Dr. Poppell was proudly born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida.  During high school, he worked at a busy veterinary practice which performed the majority of the complex surgical cases in the area at the time. It was then that he discovered a passion for veterinary surgery that propelled him through his career.

He completed his pre-veterinary studies at Florida State University in 2013, and went on to graduate with Honors from Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.  Following vet school, he completed a one year rotating internship at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa, Florida, followed by a one year surgery internship at Memphis Veterinary Specialists.  During his surgery internship, he was asked to stay for a three year surgery residency at MVS.  Over the course of his residency, he received rigorous training in advanced orthopedic, soft tissue, neurologic, and minimally invasive surgery.

Upon completion of his residency in 2023, Dr. Poppell decided to move back to his hometown to start Red Hills Veterinary Surgery.  RHVS was founded upon a desire to build strong relationships with referring veterinarians and pet owners, while providing gold standard surgical care in the convenience of their own primary care facility.

Dr. Poppell’s professional interests include complex fracture repair, elective orthopedics, and surgical management of thoracolumbar and cervical intervertebral disc herniation.  He and his beautiful wife, Cilla, have a son, James, and an English Cocker, Tibby.  He is an avid outdoorsman, and spends his free time bird hunting or on the water.  Not surprisingly, he also has a passion for sporting and working dogs. He is honored to be able to provide excellent surgical care to the beloved pets of North Florida and South Georgia.