Christina Benson is a licensed veterinary technician in Texas. A Wisconsin native, Christina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychobiology from Ripon College before attending Madison College in the state's capital for her Associates degree in Veterinary Technology. Recently, she completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology through Tarleton State University in Texas. For the past 25 years, Christina has lived and worked in the Central Texas area and has been employed by the US Army for over two decades. She has been a member of the Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians since earning her VTS title in 2014. In her free time, Christina is an avid knitter, and enjoys cuddling with her Dachshund mix and two very lively Basenjis.

In 7th grade biology Lori began a lifelong love of both biology and laboratory work. She majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry, graduating with honors, at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. After college she worked at Quakertown Veterinary Clinic designing and developing their forage analysis lab and then at a chemical plant for a few years before taking time off to care for her two children as she and her husband Bruce moved from Pennsylvania to Michigan to Maryland to Virginia and back to Pennsylvania. In 2003 she earned her Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) degree at Northampton Community College/Lehigh Carbon Community College, an accredited program. Lori worked at a 2-doctor large animal vet for 8 years working in the clinic and also assisting the veterinarians on the road. Lori then returned to Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, an AAHA accredited hospital, as a technician in the QVC Allergy Lab, she then began working full time in both the Main lab and the Allergy Lab. In 2015 she became Laboratory Supervisor of both labs and later that year earned her VTS (Clinical Pathology). In 2017 she started teaching the Clinical Pathology Lab at the same college where she got her CVT. At Quakertown Veterinary Clinic Lori and her staff are kept busy by the 42 Large and Small Animal Veterinarians that work at the clinic. The lab runs the usual lab work: CBC, Chemistries, Urinalysis, and Fecals. They also examine cytology slides, freeze semen, run endocrinology tests and have a small microbiology lab. The lab is a certified USDA lab for EIA (Coggins) testing and a DEP certified lab for water testing. The clinic sees appointments and is open 24/7 for emergencies so the lab is always busy, and no two days are alike. The lab is able to offer results quickly and accurately enabling the doctors to help their patients in a timely manner. Lori is a member of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA) and the North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA). She also served 9 years as president of her church in Pennsylvania and taught both the confirmation and adult classes. In her spare time Lori likes to travel, read, and cook. She has three cats Bit, Byte, and Nibble. To find out more about Lori's clinical pathology journey, listen to her podcast.

Barb Lewis is associate professor emeritus of veterinary technology at Morehead State University. She holds degrees from SUNY College at Buffalo, Colorado Mountain College, and Morehead State University. She was a Clinical Pathology Laboratory Technician at The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston before accepting a teaching position in MSU’s Veterinary Technology Program in 1981. She was the primary instructor of the clinical pathology lectures, labs and clinicals for 35 years and taught content in all aspects of laboratory testing, providing valuable diagnostic information to the veterinary team. Her passion for teaching and the rigorous coursework had an impact on her students, who consistently scored well above the national average on the national board exam in the area of clinical pathology. Following a portfolio review and classroom observation by her colleagues, Ms. Lewis was awarded the 2012 Distinguished Teacher Award from Morehead State University. She was named the 2012 Veterinary Technician of the Year by the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association, for her service to the profession and the organization. In May of 2016, Ms. Lewis retired from her teaching position and was granted emeritus status by Morehead State University. She is enjoying retirement and plans to spend more time with family and friends, travel, and remain active in the veterinary field through organizing CE meetings, presentations, the clinical pathology specialty, and KVTA. A native New Yorker, Barb grew up in NYC, and lived in Buffalo, NY, Glenwood Springs, CO, Boston, MA, and Ft. Collins, CO before moving to Kentucky where she met her husband, Darrell. She has a daughter, Darah (and husband Shaun), step-son, Chad, and two grandchildren, Cody and Dorie. Her interests include spending time with family and friends, boating, swimming, gardening, cooking and traveling. She especially loves the desert southwest, Colorado, the ocean and Cape Cod. An avid Kentucky Wildcats Basketball fan, Barb ‘bleeds blue’, and enjoys NCAA basketball and football. 

Barbie Papajeski, MS, LVT, RLATG, received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with an emphasis in Veterinary Technology and a Master of Science in Agriculture from Murray State University, KY. She was employed at the Calloway County Animal Shelter for two years and Breathitt Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Hopkinsville, KY, for three and a half years before being hired as an instructor in the Veterinary Technology Program at Murray State University. She worked in necropsy, histology and clinical pathology sections at the diagnostic lab and managed the laboratory animal colony, performed basic husbandry, collected blood samples and performed botulism inoculations as needed for diagnostic purposes. In her current duties, Mrs. Papajeski instructs veterinary technology students in basic laboratory procedures, advanced veterinary hematology, veterinary parasitology, clinical chemistry laboratory, small animal science, and laboratory animal science courses. In 2020, she was the recipient of the MSU Board of Regents Teaching Award in Agriculture. She manages the teaching animals, supervises animal care workers and coordinates activities with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and USDA-APHIS. Mrs. Papajeski is past secretary of the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association (KVTA) of which she is a life member and remains actively involved in a mentoring capacity. She is a member of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) and Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE). She is licensed as a veterinary technologist in Kentucky and is also a registered laboratory animal technologist (RLATG) through AALAS. She serves on the faculty senate of Murray State University. She is a volunteer of the Calloway County Humane Society/Calloway County Animal Shelter, and a member of Hurricane Baptist Church where she serves as Sunday School and Bible School teacher. She also volunteers as a cub scout leader as an outreach of the church. Her passions in the field of veterinary medicine are laboratory work, laboratory animals, and the excitement of experiencing new things daily. She enjoys teaching and especially enjoys getting feedback from students after graduation. Mrs. Papajeski currently resides in Cadiz, KY and commutes to Murray, KY through beautiful Land Between the Lakes each day. She is happily married with two sons, Gavin and Grady. Her critters include an assortment of dogs, cats, rabbits, reptiles, ornamental fish, chickens, guineas, and ducks. Mrs. Papajeski enjoys being outdoors either gardening, fishing, hiking, or camping in her free time. You can read her Specialty Spotlight article in Today's Veterinary Nurse

Pam Schendel is a registered veterinary technician in Indiana having received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University. Pam has recently retired from as a member of the Department of Comparative Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue, where she had major responsibilities in teaching on-campus and online clinical pathology courses and supervising the clinical pathology rotations for veterinary technician students for over 25 years. Pam is a charter member of the Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians and with her two labs, is an active member of the local chapter of Therapy Dogs International's reading-dog and visitation programs.

Dan Walsh is a credentialed veterinary technician in Indiana and New York has received an Associate degree in Veterinary Technology from the State University of New York at Delhi, Bachelors in Animal Science from Kansas State, Masters in Animal Science from Cornell and Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Homeland Security from Purdue. For the past 40+ years, Dan has taught at various times in the veterinary technology programs at Delhi and Purdue and practiced in civilian and US Army small and mixed animal clinics. He is a charter member of the Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians. Dan, his wife Jamie and critters love the outdoors and take every opportunity for hiking and other activities.

Brianne Bellwood is a Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT) from Vermilion, Alberta, Canada. Brianne completed her RVT training at Olds College and graduated with distinction in 2002. She worked primarily in mixed animal practice, including wildlife and exotic medicine. Brianne began teaching in 2008 at Lakeland College in the Animal Health Technology and Veterinary Medical Assistant programs. She instructs the laboratory procedures courses as well as some anatomy and communication classes. Brianne has also served as program coordinator for both programs in the past. This course load contributed to Brianne’s ongoing passion for Clinical Pathology and led her to obtain her VTS in 2016. Lakeland College’s AHT program is accredited by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and one of four colleges in Alberta to offer this training. Lakeland has the benefit of an on-campus working farm to support its animal health, livestock and crop programs. Brianne’s other duties at Lakeland include providing mentorship to the Stock Dog and Dog Agility Student Clubs on campus. Another passion of Brianne’s includes canine sports medicine and she has received certification as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse (CCRVN) from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in 2017. Brianne is currently enrolled at the University of Glasgow and completing a master’s degree in Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing with an expected graduation date of 2021. Travel is another interest that Brianne has been fortunate to undertake. She has traveled to South Africa to participate in a Vet Nurses in the Wild program and has visited Nanjing, China in the summer of 2019 to present a clinical pathology lecture series for the Chinese School of Advanced Veterinary Sciences. Another presentation in Nanjing is planned for 2020. Outside of work, Brianne enjoys training and competing in the sports of dog agility and sheep/cattle herding and spending time with her 4 dogs, 2 rabbits, a handful of sheep and a mini horse named MacGyver. Find out more about Brianne by visiting her blog. Brianne also maintains AVCPT's facebook page.