Vet Student Summer

Cristina (a.k.a. Nina), a native of Huntley, Illinois, has entered the fourth and final year of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine professional degree program at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was two years old.

During the summer of 2005, Cristina worked with Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, a 1989 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine and a wildlife veterinarian for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, on a study that assessed the health of the North Alaska Peninsula caribou herd.

While there Cristina noted a gap in the knowledge base for that species. As a result of her insight, she applied for funding from the Morris Animal Foundation and is going back to Alaska this summer to study how measuring cholinesterase activity could contribute to the overall health evaluation of Alaskan caribou. Her mentor and the principal investigator on the study is Dr. Petra Volmer, faculty member in the College's Department of Veterinary Biosciences. The research experience is also part of the College's Summer Training Program, a program of the Center for Zoonoses Research that promotes research by veterinary students.

After she finishes her DVM degree, Cristina plans to work in private practice for a few years, then pursue a PhD in wildlife pathology or toxicology. Her dream is to become a wildlife veterinarian and work for an agency like the Alaska Department of Fish and Game where she can conduct research on issues affecting the health and welfare of wild animal populations. Most of all, she would like to help sustain healthy wildlife populations.