The Can-Am Crown Veterinary Staff for 2008

	Nick Pesut VMD		Dr. Nick Pesut graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He has practiced at the Presque Isle Animal Hospital in Presque Isle, Maine since 1984, and he and his wife Andrea have owned the practice since 1991. Nick has worked at every CanAm Crown as a trail vet, and this will be his fifth year as chief veterinarian. He has also worked the Eagle Lake 100 since its inception. Nick's greatest enjoyment at these sled dog races has been meeting and working with some wonderful people from the volunteers to the mushers and the veterinary staff. Nick is a member of the AVMA, MVMA, and ISDVMA. Veterinary medicine has been a great profession for Nick, and the Can-Am Crown races have been among his most enjoyable veterinary experiences.
	Jeremy Bither DVM		Jeremy Bither graduated from Tufts University with his degree in veterinary medicine. Born and raised in Millinocket, ME he now works in a mixed animal practice in Oakland, ME serving small animal and dairy clients. Jeremy assisted with the Sandwich Notch races during veterinary school (02 & 03). He assisted with the Can Am Crown during the final two years of his veterinary training (03 & 04) and then served as a Trail Veterinarian in 2006 and 2007. Jeremy is a member of the AVMA (American Vet. Med. Assoc.), MeVMA (Maine Vet. Med. Assoc.), and ISDVMA (Int. Sled Dog Vet. Med. Assoc.).
	Kirsten Graham DVM		Kirsten M. Graham skipped class to volunteer as a Vet Assistant at the Can-Am for 3 of her 4 years as a vet student. She graduated in 2005 from the Ontario Veterinary College and served as a Can-Am Crown Trail Veterinarian in 2006 and 2007. Dr. Graham is one of the few members of the veterinary crew who is bilingual and she looks forward to brushing up her French-speaking skills with the Quebecois mushers. Kirsten is currently working as a mixed animal practitioner in Ontario, Canada, where the chilly late-night farm calls have conditioned her for working the Can-Am.
	Turner Lewis DVM		E. Turner Lewis received his veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1968. He practiced in Stoneham, MA, until April of 1971, at which time he established his own practice in Chelsea, MA, where he still works. In that community, he is a Director of the Chamber of Commerce, a member and past president of the Chelsea Rotary Club, and a Director of the Chelsea Provident-Cooperative Bank.   Turner has resided in Wakefield, MA, since 1968 with his wife, Kay. (Kay volunteered as a cook at Maibec in 2004, and she volunteered to help out again in 2006.) They have two adult children (both married) and three grandchildren.   Dr. Lewis has provided veterinary care for the Iditarod from 1993 through 2005, except for 1994. He has also participated in the Kusco 300 in Alaska in 1995, the John Beargrease in Minnesota in 1998, the Yukon Quest in Canada and Alaska in 1998, the Race to the Sky in Montana in 1999 and 2002, the UP 200 in Michigan in 2001, and the Can-Am Crown in 2004 and 2006. Currently, Turner is the secretary/treasurer of the ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association).
	Steve Swank DVM		Steve Swank is a 1974 graduate of the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. He and his wife, Gayle (a veterinary technician) have owned and operated the Oak Hill Animal Hospital in Oak Hill, West Virginia since 1977. In 1993 and 1994, Dr. Swank served as president of the West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, and in 1996 he was named Veterinarian of the Year. He is a member of the ISDVMA and has served on veterinary teams for the Iditarod, the Yukon Quest, the Race to the Sky, and the John Beargrease. Steve is looking forward to serving on the Can-Am Crown veterinary team.
	Karen Stasiak DVM		In 2001 Karen Stasiak graduated from Ohio State University with her DVM. Currently, she and her husband, Steven, work in their own private mixed animal practice in Loveland, Colorado. Karen also works as a nurse practitioner for Children's Hospital in Denver, and she served as a Can-Am Crown trail veterinarian in 2007.
	Steven Stasiak DVM		Steven Stasiak graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. He currently shares a mixed animal mobile practice with his wife, Karen, in Loveland, Colorado. Steven also served as a Can-Am Crown trail veterinarian in 2007.
	Jackie Piepkorn DVM		Dr Jackie is a 1990 graduate of Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and a 1983 graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She has been practicing veterinary medicine for more than ten years at Westonka Animal Hospital. Her areas of interests are in ophthalmology, endocrinology, and sports medicine for dogs. She is very involved with the canine athletes, the sled dogs and the hunting dogs. She was the 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and Year 2002 Chief Veterinarian for the John Beargrease marathon sled dog race in Minnesota. Dr. Piepkorn has also served as a Can-Am Crown trail veterinarian in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Being an active member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medicine Association(ISDVMA) and the American Canine Sports Medicine Association(ACSMA) has allowed her additional insight into the special nutritional and conditioning needs of these athletes.
	Earladeen MacGregor DVM		Dr. MacGregor earned her veterinary degree from Ontario Veterinary College. At times she has traveled to Fort Kent all the way from her home province of British Columbia to serve as a Can-Am Crown trail veterinarian. Earladeen is also a marathon runner who has competed strongly in marathon races in Hawaii, British Columbia, and Ontario.
	Cindy Fuhs DVM		Dr. Cindy Fuhs graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003, and has owned her own mixed large animal ambulatory practice (Still River Veterinary Services) since that time. Cindy provides general medical, surgical, reproductive, dental and emergency services to her equine, bovine, small ruminant and camelid patients, with a focus on wellness and prevention. She also provides general wellness services to her clients with dogs and cats on the farm. Cindy has been volunteering for the Can-Am Crown races since 2002 while still a veterinary student at Tufts, and she has served as a Can-Am Trail Veterinarian in both 2004 and 2007. Cindy has a keen interest in endurance sports, animals in general, and just about anything that involves being outside, but what she finds most enjoyable about the Can-Am are the people associated with this special event. Cindy is a member of the AVMA, MVMA, AAEP, AASRP and the ISDVMA and resides year-round in Bolton, MA with her family (both two- and four-footed).
	Sheila Morrissey DVM		"I grew up with an Alaskan Malamute and adopted my first Siberian through the Univ. of Minnesota Veterinary School before I graduated in 1983. My love of the breed has grown from there. I then became interested in all aspects of dog sledding, from driving my dogs recreationally to working on race vet teams. I am a member of the ISDVMA and the American Canine Sports Medicine Assoc. as well as being the Genetics Chairman for the Siberian Husky Club of America(SHCA) and the Eastern Representative of the SHCA's Working Pack Dog program. I am married and have two sons and own my own veterinary practice in Greenfield, Mass. In my spare time and for fun I compete with my Siberians in obedience."
	Donna McCaughey DVM		Donna McCaughey is a 2005 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College in Canada. She is currently practicing as a mixed animal veterinarian in Pennsylvania. This will be Dr. McCaughey's third year working as a Can-Am Crown trail veterinarian. Previously, she also volunteered as a Can-Am veterinary assistant for 3 years while in vet school. Donna is extremely passionate about sled dog medicine and is looking forward to working with the mushers and dogs.
	Laurie Brewer DVM		Dr. Brewer graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2004 with a Ph.D. in Molecular Virology and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Her medical interests include: Avian medicine, Cardiology and Imaging. Camping, kayaking, and hiking brought Laurie to Brewer, Maine, where she joined the staff at the Brewer Veterinary Clinic in August of 2006. Her family includes her two cats and two parrots. Dr. Brewer volunteered for 2 years at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon held in Duluth.
	Laura McConnell DVM		Dr. Mac grew up in a military family. While she grew up in the midwest and New England, her teenage years landed her in Texas, where she attended college in San Angelo, TX, and then completed veterinary school at Texas A&M University in 2002. She practiced on both large and small animals for her first few years out of school, but then downsized to only small animal work, in order to get more experience in canine sports medicine. Last year, she moved to Maine to get back to her Northern roots ... she missed winter! She also has been avidly interested in sled dog medicine for many years and wanted to get closer to the action. She is a member of the AVMA, MeVMA, and ISDVMA and can speak a fair bit of French. She currently practices full time as an associate veterinarian at North Windham Veterinary Hospital in Windham, Maine. She keeps busy hiking, biking, and working with her own dogs, who are involved in dock jumping, agility, and pulling sports. This will be Dr. Mac's first experience with the Can-Am.
	Candace Hersey-Benner DVM		"Candace Hersey-Benner graduated from Tufts University with her degree in veterinary medicine in 2007. She is currently an intern in the Exotics service at Tufts University and sees reptiles, birds, and many small furry animals every day. Being a native of Caribou, ME, she longs to return to Maine and see exotics exclusively after her internship this year. Previously, Candace has worked the Can-Am Crown trails as a student ('07 races) and returns this year as a Trail Veterinarian. She shares her home in Massachusetts with her two aussies, a few cats, a couple of rabbits, and one fabulous husband!"
	Sarah Grossman DVM		"Dr. Grossman earned her veterinary degree from Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She currently works at the Amesbury Animal Hospital, a mixed-animal practice in Amesbury, MA, serving both large and small animal clients. She volunteered as a veterinary assistant in 2007 with her good friend, Dr. Hersey and she is excited to be a part of this special event again."