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James Q. Knight D.V.M.
Director of Animal Science Programs
Dr. Knight is a 1973 graduate of Michigan State University. After 12 years in Glendale, Arizona in mixed practice he became USDA Veterinary Medical Officer for Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Dr. Knight then returned to private practice and has worked in several small animal practices as well as in two non-profit facilities. He became Director of the Animal Science Programs at Becker College in September of 2002.
Dr. Knight's special interests in Veterinary Medicine include shelter medicine, surgical sterilization of dogs and cats and animal welfare. He is past President of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association, past Chair of the Animal Welfare Committee and current Chair of the Veterinary Technicians Committee. Dr. Knight is founder of Link-UP Education Network, an organization of professionals trying to break the link between animal abuse and violence to people and is a founding member and board member of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition. He currently teaches Veterinary Ethics and Companion Animal Diseases and directs the field trips for students to local animal shelters.
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Gail Hartman D.V.M.
Director of Veterinary Clinical Services
Dr. Hartman is the Director of Veterinary Clinical Services for Becker College's veterinary clinic. Following graduation from Pennsylvania State University; she worked as a veterinary technician for eight years including three years as a Peace Corp volunteer in Africa. Dr. Hartman worked in research and clinical laboratories and as a nurse in a busy veterinary hospital. In 1980 she entered the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. After graduation, Dr. Hartman worked as a small animal clinician on the North Shore. In 1996 she became a Staff Veterinarian at Becker College.
Dr. Hartman is the primary instructor in Veterinary Anesthesia. This is a course taught in the second year of the Veterinary Technology Program and has both a lecture and a lab. The students help the Veterinarian and Surgery Technician perform surgical procedures on client-owned animals. Thus the students have a taste of "real-life" within the laboratory setting. Dr. Hartman also sees small animal outpatient appointments with students three days per week. The Lenfest Animal Health Center is open to the public to see mainly dogs and cats.
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Full-Time Faculty
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Charlotte Newell D.V.M.
Faculty Chair/Equine Studies Program
Associate Professor and Staff Veterinarian
Dr. Newell started out at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, left to milk cows and work with horses, later wandered back indoors as a research technician and finally returned to school at the University of Massachusetts in Boston to complete her degree. She spent time as a small animal Veterinary Technician in a private practice and later at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital while applying to veterinary school. Dr. Newell attended the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and graduated in 1987.
When not teaching, Dr. Newell does solo mixed ambulatory practice, primarily large animal/equine. She is also interested and has pursued continuing education in veterinary acupuncture and herbal medicine. Dr. Newell does some competitive trail judging for ECTRA, and has a small breeding program involving preservation breeding of Syrian Arabian horses. She has been known to foxhunt when her horse is fit enough and to show occasionally. Dr. Newell is the Faculty Chair for the Equine Studies Program and teaches in the Veterinary Technology, Veterinary Science, Pre-Vet and Equine Studies Programs.
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Paula Northrop M.S., D.V.M.
Associate Professor and Staff Veterinarian
Dr. Northrop received her Bachelor's Degree in Zoology from the University of Vermont and then spent three years as a Research Assistant at Yale Medical School. She continued her interest in medicine and animal health at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst obtaining a Master of Science in Veterinary and Animal Science. Dr. Northrop left New England to attend veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduation she practiced small animal medicine before returning to New England for an internship.
Dr. Northrop came to Becker College in 1995. She has held the position of Attending Veterinarian and is presently Associate Professor and Staff Veterinarian. Dr. Northrop teaches in the Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Science and Pre-Veterinary majors.
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Dr. Margaret Delano
Associate Professor and Staff Veterinarian
Dr. Delano joined the Becker College Animal Sciences faculty during summer 2009. After earning a B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at University of Maine at Orono, she worked as a research assistant in radiopharmaceutical research for several years and during that time earned a M.S. in Pharmacology at Northeastern University. Dr. Delano graduated from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and spent two years in a busy mixed animal private practice in southeastern Massachusetts. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship and serving as a clinician and lecturer in Comparative Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and becoming a Diplomat of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, she has worked in academia (including private colleges, universities and medical schools) for fifteen years as a laboratory animal medicine clinician, administrator, and member of institutional animal care and use committees. Dr. Delano serves on standing committees of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (currently on the Educational Resources Committee, and in the past on the Certification and Registry Board) and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association (the veterinary technician committee, the public health and communicable diseases committee, and the animal welfare committee). She has served as a trustee and a member of the Board of Directors for an animal shelter in western Massachusetts.
Dr. Delano has a lifelong involvement with 4-H activities and maintains a small farm with a flock of sheep, a llama, horses, cats, and a dog. At Becker College, she is teaching the Laboratory Animal Science courses, and Anatomy and Physiology, and is contributing perspectives of a laboratory animal medicine clinician to other courses. Dr. Delano is also seeing clinical appointments at the Becker Veterinary Clinic two afternoons a week.
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Mary Ellen Davis M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
Dr. Davis began her career at Becker College as an Adjunct Faculty then joined the faculty in 1995. A graduate of the University of Vermont in Physical Therapy she holds a Master of Science in Neurophysiology from the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D in Neuroscience from Brown University. Dr. Davis teaches General Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and 'Brain' and 'Behavior' with students in all disciplines of the College.
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Stella Richard M.S., M.A., C.V.T.
Professor
Professor Richard attended Colorado Mountain College and received an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology. After working in a small animal private practice for two years, she was accepted into the Animal Medical Center of New York's Veterinary Technician Internship Program. During the year-long internship Professor Richard specialized in emergency and critical care with a special interest in cardiology. She later attended Arizona State University and earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Zoology. She also completed a Master of Arts in Education, and has worked at Tufts University/Vet Idexx Laboratories.
Professor Richard teaches Hematology in the Veterinary Technology Program, Primatology, and Senior Seminar in the Veterinary Science Programs. She also acts as the Outreach Liaison helping students find externship sites and supervises students while off-campus in externships.
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Janardan Kumar Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Microbiology
Prior to coming to Becker College while a Research Assistant Professor at Tufts University, Dr. Kumar engineered a new digital perfusion system that is used for the discovery of drugs to treat glaucoma. He published his work in a highly reputed journal Science on kinectin, that is a novel diagnostic marker of autoimmune diseases while a research associate and Research Assistant Professor at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. In addition to this work, he identified a successful strategy of making insulin producing cells from human skin fibroblast (human adult stem cells), while a staff scientist at TEI, Boston.
Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. from the Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow, India and an M.S. from the University of Allahabad in India, both in Biochemistry. He is teaching students in all programs while a member of the Humanities and Sciences faculty at Becker College. He is actively engaged in reviewing book chapters and the advancement of course curriculum of Microbiology and Chemistry.
Dr. Kumar’s future goals are to advance specialized technical skills to the students of Nursing and Veterinary Science in the areas of Biotechnology and Eye Research in order to expand the job opportunities for students with these particular skills. His long term goal is to assist in promoting both research establishment in these fields and federal funding opportunities at Becker College.
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Drew Howard M.S., M.A.
Professor
Professor Howard joined the faculty of Becker College in 1978. Initially he was a full-time instructor in the Veterinary Technology Program and was instrumental in the establishment of the Animal Care Program. This program was developed in response to the genuine need for college-educated individuals to be actively involved in training, boarding, showing, grooming and numerous other animal related fields.
Professor Howard received a B.S. in Biology at Keene State College. He earned an M.S. in Animal Science at Ohio State University. Professor Howard was the Operations Manager of the very large Humane Society in Wichita, Kansas. While teaching at Becker College he earned his M.A. in Biology at Anna Maria College.
Professor Howard believes in the need for a sound academic foundation in all of his students. One of his primary objectives is to provide students with the informational tools that will allow them to go "out in the world" and apply what they have learned.
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Adjunct Faculty
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Denise Jones
Groomer and Adjunct Faculty
Professor Jones has been a groomer for over twenty years. She owns and operates a grooming and boarding facility in Sutton, MA. "TLC Pet Haven" offers on-site and at-home grooming, pet daycare as well as long-term boarding, and also carries an inventory of pet supplies. Professor Jones has been an Instructor and Groomer at Becker College since 1996. Bringing to the classroom a wealth of on-the-job experience, Professor Jones teaches Grooming and Kennel Management in the Animal Care Program.
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Katey Kintzer B.S.
Adjunct Faculty
Professor Kintzer has her Bachelor degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire where her special area of interest was in Equine Studies. She has worked throughout the veterinary profession as a behaviorist, dog obedience trainor, and as a large animal anesthesia technician at both Cornell University and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Professor Kintzer also has her own consultant business in animal behavior and training. At Becker College she teaches in the Animal Care, Veterinary Science and Equine Studies Programs.
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Frederick A. Liberatore, B.A, Ph.D.
Laboratory Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Liberatore was an Air Force veteran before earning a B.A. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Protein Biochemistry. After post-doctoral studies, he pursued a career as an Industrial Biochemist for over 25 years in research, development and manufacturing projects. Dr. Liberatore was hired by Becker College in 2006 to manage the laboratories, handle ordering for the Natural Sciences Department and teach Organic Chemistry. His philosophy for teaching is to give the students an understanding of organic chemistry in order that they will find it a useful tool in their own fields of study.
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Clinic Staff
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Laurie Bebick C.V.T.
Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
Laurie joined the Becker College staff in August 2000. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1987 with a degree in Animal Science. Laurie has worked for the Worcester Ecotarium as a Zookeeper. She currently teaches the sophomore Surgical Nursing and Anesthesia course.
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Toni Creegan B.S., C.V.T.
Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
Toni graduated from Becker College in 2001 earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Science. While at Becker College she was able to complete her internships at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital and Franklin Park Zoo. After earning her degree Toni went on to work with small animals. She has spent 10 years of her career working exclusively with cats which she enjoyed. In that time Toni has had experience with radioactive iodine a treatment used to cure hyperthyroid disease in cats and with laser surgery. Toni joined the Lenfest Animal Health Center in August of 2008 as a Clinic Technician. She will be working in the clinic and will be helping to instruct labs.
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David Dion A.S., C.V.T.
Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
David graduated from the Veterinary Technology Program at Newbury College in 1983. Following graduation he was employed in local veterinary practices in the central Massachusetts area until 1996. Beginning in the fall of 1996, David became a Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor at the Lenfest Animal Health Center at Becker College. He teaches in the Veterinary Technology, Veterinary Science and Pre-Veterinary Programs.
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Jane Kelly A.S., C.V.T.
Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
Jane is a Certified Veterinary Technician with more than twenty years experience. She specializes in Clinical Pathology (Parasitology and Hematology). Jane spent nearly ten years at the Clinical Stat Laboratory for the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. She has also worked in private practice. Jane teaches Clinical Pathology to the Veterinary Technology and Pre-Veterinary students as well as working at the Lenfest Animal Health Center.
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Kristen Mothershed, L.A.T.
Staff Veterinary Technician
Kristen earned her Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science Bioscience and Technology from the University of New Hampshire. Prior to Becker College, she worked at Shire Pharmaceuticals in Boston, MA helping develop ADHD medication, research on Fabry’s and Gaucher’s diseases through in vivo and in vitro research. Kristen was employed at Ischemix, Inc. in Maynard, MA where she contributed to a publication for cardiac ischemia research in rats. Kristen has worked on farms and at veterinary clinics, has a cat, two dogs and enjoys veterinary science very much. Kristen joined the Lenfest Animal Health Care Clinic in August of 2009 where she will be working and helping to instruct laboratories.
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Dawna Sauvageau, A.S.
Staff Veterinary Technician
Dawna graduated from Becker College in 1979 with an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology. She has worked in many small animal clinics in the area. Dawna is currently working as a Staff Technician in the Lenfest Animal Health Care Clinic at Becker College.
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Kathryn Silberman C.V.T, B.S., M.B.A.
Staff Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
Kathryn holds an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology from Becker College and a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Business Administration from Boston University. She has experience in large and small animal veterinary medicine and research. Kate teaches in the Veterinary Technology, Veterinary Science and Pre-Veterinary Programs.
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Melissa Supernor, CVT, AS, BS, VTS(SAIM)
Veterinary Technician and Clinical Instructor
In 1990, Melissa graduated from Becker College with an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Worcester State College. She spent fourteen years working at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, working in many departments, including Oncology, Wards, and Radiology. In 1999, Melissa became the only Small Animal Internal Medicine Technician, where she worked with the in-patient and out-patient medicine patients and also was an instructor of small animal nursing and technical skills for the fourth-year veterinary students in. She also was a nutritional consultant and lecturer for the Nestle Purina company.
Melissa is an active member of both the Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association (MVTA) and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). She has written articles for Veterinary Technician, on the cover of which she was featured in August 2004. Since 2004, Melissa has been on the founding committee and assisted with the development of the Academy of Internal Medicine Veterinary Technicians (AIMVT). As of June 2008, Melissa holds her VTS specialty in Small Animal Internal Medicine.
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Administration
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Jennifer R. Capewell, B.A.
Administrative Assistant to the Director of Animal Science Programs
Jennifer graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a B.A. in Spanish and a Certificate in Latin American Studies. She brings to Becker College over eighteen years of academic administration experience. Jennifer was a Financial Administrative Assistant at both the Harvard-Radcliffe College and the Harvard School of Public Health, and a Financial Aid Officer at the Harvard JFK School of Government. She also established a private tutoring business and was an MCAS Tutor for Oxford High School. More recent positions have been as the Mass-TEC Program Assistant at Quinsigamond Community College and the Assistant to the Director of the Clark Fund at Clark University. Jennifer comes to Becker College as the Assistant to the Director of the Animal Science Programs and provides part-time office management in the Becker Veterinary Clinic.
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Stacy S. Specht, A.S., B. S.
Office Manager for the Becker College Veterinary Clinic
Stacy Specht holds an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology from the State University of New York at Delhi and a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies from Becker College.
Stacy was employed as a research technician at the State University of New York at Buffalo working with rabbits and sheep. As a licensed animal technician, she worked in both mixed and small animal veterinary practices in New York and Massachusetts. In addition to her teaching and managerial duties at Becker College, Stacy owns and operates a family pet sitting/dog walking service in Leicester.
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Kennel Staff
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Kara Rudgis B.S., A.S.
Kennel Manager
Kara is a full-time Kennel Supervisor at the Lenfest Animal Health Center. She began caring for teaching dogs and cats at Becker in 1998, after working for several years in companion animal practices in Massachusetts. She earned an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology and a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Science.
While at Becker, Kara was able to complete internships at Worcester's EcoTarium and Disney World's Animal Kingdom. In addition to her position as a Kennel Supervisor, she is also an Assistant Instructor for Becker College's Dog Obedience Course. Kara's experiences at Becker College have given her a great appreciation for the lessons that can be learned from animals.
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Julia Fetheroff
Kennel Supervisor
Julia joined the Becker College community as a full time student in 2006 after spending three years working for a pet shop which reintroduced her to her love for animals. She had spent three years previously attending Worcester State College working on an Education and Science Degree but chose to change majors and is currently completing her Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology and her Bachelors Degree in Veterinary Science with a Pre Veterinary Concentration. With an interest in zoo animal care, animal behavior and medicine, as well as a continued interest in education, Julia has completed internships at Banfield Animal Hospital and Southwick’s Zoo.
Julia started working at the Lenfest Animal Health Center at the end of 2008 as a part-time Kennel Supervisor where she cares for the resident animals as well as educates the students. Julia intends to continue to work at Southwick’s Zoo as a volunteer and is also an active member of Becker Colleges Animal Health Club. She feels that there is much that can be learned from observing all animal behavior and continues to enjoy every minute doing so.
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Gretchen Gallagher
Kennel Supervisor
After several years as an Animal Care Specialist at Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford, MA, Gretchen Gallagher enrolled as a student at Becker College in the Fall of 2004. She has earned her Associate Degree in Veterinary Technology and is currently completing the Bachelor program in Veterinary Science. She has a strong interest in zoo animal care and training, and has completed internships at Worcester’s EcoTarium and Southwick’s Zoo to enhance her companion animal education.
Gretchen worked in the Lenfest Animal Health Center as a student and teaching assistant for three years prior to obtaining her position as a Kennel Supervisor in 2008. She takes her responsibilities to the animals in the program to heart, and looks forward to working with students who have an equal appreciation for all that four-legged companions have to offer!
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Lesley Whitney, A.S.
Kennel Supervisor
Lesley is a part-time Kennel Supervisor at the Lenfest Animal Health Center. She started working at the Becker College kennel as a student and Kennel Teaching Assistant before being promoted to her supervisory position. Lesley has earned her Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology from Becker College and is currently completing the Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Science. She has been employed and interned as a Technician at both the Hudson Animal Hospital and Banfield Pet Hospital. Lesley is interested in pursuing employment with both large and small animals after graduating from Becker College. She enjoys working with every animal in the teaching program and getting to know their unique personalities.
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