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 five extremely 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 50+ 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 Gandalf, Polgara, and Nibble. To find out more about Lori's clinical pathology journey, listen to her podcast.

Barb Lewis received a BA in Biology from SUNY College at Buffalo, an AAS in Animal Health Technology from Colorado Mountain College, and an MA in Adult and Higher Education with a Biology emphasis, from Morehead State University (MSU). 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 achieved the rank of Associate Professor, with teaching responsibilities in all aspects of laboratory testing, including clinical pathology lectures, labs and clinicals. Equipping her students with a solid foundation and a strong work ethic, she challenged them to take an active role in their education and instilled in them a thirst for lifelong learning. Following curriculum review and classroom observation, she was awarded MSU’s 2012 Distinguished Teacher Award. After a 35 year teaching career, Barb retired in 2016, and was granted emeritus status in recognition of meritorious service to MSU. A Life Member of the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association (KVTA), Barb was the recipient of the 2012 KVTA Veterinary Technician of the Year Award. She helped organize CE events, represented KVTA on the Executive Board of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, and had input on decisions affecting KY technicians including legislative changes which created an LVT voting member position on the state licensing board, and most recently addressed Title Protection and Scope of Practice. In 2022, Barb was presented with the first KVTA Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of a lifetime of compassionate and dedicated service towards the advancement of Kentucky’s veterinary technician community. Barb is a charter member of AVCPT, served as the academy’s first president, and is the current treasurer. Barb is enjoying retirement, and remains active in the veterinary field through the AVCPT and KVTA. She is thankful to have had the opportunity to impact the veterinary technology profession as an educator and through involvement in veterinary and technician organizations. 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. Living on the outskirts of the Daniel Boone National Forest and nearby Cave Run Lake they have enjoyed boating, swimming, fishing and camping. Their daughter and son-in-law live nearby, as do two grandkids, children of Darrell’s son. Barb is an active member of her church and women’s group, and enjoys live concerts, spending time with family and friends, gardening, canning Darrell’s garden crops, birding and traveling. The desert southwest, Colorado, the ocean and Cape Cod remain favorites. An avid Kentucky Wildcats Basketball fan, Barb enjoys NCAA basketball and football.

Barbie Papajeski 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, Barbie 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. Barbie 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. Barbie 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. Barbie 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 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.

Terry Hannum is a registered veterinary technician in New York She graduated from SUNY Delhi in 2013 with her associates and got hooked on all the amazing things she could find out about patients from looking under the microscope while working at a 24-HR specialty/ER practice. Her great mentor kept encouraging her and the more she learned, the more she realized her desire to learn.which has continued to this day. Terry works at SUNY Delhi in the Veterinary Sciences Department assisting with Clinical Pathology labs, Research Animal Labs and Primatology Labs..