Doctor Daren Roa grew up in a small rural community on the Delaware River in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was in this setting that he developed his love of animals and nature. Upon graduating from high school as class valedictorian, he attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1988.
Following graduation, he relocated to Florida and was accepted into the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. He earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1994, graduating summa cum laude and valedictorian.
Following graduation, Dr. Roa completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the renowned Animal Medical Center in New York City. He then completed a residency in small animal surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998, and passed his certifying examination for the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) in 1999.
Beginning in June of 1998, Dr. Roa practiced at Chesapeake Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Annapolis, Maryland. He became a partner in 2001, and helped to build the practice from three to nine surgical specialists in three locations. He managed the entire Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center for several years, guiding it to becoming one of the largest specialty practices in the region, with specialists in cardiology, dentistry, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, ophthalmology, surgery, neurology, radiology, oncology and radiation oncology.
Dr. Roa was widely sought after in the region for cranial cruciate ligament repair, angular limb deformity correction, fracture stabilization, spinal surgery, soft tissue, reconstructive and oncologic surgery. He has performed over 5,000 successful TPLO's and is considered an expert in the procedure.
In 2018, Dr. Roa and his family felt it was time to change things up. The timing was right for the family to have a new adventure, and Australia was the dream they elected to pursue. After much investigation and planning, they chose to move to the Gold Coast, and were thrilled to be joining Veterinary Specialists Services in Carrara. Not to make things easy, the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, and upended their planned move in July. With sense of humor intact, they were finally able to negotiate travel bans and quarantines, and are thrilled to be here.
The Roa family is Daren, his wife Janet, their three boys AJ, Sam and Luke, and their 2 dogs Midas and Alfie. Janet is a human occupational therapist by training, but for the past 5 years has been practicing as a CCRP (certified canine rehabilitation practitioner) and had been instrumental in developing the rehabilitation program at his previous practice. In their spare time, the family is looking forward to exploring all that Australia has to offer including scuba diving, surfing and visiting its many natural wonders!
