Dr. Barnes Heller obtained her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 2000. Following graduation she completed a rotating internship at the University of Illinois and a residency in neurology/neurosurgery at the University of Florida. Dr. Barnes Heller obtained board certification from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2005. She was a staff neurologist in a private referral hospital outside Chicago Illinois until December 2010, after which point she joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine faculty where she was promoted to Associate Professor. In 2019, Dr. Barnes founded Barnes Veterinary Specialty Services; a mobile neurology and neurosurgery business serving Wisconsin and Northern Illinois with tele-neurology services worldwide.