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As long as I can remember, I had always wanted to become a veterinarian. I’ve been surrounded by animals all my life – dogs, cats, rabbits, sheep, goats, horses, etc. After receiving my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Montreal in 1986, I earned a MSc in reproduction doing research on embryo transfer in goats.
Then, while raising my five wonderful children, I joined the Mira Foundation, who trains and provides working dogs to the blind, disabled and autistic children. I take care of the dogs from birth all the way to the day they are given to their owners. My free time is spent outdoors, running, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing and walking my 12 year old Chocolat Lab Kaya and my little Yorshire “serial biter” Dexter. I’m thankful for a fulfilling life, great kids I adore and a gratifying job.
Becoming a veterinarian was an early childhood dream. During vet school, my grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes. This spiked my interest in nutrition and its effect on carbohydrate metabolism. Cats are a fascinating species when it comes to nutrient requirements and carbohydrate metabolism. Also, the resemblance between feline diabetes and human type II diabetes mellitus is striking – the focus of my PhD at Ghent University in Belgium.
After this I completed a postdoctoral fellowship and became board certified with the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. My cat, Chanel, has been my trusted companion. When my professional career brought me to Canada, she immigrated with me. My professional goal is to improve the nutritional knowledge of veterinary healthcare teams through research, education and clinical service.
Since I was a little girl living in Brazil, I knew that animals and teaching were two great passions of mine. It was a no-brainer for me to answer to the typical question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I never hesitated to say that I wanted to be a professor working with animals. I am not sure if I knew exactly of what my dream entailed, but I can say, now, that it was a long, arduous journey, but so worth it!
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences, Master’s and doctoral degrees in Animal and Food Sciences, and a postdoctoral training in companion animal and comparative nutrition. I have dedicated my professional life to investigate and understand the interplay between nutrition and food processing on animals’ health, well-being, and quality of life. I have two beautiful 4-legged children, Blue, a domestic shorthair cat, who is actually orange/buff in color, and Tulip, a sassy and energetic Golden Retriever. They are a daily reminder of my passion and dedication to my career.
