echocardiography.

Dr. Cooner also gives back to the industry and the community. He volunteers his veterinary services to the Alabama Wildlife Federation, the Alabama Wildlife Center, and the Anniston Museum of Natural History. He served on the reptile and amphibian advisory panel for the Wildlife Resources and Education Network (WREN). Dr. Cooner also serves as a guest lecturer in reptile and amphibian husbandry, handling, and medicine at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Cooner shares his home with Dr. Haley Burke; their son, Benjamin; and a household of dogs, a cat, a bird, a snake, a box turtle, and a sulcata tortoise. In his spare time, he enjoys finding and photographing amphibians and reptiles in the wild, and some of those photos have been published in field guides and wildlife magazines.

Lisa Frederick

DVM | Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Lisa Frederick has been with Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital since 2006, and her success story highlights Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital’s commitment to helping staff members achieve their veterinary dreams. Dr. Frederick graduated from the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and immediately joined the Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital team; however, we have known Dr. Frederick for years prior to her becoming a veterinarian. She started at our veterinary hospital as a kennel attendant in 1999 and worked her way up to being a veterinary assistant before heading to vet school.

Dr. Frederick has special interests in internal medicine and feline medicine but is also passionate about wellness care, dermatology, endocrinology, oncology, and geriatric, hospice, and end-of-life care. She performs spays, neuters, and lump removals, as well as laser therapy.

Dr. Frederick cemented her desire to become a veterinarian early in life. She has always loved animals but decided to become a veterinarian after volunteering for a local zoo while she was in junior high school.

She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and she volunteers her time and veterinary services to Kitty Kat Haven Rescue and the Colony Cats of Birmingham.

She shares her home with her husband, son, and cats. In her rare spare time, she enjoys reading, movies, trips to the beach, and watching sports.

Crystal Noell

LVT

Crystal Noell has been with Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital since 2013, and she earned her degree as a licensed veterinary technician in 2018. She now serves as our office manager, working hard to keep our business operations in order. Crystal also works weekend shifts at Steel City Emergency Vets. In her spare time, Crystal spends time with her husband, children, and a menagerie of pets, including dogs, reptiles, a guinea pig, fish,

Debbi Runyan

LVT

Debbi grew up in Chelsea, Alabama, and she has been working at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital since 2003. While working part time at Alford, she attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, originally intending to pursue a career in internal medicine. She instead decided to become a licensed veterinary technician. Debbi earned an associate degree and her technician license in 2016 and has been serving as a licensed veterinary technician ever since. She shares a home with her son Kasen and enjoys searching for arrowheads, freshwater fishing, and playing disc golf.

Raven McMurry

LVT

Raven decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and earned her associate degree and license in 2016. Raven serves as our dental technician and manages our pet food inventory. She is widely known to have a particular soft spot for Corgis. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her dogs as well as vacationing on the Gulf Coast.

Stephanie Elliott

LVT

Stephanie first entered the veterinary profession in 2007 and earned her license as a veterinary technician from Jefferson State Community College in 2013. She joined us at Alford Avenue in 2019, bringing experience from multiple emergency clinics. When not at work, Stephanie fills her free time training in and teaching karate and keeping up with her toddler, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. She loves travelling and dreams of seeing the world.

Janna Owen

Technician in Training

Janna has been with Alford for 6 years, starting in the kennel before becoming a veterinary assistant. She is currently enrolled at Penn Foster and working toward becoming a licensed veterinary technician. She has always had a special interest in exotic animals with reptiles being her favorites. When not at work, you can mostly find her wrangling her herd of children, Addilynn, Everett, and Oliver alongside her husband Tyler. She also enjoys spending time with her three dogs, two cats, and a three-legged bearded dragon.

Alyssa McCain

Technician in Training

Alyssa joined us as a kennel assistant in 2016 during her senior year at the University of Montevallo where she received a bachelor’s degree in art. After graduation, it became clear that a career in the arts was not as fulfilling as she’d hoped and she instead followed her lifelong dream to work in veterinary medicine, eventually moving from the kennel staff to become a veterinary assistant. She is currently working to become a licensed veterinary technician through Penn Foster College. During her free time, she still enjoys dabbling in art, playing tabletop and video games with friends, and spending time with her husband Justin and their five cats and Samoyed, Ghost.

Brooke Taylor

Veterinary Assistant

Brooke joined Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital in 2023 as a kennel assistant. She quickly worked her way up to veterinary assistant. She is currently enrolled at Penn Foster College and is studying to become a licensed veterinary technician. She has always had a love for animals, of all kinds, but does have a soft spot for the exotics. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with family, doing art projects, and being outside in nature. She also has an aquatic turtle (Pistachio) and guppies.