Vet Team

Mushers

	Kim Rozinka, DVM Chief Vet Dr. Kim Rozinka is currently a relief veterinarian in the St. Paul, Minnesota area and is staff surgeon and adjunct professor for the veterinary technician program at the MN School of Business. She graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and has volunteered as a trail veterinarian since 2003. She has worked each winter at races such as the Beargrease, the Grand Portage Passage, the UP200, the Apostle Island and the Can-Am Crown. When not playing with her children, her dog, or working, she enjoys skiing, camping, hiking and Guinness. Photo by Denny Warner.
	Jeff Ladd, DVM Dr. Ladd is a 1987 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. He is the owner of a small animal clinic in Michigan's UP. He has participated in Sleddog Medicine/Races since 1990, to include the Beargrease, Up-200, Empire, and Iditarod. He is a member of the ISDVMA. Dr. Ladd looks forward to returning to the Beargrease to renew old friendships and meet new friends.
	Justine Lee, DVM Dr. Justine Lee is a board-certified veterinary emergency critical care specialist (DACVECC) and is the Associate Director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. Previously, she was on faculty at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lee graduated from Virginia Tech, received her veterinary degree from Cornell University, and then completed an internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital. She also completed an emergency fellowship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the current pet columnist for "Prevention" magazine, and the author of two humorous pet reference guides called "It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet" and "It's a Cat's World... You Just Live In It." Dr. Lee first became interested in sled dogs as a 4th-year veterinary student, volunteering for her first Iditarod in 1997, where she completed a student research project. Since then, she has returned to the Iditarod 8 times, and is one of the board members of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA). She also is the editor of the ISDVMA newsletter. She's excited to join the John Beargrease veterinary team for the second time, as she loves Duluth!
	Nicole Reynolds, DVM Dr. Nicole Reynolds joins the Beargrease Veterinary Team for the first time this year. Dr. Reynolds is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and she holds a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology with a concentration in infectious diseases. Dr. Reynolds maintains a strong interest in emergency preparedness and response and critical care medicine and she volunteers her extended training through the Minnesota Veterinary Reserve Corps, the National Veterinary Response Team, and the Region 5 Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT). She is a member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA) and admits she's been hooked on mushing since shortly after graduating from vet school. She now skijors competitively. When she is not running or skijoring with her one-dog team, you'll find her in Colorado, traveling abroad, seeking backcountry snow opportunities, or finding any excuse to be active outside.
	Phil Topham, DVM Phil Topham is currently from Mantua, OH where it snows a foot at a time but then it melts, so why shovel?! A graduate from North Carolina State University, he was originally drawn into sled dog medicine while living in Duluth in the late 1990?s. Phil is the sole proprietor of Phillip Topham Veterinary Services, a full service veterinary relief business. While much of his professional time is spent focused on the routine problems of general small animal practice, Dr. Topham?s interest in the canine athlete has lead to additional training in physical therapy and veterinary spinal manipulation therapy(VSMT) in an effort to improve his abilities to diagnose and treat patients. Although licensed to work in 11 states, lately his work has been closer to home in Northeast Ohio. Hobbies include running with the family dogs for exercise (well, they actually take HIM for a DRAG), traveling, kayaking, and waiting for the snow to melt. Phil and Kathy have 4 dogs, 2 cats, 2 horses, a Spur-Thighed Tortoise and a Bearded Dragon. Other races Phil has done include the UP200, and the Race to the Sky.
	Gregg Phillips, Ph.D., DVM Gregg is a member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA). He is a veteran trail vet with experiences including the Empire 130, White Oak Classic, East Meets West Dryland Challenge, Byllesby Dryland Classic, Yukon Quest, Beargrease, and Finnmarkslopet. Gregg lives with his family in Rosemount, Minnesota and currently works at Dakota Pet Hospital.
	Jim Zoet, DVM Dr. Jim Zoet lives with his family in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, near Madison. He received his degree in veterinary medicine in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin and currently practices small animal emergency and critical care in Milwaukee. A former CPA, pet insurance company entrepreneur, and son of a veterinarian, Dr Zoet's veterinary interests include endoscopy, internal medicine, and business management. He is the current president of the Dane County Veterinary Medical Association and he serves on the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association's Grievance Committee. He enjoys "downtime" with his wife, their three children, and one or several Labrador retriever foster dogs when they reside at his home before adoption through L.E.A.R.N. (Lab Education and Rescue Network). Megan, Dr. Zoet's eldest daughter, will be making the trip down the Beargrease trail with her dad as a student reporter. While this will be his first experience volunteering for the John Beargrease, Dr. Zoet is looking forward to helping these world-class canine athletes and mushers in any capacity possible.
	Beckie Kilvington, CVT Beckie Kilvington is our Head Veterinary Technician on the John Beargrease. She has been a certified veterinary technician since 1996, working mostly in emergency, intensive care, and small animal practice settings. She has been involved with the John Beargrease since 2003, and she is staying hooked for as long as we will have her! Beckie loves the people that the race brings together and the amazing canine athletes that are the basis for the event. In her spare time, traveling with her husband and step-daughter as well as camping, horseback endurance/trail riding, and of course, keeping the Beargrease veterinary team in organized chaos during the off season.
	Chris Schriever, CVT Ms. Chris Schriever is the hospital manager and head certified veterinary technician for two growing emergency hospitals in the Madison, Wisconsin area. One of the hospitals is a 24-hour emergency and referral center and the other hospital is a nights and weekends urgent-care facility. When the clinics are not keeping her busy, she spends her time with her two huskies. Ms. Schriever graduated from Iowa State University with a BS degree and she also holds an associate's degree from Argosy University. She has been a veterinary technician since 1998 and an indispensible, highly-respected member of the John Beargrease Veterinary Team for the past several years.
	Laurie Angell, CVT Ms. Laurie Angell has been a veterinary technician for over 25 years. She also is certified in veterinary massage and rehabilitation. Although she is a husky owner and interested in organized mushing, she has not been able to participate until now. However, she often takes a pair of her huskies sledding with a plastic sled down her country road on a snowy day, much to the awe and bemusement of her neighbors! Finally, Ms. Angell has a chance to be part of our journey.
	Sally Lightner, CVT Ms. Sally Lightner joins the Beargrease veterinary team for her second year, but she is well-acquainted with both the race and mushing. Her experiences as a musher began in 1990 as an Outward Bound instructor in Ely, MN. She became a Beargrease volunteer at the same time. A move to Montana followed in 1993, where she worked as a handler on the Race to the Sky, and then the Iditarod, in Alaska. She spent the next few years training dogs and handling for various mushers in Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Canada's Northwest Territories. In 1996, Ms. Lightner was a handler for Doug Swingley's winning Beargrease team. She then expanded her interest in sled dogs to all pets by becoming a Certified Veterinary Technician in 1997. Since then, she has worked at small animal clinics in the Twin Cities area, most recently, the VCA Feist Animal Hospital in St. Paul. She is thrilled to be returning to the Beargrease veterinary team.
	Jodi & Chuck Nelson Chuck and Jodi Nelson have volunteered for the John Beargrease since 1999 in various capacities. This will be their eighth year as integral members of our veterinary team. Jodi works at the University of Minnesota in their Food Science and Nutrition Department as a Senior Laboratory Services Coordinator, and Chuck is semi-retired and volunteers for their church and school. They own a dog sled and hope to acquire some sled dogs to go with it in the future. But, as for now, they are the proud owners of a cairn terrier named "Torrie," who loves to nap out on the dog sled-polishing her sled-pulling techniques by osmosis.
	Christina Storm, CVT Christina Storm has been a certified veterinary technician since 2005. Working in research and emergency/critical care, she is currently employed by Affiliated Emergency Veterinary Service in Golden Valley, MN. Though this is Christina's first experience with dog sled racing, she was born and raised in Embarrass MN, so is no stranger to cold weather and snow. Owning and racing sled dogs is on her families "Top Ten Things to do List" and this is the start to that great experience. Christina enjoys spending time with her husband and son at their northern Minnesota/Canadian border cabin with her three dogs, a black lab mix, a terrier mix and a Newfoundland.
	Derek Matthews Derek Matthews is a junior at the University of Minnesota. He is currently an honors student studying animal behavior in the College of Biological Sciences, with the plans to become a veterinarian. Derek currently volunteers at the Veterinary Medical Clinic, where he assists in dog rehabilitation on pets who have recently undergone orthopedic surgery. Derek is employed by the University of Minnesota Department of Surgery. He serves as a surgical assistant and has assisted in over a hundred surgeries on pigs, sheep, and dogs. Derek is the proud owner of a ten-year-old dachshund, named Sammi, and a five-year-old yellow lab, named Sadie. This spring semester, Derek will be studying rainforest and coral reef ecosystems in Australia.
	Judi Laurence Ms. Judi Laurence has been a volunteer with the John Beargrease since 2005 in various capacities. Ms. Laurence is a Ham Radio Operator and this year she joins the veterinary team as our round-the-clock communications specialist. Judi is a Firefighter and EMT (emergency medical technician) for the city of Eden Prairie, Minnesota with experience dating back to 1982. She also is a member of the National Disaster Response Team (NDART), most recently deployed to the flood zones of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ms. Laurence is currently involved in becoming a Code 3 member of an elite animal search and rescue team that specializes in disasters, her specialty being swift water and rope rescues. Active with animals for over 40 years, she volunteers for her local humane society, where she has fostered over 300 animals. Judi has been trained by BART (Basic Animal Rescue Training) through her local fire department and she has used BART training and equipment in actual animal rescues. She also is a Skywarn spotter and avid sea kayaker. She enjoys spending free time with her husband, three daughters, their greyhound, "Skye," and "Rylee," their chocolate lab, at their northern Minnesota cabin. Ms. Laurence is anxious to add her emergency communications and rescue expertise to this new dimension of the John Beargrease veterinary team.