Dr. Chris Vanderhoof grew up in northern New Jersey and knew he wanted to be a veterinarian from growing up with his beloved family cat, Centauri, a beautiful white and grey Balanese named for the brightest star in the northern sky. His love for the unique and special nature of every animal life and keen fascination with medicine and biology is what drives his passion for working in this field.

After graduating high school, Dr. Vanderhoof attended his freshman year at Virginia Tech. Still an undecided major and wishing for more hands-on learning, he decided to take two years off from his bachelor's degree and enter a veterinary technician school program in NJ. After completing the program and working as a Certified Veterinary Technician at a NJ hospital, Dr. Vanderhoof returned to Virginia Tech. He worked as a Licensed Veterinary Technician in the Large Animal Hospital at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) while completing a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science in 2008.

Dr. Vanderhoof continued on to veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, completing a dual program to receive a Masters in Public Health as well as his doctorate, in 2013. He continued to work in the Large Animal Hospital through veterinary school. For his masters project, he traveled to Haiti on several occasions to look at liver fluke worms in cattle and how this could be a health risk for people.

While enjoying large animal medicine, Dr. Vanderhoof elected to continue as a small animal practitioner. He completed a rotating internship in medicine and surgery from 2014-2015 with Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ. After completing his internship, he returned to Virginia and worked at a small animal hospital in Falls Church for 3 years before relocating to VCA Centreville Animal Hospital in the summer of 2018.

Dr. Vanderhoof's clinical interests include soft tissue surgery and abdominal ultrasound. In the future, he plans to complete courses and become certified in veterinary acupuncture.

Outside of practicing medicine, Dr. Vanderhoof enjoys spending time with his family including his wife of ten years, a daughter, and two sons. He has two rescued barn cats named Bart, and Annie, who were born at the Virginia Tech Dairy Center on campus. With any free time that remains, Dr. Vanderhoof enjoys jogging, reading, and watching movies.