Meet your anesthesiologist

A native of south Florida, Dr. Gatson received a degree in Zoology from the University of Florida in 2007. She then pursued her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida and graduated in 2011. After completing a small animal rotating internship at Tufts University in North Grafton, MA in 2012, she returned to the University of Florida and completed a residency in anesthesia and pain management in 2015. Dr. Gatson became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2016. After completing her residency, Dr. Gatson taught anesthesiology as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Florida until 2021.

Dr. Gatson enjoys advanced anesthesia and pain management, including the use of locoregional techniques such as nerve blocks to minimize the amount of pain medication required to keep pets comfortable after surgical procedures. As an educator for many years, Dr. Gatson also enjoys teaching veterinary practitioners in all aspects of anesthesia and pain management. She is the founder of Safe Harbor Anesthesia Support, with the goal of providing direct high-quality anesthetic care to animals around the state of Florida.

 Maria has been a certified veterinary technician for over 7 years. She provides administrative support to Dr. Gatson and Safe Harbor Anesthesia.  Originally from Minnesota, she relocated to Florida in 2018 to pursue her VTS in Dentistry. Florida not only brought Maria a love of dentistry and anesthesia, but it is also where she met her husband. 

Despite leaving the snow, her military husband is dragging her right back and they have since relocated to Alaska. Thankfully, Maria enjoys travel and adventure. When she’s not obsessing over teeth, she aspires to find the perfect sourdough loaf and has a passion for curling (weights, as well as the sport.)