Expert Feedback and Support

Dr. Al Izzi completed an MSc and PhD in clinical pathology at the Ontario Veterinary College in 1981. Since then, he has served as a faculty member at universities in Baghdad, Khartoum and Tripoli, where he was involved in both diagnostic and teaching responsibilities. He supervised nine MSc and three PhD students and published 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers in international journals. Concurrently, he worked as a diagnostic clinical pathologist in an equine specialty centre from 1988–1994. He joined our Markham laboratory in April 2006. Dr. Al Izzi is married with two sons and a daughter. His hobbies are swimming, reading history and travelling.

Dr. Beaudin obtained her DVM from the University of Montreal in 1996. She was a small-animal practitioner for two years before heading down the path of clinical pathology and veterinary diagnostics. She completed her clinical pathology residency at Oklahoma State University in 2003 and became board certified in 2004. She worked for a large diagnostic laboratory in California for almost 2 years and continued on as a contract pathologist for 5 years, out of Montreal. This has afforded her immense experience with cytology cases, an area she particularly enjoys. She also has special interest in noninvasive diagnostic tests (or add-ons that can be done with already available samples). Her hobbies include screenwriting and enjoying the outdoors with her dog, Laika.

Dr. Edwards graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in 1998 and proceeded directly to graduate studies in clinical pathology. In 2001, she joined IDEXX Reference Laboratories and, in 2002, attained American College of Veterinary Pathologists board certification in clinical pathology. Dr. Edwards lives in the suburbs of Calgary with her husband, two young children and two cats.

Dr. Ellis received her DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan in 1991, followed by a small animal medicine and surgery internship in 1992 in Detroit, Michigan. She has 14 years of clinical experience in general practice and emergency and critical care-based medicine. In 2005, she returned to academia, receiving her MVSc in 2007 from WCVM. Her research focus has been clonality and phenotyping of canine lymphosarcoma using PCR on cytologic specimens. Dr. Ellis joined our Edmonton laboratory in October 2008 and relocated to our Delta laboratory in 2009.

Dr. Flint was born and raised in southern New Hampshire. She received her BA in biological sciences from Smith College in 1998 and her DVM from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Following graduation, Dr. Flint completed a residency in clinical pathology at Michigan State University in 2009. Dr. Flint is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology. Her professional interests include hematology and cytology. Her hobbies include music, computers, television, reading mysteries and spending time with her chocolate Lab, Lily.

Dr. Keller graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 2001. She worked as a mixed-animal practitioner in rural Ontario until returning to OVC to complete her DVSc in clinical pathology in 2005. Dr. Keller also completed her board certification with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2005. After graduation, Dr. Keller joined IDEXX Reference Laboratories in Calgary in January 2006 and relocated to the Markham laboratory in 2008. Dr. Keller lives in Maple with her husband Wayne, her son Owen and their two cats. She enjoys biking, hiking, hockey and spending time with her family.

Dr. Kowalewich received her DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988. Following graduation, she completed an internship and residency at Purdue University. In 1992, she attained diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, specializing in small animal internal medicine. For seven years, Dr. Kowalewich also owned her own internal medicine consulting service and radioactive iodine unit. She has been with our Delta laboratory for over 13 years and became board certified with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2008. Dr. Kowalewich loves living on the West Coast with her young daughter, dog, cat and hamster. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, skiing and hockey.

Dr. Marcotte obtained her DVM from the University of Montreal in 1987, and she then worked as a companion animal practitioner in Quebec City until December 1995. After two years of teaching animal health technicians, she enrolled in the clinical pathology residency program at the Atlantic Veterinary College in 1998. In 2002, she attained board certification from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. She joined our Montreal team of clinical pathologists in 2005. Her main interests are cytology and hematology. A native of Hull, Dr. Marcotte now lives in Quebec City with her significant other and three adorable children. Dr. Marcotte enjoys outdoor sports (cross-country and downhill skiing, trekking, snowshoeing, cycling), indoor training and travel.

Dr. Monteith received her BS in agriculture from the University of British Columbia in 1985. In 1989 she received her DVM from Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan. After practicing at a mixed-animal practice in Ontario and a small-animal practice on Vancouver Island, she returned to WCVM and received her MVSc in 1993. Following a senior diagnostic fellowship year she was board certified as a clinical pathologist by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1994. She held a temporary faculty position at WCVM and conducted research in lentiviral infections in sheep in 1994–1995. In the winter months she is a rink mom with a daughter in figure skating and a son in minor hockey. In the summer she enjoys fishing and camping at the numerous lakes in central/northern Saskatchewan.

A native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Dr. Overvelde received his DVM from the University of Montreal in 1998 and then worked in a small animal practice in Newport News, Virginia, for three years. He then returned to the University of Montreal to complete a residency in clinical pathology and a master’s degree in veterinary science. Dr. Overvelde attained American College of Veterinary Pathologists board certification in 2004 and joined our Montreal laboratory in November of the same year.

Dr. Peta received her DVM in 2002 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan. She spent one year in small-animal private practice in Edmonton, Alberta, before returning to WCVM in 2003 to begin a three-year residency in clinical pathology. Her time there was spent performing diagnostic duties, teaching veterinary students and completing a master’s project on GLDH, a liver enzyme, in dogs. After the final year of her residency, Dr. Peta earned American College of Veterinary Pathologists board certification. Before joining IDEXX Reference Laboratories, she worked at a veterinary laboratory near Seattle. Dr. Peta’s professional interests include small-animal endocrinology and aquatic-animal pathology. She has a fondness for fish and other aquatic creatures.

Dr. Piché graduated with a DVM from the University of Montreal in 2002, and she completed a one-year internship in small-animal medicine and surgery. She then completed a three-year residency in clinical pathology, at the same time as a master’s degree in veterinary sciences. After graduating 2007, Dr. Piché worked as a clinical pathologist at the diagnostic laboratory of the University of Montreal. She joined IDEXX Reference Laboratories in June 2008 and has a great interest in cytology, hematology and exotic animals.

Dr. Stirtzinger received her DVM in 1976 from the University of Guelph. After graduation, she worked in a mixed-animal practice and then returned to Guelph in 1977, where she worked in the Ontario government’s diagnostic laboratory. She returned to the University of Guelph, completing a diploma in clinical pathology in 1978 and a PhD in 1985, at which time she joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology at the Ontario Veterinary College. Dr. Stirtzinger joined our Markham laboratory in 1995. Her special interests include diagnostic cytology, infectious diseases and the development and evaluation of laboratory diagnostic tests for the veterinary profession. During her career she and her husband raised three children and have recently become proud grandparents. Although diagnostic clinical pathology remains her most compelling interest, she also enjoys other activities, including cooking, gardening and breeding and training horses.

Dr. Tant received her veterinary training at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph, and she completed her DVM in 1983. She spent the next 10 years in small-animal practice in southern Ontario before returning to OVC to pursue graduate studies. She completed her DVSc in clinical pathology in 1998, meeting the eligibility requirements for board certification for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. After graduation, Dr. Tant joined our Markham laboratory as a full-time diagnostic clinical pathologist. Her work focuses on diagnostic hematology and cytology, and she consults extensively with clients on the interpretation of laboratory data. Dr. Tant lives in Peterborough, Ontario, with her husband and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, canoeing and classical music.