About the Author

I graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 2024. I have now begun working towards a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary. 

During the summer of 2022, I worked as a student researcher in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) where I collected tissue samples from Alberta dairy cattle to improve our understanding of bovine mastitis. 

The following summer, I was again employed at the UCVM, this time to examine whether housing practices affect the prevalence of mastitis in dairy cattle; preliminary results indicate that they do. 

I first gained clinical experience by volunteering at various clinics such as the Avian and Exotic Pet Clinic (Calgary, Alberta), Synergy Equine Veterinary Services (De Winton, Alberta), Southern Alberta Veterinary Emergency (Okotoks, Alberta), and Big Rock Animal Clinic (Okotoks, Alberta). For the past 4 years, I have been employed as a Veterinary Assistant at the Highview Animal Clinic (High River, Alberta) where I help facilitate the treatments of cattle, sheep, goats, bison, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, and rabbits.

I recently adopted two guinea pigs named Wilbur and Walter from a local shelter in Calgary. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer on the University of Calgary intramural team, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, camping, and fostering animals with the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society.

• Katherine Kennedy

Okotoks, Alberta, Canada