Sarah Armstrong

A Torontonian and graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College (2007), Sarah journeyed across Canada to join the VAEC team in July 2009. She is thrilled to be working with such an awesome group... "everyone always trying their hardest to help animals in need, and doing so as a team". When off duty, Sarah enjoys the challenge of rock climbing, especially bouldering and is determined to travel wherever she can climb. Her pet family is made up of 2 cats, Rumple Stiltskin "Rumples" and Little Miss Trouble "Missy", and a parrotlett named "Ducky".

Uschi Craigdallie

Uschi is originally from Switzerland and moved to Toronto with her family at the age of 9. In 1995 she moved to Vancouver to study science at UBC and fell in love with the west coast. After obtaining a B.Sc. in Biopsychology, she later ended up back east to study veterinary medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College. During vet school she was part of Global Vets, a student volunteer organization and traveled to East Africa for 2 months gaining hands on veterinary experience with small and large animals and wildlife. After graduation, Uschi moved right back to the west coast and has been a part of the Vancouver Animal Emergency Team ever since. While at VAEC she has developed an interest in endoscopy (Thank you Eugene!) and has gone on to become trained in this area.

Uschi is a member of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team and traveled to Igloolik, Nunavut in the summer of 2007 for a spay/neuter clinic. Her family includes her husband Steve, Dylan the cat, aka "Fuzzy Man" and Benson the Vizsla, aka "the Turd". She enjoys hiking, mountain biking and squash, and has a real love for food and cooking!

Eugene Gorodetsky

We know Dr. Eugene Gorodetsky as a multi-faceted individual with a wry sense of humor. To illustrate this,we thought we would leave Eugene's bio in his own words:

Born in Ukraine, I immigrated to Canada in 1990. My past life (prior to 1990) experiences in the USSR included mining electrical engineering, fruit picking, a short but eventful career as a performer/singer as well as a two-year stint as a Soviet army sergeant.

Here in Canada, my attempted careers included many professions such as metal junk yard worker, janitor, server, gardener, SPCA shelter worker, carpenter's apprentice and last, but most certainly not least, veterinarian.

I completed my pre-veterinary studies at the University of Alberta, Edmonton and my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in the spring of 2000.

After a short stint in a general small animal practice in the Lower Mainland, I joined the team at VAEC. I enjoy emergency practice just as much as I did when I started. My areas of medical interest include endoscopy, surgery and radiology.

I symbiotically coexist with my lovely wife, two (at times) lovely children, two dogs and a cat. My non-medical interests include reading, music, hiking, kayaking and skiing. I regularly write articles about veterinary care for local Russian newspapers. I am also quite involved in the cultural life of the local Russian community.

Kath Klassen

Although born and raised in Vancouver, Kath's plan was to be a large animal veterinarian. She met her husband while working on a dairy farm on Vancouver Island. Her career path changed direction after hearing Dr. Hosie lecture on emergency medicine at the WCVM. She followed up with a week's externship at VAEC and was hooked! After 3 years of mixed animal practice, Kath landed her dream job at VAEC in 1989, and has been here ever since. In 2007, Kath's responsibilities transferred from emergency medicine to AnimalER's transfusion medicine team, Vancouver Animal Blood Services.

Loves: gardening, old house refurbishing, camping, biking, music, reading

Favorite saying: I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated. - Poul Anderson

Christine Loomis

Christine originally hails from Toronto, and moved out west after completing her veterinary degree at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2007. After graduation she jumped directly into emergency medicine at VAEC and has not looked back. Her interests include feline medicine, internal medicine and exotics.

Her animal family includes two cats: Arnie, a surly old boy and Aggie, the newest addition who enjoys tormenting Arnie. Back in Toronto is the family dog Roscoe, a very cute Bichon with a loveable personality.

Christine's hobbies include swimming, camping, biking, reading, watching movies and of course eating sushi.

Emily McEwen

Emily was born in Vancouver but grew up in many different countries throughout the world, all the while knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would become a veterinarian. Before focusing on academics she traveled extensively, and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2005. Her memorable excursions included backpacking through Europe and Africa, participating with Global Vets in India, and thoroughly enjoying various cultures, ethnic foods and wine along the way. She hopes to soon see Gibraltar and Morocco.

Her interest in Emergency medicine began after a third year vet school rotation here at VAEC where she was attracted to working with a diverse group of supportive team members and to the constant variety of cases. Most importantly she enjoys the contribution that emergency medicine offers, often resulting in saving an individual animal's life. After a few years in private practice, Emily joined our VAEC team in 2007 and plans to specialize in feline medicine in the future.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys biking through the North Shore Mountains, hiking, camping, and balancing an active lifestyle with one of relaxing with good friends. Her most uncharacteristic recent feats include skydiving and cage diving with great white sharks! Emily also volunteers at Charlie's Clinic, a free SPCA clinic for the underprivileged in Vancouver's downtown East side. She lives with her Rhodesian Ridgeback Juma, a puppy mill rescue Wesley, a Budapest rescue marmalade tabby, Henrick and a brown tabby, Buddy.

"Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
- Theodore Roosevelt

Catharine Shankel, Hospital Director

Catharine was born and raised on the North Shore. After completing a BSc in Marine biology at UBC, she went off to study veterinary medicine at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine where she received the Faculty Gold Medal for top student. During her final year of school she spent one month in Uganda participating in research on both wildlife and domestic animals. After a year working in small animal practice in Campbell River, she returned to Vancouver to join the team at Vancouver Animal Emergency Clinic and has been with us since 2005.


Catharine's interests include photography, sailing, and mountain biking.  She and her husband have two young children and a lovebird named Elfie.

Tara White

Tara is an Ontario girl; originally from Milton, she was transplanted to White Rock in her teens and has considered the west coast her home ever since.  She graduated With Distinction from U Vic with a B.Sc. in Biology, and continued her academic career at WCVM in Saskatoon, completing her DVM in 2009 and an Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery in 2010.  She'd heard great things about VAEC and chose to pursue her interests in emergency and critical care here.  Tara especially appreciates the diverse case load and team mentality at VAEC.

At home, Tara keeps company with her husband Adrian, her 10 year old black lab "Tia" and her 3 year old chocolate lab "Bean".  Happy to be back in Vancouver with all it has to offer, when she's not working Tara might be found hiking with her "fur family", snowboarding, rock climbing or S.C.U.B.A. diving.

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." - Martin Buber