Nick Berryessa joins Arista Atlanta as internist and owner
Bottom line
CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: Arista Advanced Pet Care has added board-certified internist Nick Berryessa, DVM, DACVIM, to its Atlanta hospital, and the role comes with ownership in the site, not just a clinical title. Berryessa brings nearly two decades of internal medicine and advanced diagnostics experience, with clinical interests that include endocrinology, infectious disease, respiratory conditions, ultrasound, renal disease, and interventional procedures such as tracheal and urethral stenting. Arista lists him on the Atlanta hospital’s specialty team, and dvm360 reported that he is now also an owner of the hospital, extending the company’s veterinarian-led ownership model at its first specialty and emergency location, which opened in Sandy Springs on April 21, 2025. (aristapetcare.com)
Why it matters: For referring veterinarians and specialty teams in metro Atlanta, Berryessa’s arrival adds internal medicine depth at a relatively new referral hospital that already offers emergency, surgery, oncology, radiology, and I-131 services. Arista says its model is built around local veterinarian ownership and care coordination with referring doctors, and Berryessa’s profile emphasizes communication with primary care teams as a core part of his approach. dvm360 also reported that he currently interprets about 300 ultrasound cases a month through his telemedicine and consulting work, suggesting added diagnostic capacity as Arista continues to build out its Atlanta footprint. (aristapetcare.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether Arista uses Berryessa’s appointment to expand referral volume, internal medicine procedures, ultrasound-driven diagnostics, and its veterinarian-owner roster as the group grows beyond Atlanta into newer markets such as Jacksonville and Dallas. (aristapetcare.com)
CURRENT FULL VERSION: Arista Advanced Pet Care has named Nick Berryessa, DVM, DACVIM, as a board-certified veterinary internist and owner at its Atlanta hospital, a move that strengthens internal medicine capacity at the company’s first specialty and emergency site. The appointment is notable not only because Berryessa brings nearly two decades of specialty experience and advanced diagnostics work, but because it reinforces Arista’s pitch as a veterinarian-led hospital group where clinicians hold local ownership stakes rather than serving only as employees. (dvm360.com)
That ownership angle has been central to Arista since launch. In its February 2025 introductory press materials, the company said its inaugural specialty and ER hospitals would be led by veterinarian owners, and when the Atlanta hospital opened on April 21, 2025, Arista described the site as its first specialty referral and emergency hospital and framed the model as a more sustainable, collaborative approach to advanced pet healthcare. The company has since signaled broader expansion, with news updates tied to Jacksonville and Dallas. (aristapetcare.com)
Berryessa’s background fits squarely into that strategy. Arista’s Atlanta site says he specializes in endocrine disorders, infectious disease, ultrasound, renal disease, and interventional procedures including tracheal and urethral stenting. dvm360 added respiratory conditions and advanced diagnostics to that profile and reported that Berryessa interprets approximately 300 ultrasound cases per month through his telemedicine and consulting work. The same report said he earned his DVM from Cornell University, completed his internal medicine residency at UC Davis, came to Atlanta for an internship, and has practiced in the area since 2008. (aristapetcare.com)
The company’s own Atlanta hospital page also sheds light on how Arista may want this role to function operationally. Internal medicine is positioned alongside surgery, oncology, emergency and critical care, radiology, and I-131 therapy, and Berryessa’s biography stresses tailored case management, trust with pet parents, and regular communication with referring veterinarians. That matters because specialty hospitals are increasingly competing not just on equipment and staffing, but on referral experience, case handoffs, and continuity with the primary care veterinarian. (aristapetcare.com)
Public expert commentary on the appointment itself appears limited so far, but the available trade coverage has emphasized Berryessa’s advanced diagnostics background, ultrasound volume, and owner status rather than presenting the hire as a routine staffing update. That framing suggests Arista wants the market to see this as a signal about governance as much as medicine: specialist recruitment tied directly to ownership, local decision-making, and service-line buildout. That’s an inference based on Arista’s launch messaging and how both trade items described the move. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals in the Southeast, this is one more sign that specialty groups are experimenting with alternatives to the conventional corporate employment model. If Arista can recruit established specialists by offering ownership and operational influence, it may become more competitive in a referral market where internists remain in short supply and advanced imaging, ultrasound, and interventional medicine are major differentiators. For general practitioners, the practical question is whether this translates into faster access, stronger case communication, and more options for complex endocrine, renal, infectious disease, respiratory, and minimally invasive internal medicine cases. (aristapetcare.com)
There’s also a local market story here. Atlanta was Arista’s first hospital, and the company has described the city as a launchpad for its specialty strategy. Adding an internist-owner with long-standing regional ties may help stabilize referral relationships while the hospital matures and while Arista expands into other cities. In that sense, Berryessa’s appointment looks like both a clinical hire and a credibility move for a young platform still defining its brand with veterinarians and pet parents alike. (aristapetcare.com)
What to watch: The next signals will likely be whether Arista adds more specialist-owners in Atlanta, how prominently it builds internal medicine, advanced diagnostics, and ultrasound referral pathways around Berryessa, and whether the company repeats the same ownership-led recruitment model as newer hospitals come online. (aristapetcare.com)