PRESIDENT Robert WARD
Dr. Robert Ward graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Scotland in 2016 and worked in general practice in the south of England for 2 years. His interest in veterinary dermatology was piqued during the final year of vet school and he has developed it since. In 2018 he moved to Canada and started working as an emergency veterinarian in Ottawa. In 2021, Dr. Ward began a Residency in Veterinary Dermatology at the Veterinary Allergy Dermatology and Ear Referral (VADER) clinic in Morriston, Ontario, and completed board certification in 2024. He has been a member of the CAVD since 2018 and is passionate about empowering practitioners and encouraging enthusiasm in dermatology!
PAST PRESIDENT Jennifer WILLANS
Jen graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. She has been board certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) in Canine and Feline practice since 2004. She has a special interest in veterinary dermatology. From 2006-2018, Jen was a partner in the Landing Animal Clinic in Calgary. Jen has been very active with the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, serving on the Companion Animal Committee, the Practice Inspection and Practice Standards Committee, and the Hearing Tribunal. Jen joined the Council of the ABVMA in 2008 and served as president in 2012. Jen has also served on the Calgary Academy of Veterinary Medicine board and the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Admissions Committee. She was the founding president of Tails of Help. Jen has been awarded the “Young Veterinarian of the Year” and received the “Meritorious Service Award” from the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. Jen now practices in Canmore, Alberta. Jen served as the president of the CAVD from 2022 until June 2025.
TREASURER Charlie PYE
Dr Charlie Pye grew up outside of London, England and moved to Prince Edward Island, which she now calls home, at the age of eighteen. There she attended the University of Prince Edward Island where she completed a three-year bachelor of science undergraduate degree majoring in Biology. She went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Atlantic Veterinary College, PEI. She then moved to Saskatoon to complete a one-year rotating internship at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Following her internship, she travelled back across the country for a Dermatology Residency at the Ontario Veterinary College. While at OVC, she also completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Science degree specializing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial biofilms. After completing her residency she began working at Guelph Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Guelph, Ontario. During her time in Guelph she continued to travel back to PEI to teach the veterinary students at the Atlantic Veterinary College a few times a year. As of May 2018 she joined the team at the Atlantic Veterinary College as an assistant professor, and established the first ever Dermatology service at AVC. She has lectured all over North America and has contributed to multiple journals and textbooks. In her spare time she enjoys camping, crafting and spending time with her family!
WAVD REPRESENTATIVE Julie LEFRANCOIS
Julie Lefrançois completed her veterinary training at the Université de Montréal in 2012 and her dermatology residency at the same institution in 2023. She joined the team at the Centre vétérinaire Rive-Sud in Brossard, Quebec. Between 2012 and 2020, Julie practiced medicine and general surgery. Her special interests in dermatology are otology and the management of complicated infections. She is convinced that dermatology is the most interesting medical specialty. In her spare time, Julie enjoys hiking, spending time with friends and family, and is a huge Star Wars fan. She lives with her two cats (Mademoiselle and Jean-Claude) and her partner Adam.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (THE BULLETIN) Elizabeth GOODALE
Dr. Goodale received her veterinary degree from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2011. After graduating, she completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. After her internship, she spent a year working in small animal emergency medicine in London, Ontario before moving to California for her dermatology residency. She completed a 3-year residency at the University of California, Davis in 2016 and then worked as a staff dermatologist at UC Davis for an additional two years. She moved home to Ontario in 2018 and joined the Veterinary Allergy Dermatology and Ear Referral Clinic located just outside of Guelph Ontario. Her areas of interest include immune mediated diseases and equine dermatology. She is a member of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology credentials committee and has recently joined the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology executive committee as a member at large.
GRANTS CHAIR Laura O'SHAUGHNESSY-HUNTER
I graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2014 and subsequently took a position as a mixed animal veterinarian on Salt Spring Island in BC. It was there that I first discovered my interest in veterinary dermatology. After a year out West, I moved to Ottawa and practiced as a small animal veterinarian for 2 years before deciding to pursue my passion in veterinary dermatology by first performing a rotating small internship at the Atlantic Veterinary College in PEI and then a dermatology residency with the Veterinary Allergy Dermatology and Ear Referral Clinic (VADER Clinic) in Puslinch, Ontario. I successfully completed by ACVD boards in 2021 and am excited to stay on at the VADER Clinic as a boarded dermatologist. I am particularly interested in cornification and alopecic disorders as well as allergic skin diseases. In my free time I love to go hiking, cross-country skiing and backcountry camping.
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Jennie TAIT
Jennie Tait, AHT, RVT, VTS (Dermatology), is a highly experienced veterinary technician with nearly four decades in the profession. A 1986 Animal Health Technology graduate, she began in general practice before joining the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), where she spent almost 26 years educating students and working in multiple specialties before finding her passion in dermatology. For the past 25 years, she has been a trusted dermatology technician, recognized as the first non-faculty honorary class president at OVC and now the only Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Dermatology in Canada. Jennie is a Charter Member and Regent of the Academy of Dermatology Veterinary Technicians (ADVT) and serves on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (CAVD). She is also a dedicated ambassador for the Empathy For Itch Campaign. An international speaker and published author, Jennie continues to share her expertise while working part-time at the Veterinary Allergy Dermatology and Ear Referral (VADER) Clinic in Morriston, Ontario.Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband, their two grown children, and her much-loved dogs, Shenzi-Lou-Who and Willow-Mae.
Krystle HENNIN
Krystle Hennin graduated from the University of Guelph with an undergraduate in Animal Biology and she completed her Veterinary Technician diploma at Ridgetown College. She has worked in the veterinary field for almost 20 years, with experience In-clinic, Veterinary Sales and Veterinary Marketing. In Veterinary Marketing she has worked with many well-known companion animal brands and many in the dermatology field. She enjoys facilitating workshops and collaborating with teams to generate impactful ideas. She has been involved in the Empathy for Itch campaign for the last 4 years, which aims to raise awareness about the impact of itch on pets and their owners and supports the veterinary team through education and resources. She believes that empathy and education are key to improving the lives of animals with skin conditions and she is passionate about spreading the word through this campaign. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and her two French Bulldogs, Olive and Archie. They have been a source of passion as she navigates their own dermatology journey with Archie.
Mitchell CARR
Dr. Mitchell Carr is a Lecturer and Clinical Associate with the Small Animal Primary Care team at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island. With a strong foundation in small animal practice, Dr. Carr transitioned to academia in 2021 to share his passion for veterinary medicine with future practitioners. At AVC, Dr. Carr is dedicated to providing exceptional education and clinical care. He teaches pre-clinical primary care courses and supervises fourth-year veterinary students, emphasizing evidence-based medicine and a strong client-patient relationship. Dr. Carr is committed to advancing the field of veterinary medicine and is excited to contribute to the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology.
Marine RULLIER
Dr. Rullier completed her joint doctoral and master’s degree in veterinary medicine program (DMV-MSc) in 2020. Since then, she has been practicing as a general veterinarian in a clinic. In 2022, she decided to go back to school in a Doctorate program (PhD) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal. She studies the link between intestinal microbiota and pruritic dermatological diseases, as well as the use of fecal microbiota transplantation to reduce systemic inflammation during these diseases She takes every opportunity to spend time with her two- and four-legged family.
Jenifer BAKER
Dr. Baker, originally from Alberta, received her veterinary degree from the University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Scotland in 2020. Upon completing her degree, she returned to Alberta to work in general practice for a year, before completing a rotating internship at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island. She completed her 3 year veterinary dermatology residency at North West Veterinary Dermatology Services in July 2025, becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (DACVD®) in 2025.
