Meet
the Vet
Dr.
Cori Stephen, a native to North-Central BC,
graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon,
SK, in May 2005. During her four years at the WCVM, Dr. Stephen
travelled to Lexington, Kentucky to spend time at Rood and Riddle
Equine Hospital and to participate in the 1st Annual Opportunities in
Equine Practice Event. In her final year of vet college Dr. Stephen
attended the American Association of Equine Practitioners annual
convention and in February 2005 she completed a four week externship at
Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital's Equine Referral Center. Dr. Stephen is
the recipient of 2005's Dr. Alexander Janisz Memorial Award for
excellence in Large Animal Anesthesia.
As
a mixed animal practitioner, Dr. Stephen's interests vary amongst the
species in which she takes care of. She has a special interest in
equine reproduction, specifically artificial insemination and embryo
transfer, equine dentistry, wound management, lameness work ups and
evaluation as well as equine internal medicine. Dr. Stephen's small
animal interests are also internal medicine specifically cancer,
dermatology, and endocrinopathies. As for the ruminant aspect of
practise, Dr. Stephen has an interest in production animal health,
specifically cow-calf and feedlot medicine, and also enjoys working on
goats, llamas and alpacas.
Away
from the clinic, Dr. Stephen is an avid horsewoman. She also loves to
spend time in her garden and fishing, camping, and mountain biking with
her husband, David, her young son, Treyken and their dogs, Ruger and
Brin. Dr. Stephen is a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medicial
Association, the BC Veterinary Medical Association and the American
Association of Equine Practitioners.
Dr.Laura McIlwain grew up in rural Manitoba. She is a 2008 graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. During her final year of vet school, Laura participated in various rotations and externships. These included a feedlot rotation in Okotoks, an equine externship in Edmonton, and a dairy externship in Chilliwack. Laura was the 2008 recipient of the Dr. Alexander Janisz Memorial Award for Excellence in Large Animal Anesthesia.
At home in Manitoba, Laura was involved in the local Light Horse & Pony 4-H club for 10 years, as both a member and leader. Laura spent 3 years working on a dairy farm in Manitoba while attending university prior to vet school. During the summer after 1st year vet school, Laura fell in love with the Thoroughbred racehorse while working as a groom at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg.
Laura’s veterinary interests include equine medicine and surgery, particularly wound management and emergency medicine. She also enjoys working with cattle, especially dairy animals. Laura has a passion for ophthalmology, and is always excited to examine the eyes of her patients!
Outside of work, Laura enjoys riding her two horses, Sunny and Allie, and exercising her Border Collie, Arrow. Exploring every part of the beautiful province of British Columbia is one of Laura’s ambitions. She also enjoys snowboarding, playing hockey, and biking.
Laura is a member in the following organizations:
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association
American Association of Equine Practitioners
Jacintha Kulchar, grew
up on a farm outside Vanderhoof. Animals have always been a large part
of her life and she has been active in 4H for the last eight years,
completing many prize winning projects working with beef and dairy.
After high school, she moved to Prince George and graduated with her
diploma in office administration from the College of New Caledonia. She
is responsible for the day to day functioning of our office and it is
her cheerful voice you hear when you phone into the Clinic. Jacintha is
particularly interested in all aspects of large animal care.
Jacintha
continues to live on a farm with her three cats, one horse, and one dog
and helps her family whenever needed with their herd of 135 cattle. She
looks forward to meeting you and helping you with all your animal needs.
Amanda Byers, has just graduated from High School and is now working full time here after over a year of working part-time. She is our part-time receptionist and also helps out with many other tasks. She lives on a local farm and enjoys helping her family out with their herd of commercial cattle, in addition to looking after her own small flock of sheep and riding her 2 horses.
Like her 2 brothers and one sister, she is actively involved in local 4-H Club raising swine, lamb, dairy, and beef projects. In her spare time she enjoys fishing, camping, snowboarding and doing other activities with her family
Karen Bancroft (BA, MBA), born
in Ontario, has called British Columbia home for the last twenty years,
moving to Vanderhoof in 2004. Graduating with an MBA from the
University of Toronto, she has worked in business and the education
field for over 20 years. She is responsible for managing the medium to
long term growth of our Clinic and oversees the human resource, finance
and marketing functions.
Karen lives in Vanderhoof with her
husband, Tim, her two teenage boys, Nathan and Joshua, her dog, Jesse,
her very grumpy cat, Socks and an assortment of tropical fish. She is
an avid reader and a "fair weather" runner.
