Dr. James Isaacs

Curriculum Vitae

 Dr. James Isaacs is a native Californian, growing up in Malibu, California.  After graduating from Santa Monica High School, he started his university career at the age of 16, attending UCLA in undergraduate biology and graduate courses in genetics.  He received his degree from UCLA, and entered veterinary school.  He completed his doctorate degree in veterinary medicine, graduating from the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1981.

Dr. Isaacs started his own practice, Encino Veterinary Clinic in 1983.  His desire to practice quality medicine led him to build an excellent facility, and the Clinic became a cornerstone of veterinary care for the community.  In 1988, the Clinic expanded by taking over the adjacent property.  Encino Veterinary Clinic was one of less than a dozen veterinary practices to receive a 4-Year AAHA accreditation.  In 2000, Dr. Isaacs opened his second practice, Calabasas Veterinary Center.  The same level of excellence is offered to clients and patients at both practices. 

Dr. Isaacs has been the host of several radio shows dedicated to pet care.  He was the veterinarian for KFI radio for a year, on the show, “Ask the Experts”, and then moved to KGIL to do the call-in show for an additional two years.  Dr. Isaacs has been the veterinary medical correspondent for CNN, The Today Show, Fox, and KTLA, and has regular appearances on NBC on pet-related news.  He hosted a regular feature on daytime TV,  “The Mike and Maddy Show.”.

Dr. Isaacs is an amateur paleontologist, with an extensive collection of fossils from all over the world.  The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has a wall plaque dedicated to Dr. Isaacs for is fossil donations to the Academy, and there is an exhibition of  his donated fossils in the San Francisco International Airport Passenger Arrival Terminal.

Dr. Isaacs is an avid naturalist, and explores the natural world both on land and in the seas.  He has been a certified scuba diver for over 20 years, and also is a volunteer for the State Toxicology Laboratory, donating tissue samples of lobster, scallops, and other edibles from Santa Monica Bay in order to monitor pollution levels.  His oldest daughter, Jenna is now a diver, and accompanied Dr. Isaacs on a diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef this summer.

Dr. Isaacs is married, and has 5 children.  His wife, Victoria is a pain management specialist.  He is proud that all his children are doing well, both in school and in the arts.  Dr. Isaacs is an avid fan of the theatre, and his children often accompany him to the latest stage productions in Los Angeles, as well as to concerts by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.  The family has a passion as a whole for cooking, and weekends are an exciting time with many wonderful culinary creations in the works by a variety of both adult and little hands.