Veterinarians
Nadine Koreman, DVM—Owner
Dr. Nadine Koreman, owner of AECFV, finds the work that she and the rest of the staff does each day "exciting, challenging, unpredictable and rewarding." She loves taking care of animals.
Dr. Koreman finds the most rewarding part of her job "successfully treating very critical patients and seeing them walk out the door with their owners." She remembers specifically the case of performing emergency stomach surgery on a pregnant dog and having the dog delivery healthy puppies just three weeks later. Dr. Koreman also enjoys working with exotic pets, such as bears, cougars and bobcats.
Dr. Koreman studied Agricultural Sciences at the University of British Columbia and went on to graduate from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1992. She was the recipient of her graduating class's Gold Medal and the Small Animal Surgery Award. Her focus today is on emergency medicine, soft tissue surgery and obstetrics.
She is a member of the British Columbia College of Veterinarians, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. Her husband, Rob Koreman, is manager of the Clinic.
Dr. Koreman enjoys getting away on vacation with the entire family and her golden retrievers and horses make up the ingredients for her hobbies.
Chris Collingwood, DVM
Dr. Chris Collingwood has been an emergency veterinarian with AECFV since September of 2004. He enjoys the excitement of working with animals and is motivated by each successful diagnosis and therapy of every animal that enters the clinic.
Dr. Collingwood worked throughout college and university at a small animal clinic in rural British Columbia. He received his degree in Biology from the University of Victoria in 1996 and graduated with his DVM from Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000, having graduated with distinction. He was also the recipient of the College's Ophthalmology Award. Today, Dr. Collingwood's focus is on emergency medicine and endoscopy.
He is a member of the College of British Columbia Veterinarians and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Collingwood is married to Charlotte, a dental hygienist, and they have two children, Caitlyn, 7, who is a soccer and short track speed skating enthusiast and Cai, 3, who, according to his father, spends his time "doing whatever he shouldn't be doing."
Dr. Collingwood, who has a commercial pilot's license, spends his free time training for ultra-marathons and trail races, fishing, flying and playing soccer.
Kandace Henry, DVM
Dr. Kandace Henry grew up in Denver, Colorado where she decided early on she would be either a veterinarian or a concert pianist. She was waylaid for four years at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, lured in by a truly inspiring recruiting brochure that made a military education seem like a summer camp. After earning her degree in Engineering Sciences, she managed Top Secret communications networks in Germany (seriously!) then served as an interpreter in Provence before leaving the US Air Force to work in corporate America. Random life events occured, some happy, some sad, that resulted in Kandace attending the college of Veterinary Medicine at University of Tennessee and earning several scholarships and awards along the way. Upon graduation, she completed a prestigious but grueling internship at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver where she developed a love for the fast pace and constant challenge of emergency medicine. She is also interested in ophthalmology, soft tissue surgery and anatomic pathology.
Kandace loves travelling, learning languages, broccoli and waffles (sometimes at the same time), running, yoga, disco balls, piñatas, hand lotion, unique band-aids and playing geeky video games. She wants to learn to play the fiddle but will settle for the ukulele. She counts climbing Kilimanjaro and becoming a vet as two of the great accomplishments of her life. In an ideal world, Kandace would trot across the globe saving endangered species and companion animals while revolutionizing wildlife conservation. She might stop occasionally to play a Mussorgsky tune. For now, she is ecstatic to be here in BC with her ridiculously affectionate cats (Suki & Bang) and her near-perfect man.
Nikki Licht, DVM
Dr. Nikki Licht joined the staff at the Emergency Animal Clinic of the Fraser Valley in January of 2012. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Guelph and was awarded her DVM from Ontario Veterinary College in 1996.
Dr. Licht shares her home with two dogs, Matilda, a mixed breed who was adopted after she was surrendered at an animal hospital while terribly ill, and Pippa, a 2-year old Jack Russell. She also has two cats, Myrah, and Kelvin, who Dr. Licht adopted after he was found almost frozen while still just a kitten.
Gurpreet Deol, DVM
Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Gurpreet Deol grew up in Ludhiana in the Punjab State of northern India. "Raised in an urban area, our family included a female dog named Goofy. She was probably the most loved dog. I started reading about dog care, vaccinations, deworming, grooming for dogs. It turned out that my interest in all species turned into a passion to learn about the health and disease of animals," said Dr. Deol.
Dr. Deol graduated in 1996 from the College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Punjab Agricultural University, India with the highest grade point average in his class and then again in 2000 from Purdue University in the United States. His primary motivation, Dr. Deol said, "is helping pets in both health and sickness."
His most memorable professional moment came during the holidays in 2006 when a "female Straffordshire Terrier was assisted in continuing with the delivery of her puppies. She had delivered two puppies but then stopped contracting. With oxytocin injections, it took her two hours to deliver the rest of her puppies. Then the owner discovered that she had delivered one puppy in the truck. The puppy was cold and stiff, however it survived. The puppy was named Miracle."
Dr. Deol is a member of College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC), Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) and since 2005 has been a Federal Veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
When not working with animals, Dr. Deol spends his time gardening, cooking and watching comedies.
Cherri Beltran, DVM
General Practitioner and emergency veterinarian Dr. Cherri Beltran has been with AECFV since 2010. Her love for animals and veterinary medicine was instilled in her by a teacher from the 7th grade. "I had a teacher who was passionate about science. He created a love of science in me, and I combined that with my love for animals. I decided to become a veterinarian at 13 years of age," she says.
Her main passion today is "helping people with their pets, educating clients and strengthening the bond between humans and animals."
One of the success stories she remembers is the time when a young family came in because their pet hamster had been run over by a toy fire truck driven by their two year old. "I had to do surgery, but the hamster did well and the family was thrilled."
Dr. Beltran received her undergraduate degree in Pharmacology from the University of Guelph in 1994. She was an active member of the University's First Aid Response Team.
She was a member of the Class of 1998 from Ontario Veterinary College and today specializes in emergency care, ultrasound and internal medicine.
Dr. Beltran is fluent in Spanish and spends some of her free time caring for Tuppy, a Yorkshire Terrier who was left to her by elderly clients and whom she calls "The one-eyed Wonderdog." Her four year old Whippet is called Burundi. Dr. Beltran enjoys hiking, sports, gardening and "anything adventurous."
Stephanie Hancock, DVM
Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Stephanie Hancock has been with AECFV since November of 2010. When growing up in Brighton, Ontario, Dr. Hancock "worked with an emergency practitioner in school and travelled to hobby farms and worked with goats and sheep, as well as large stables with 60 or more horses. In the middle of it all, we would examine and treat the barn cat."
Dr. Hancock also spent part of her youth volunteering during high school at the Northumberland Veterinary Services and continued to spend summers working with that organization during university—she started as a VA, worked as a VOA and worked her way up to veterinary technician duties.
She did her undergraduate work at the University of Guelph where she received her degree in Animal Biology, graduating with honours. She received her DVM from Ontario Veterinary College in 2008, and today has an interest in anesthesiology, animal behaviour and emergency medicine. She is a member of the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Hancock's extended family of pets includes her Shepherd X Fergie, who was adopted from a rescue organization in Ontario; Murphy, a Springer Spaniel, and three cats named Stella, Mortimer and Wilbur.
She enjoys yoga, hiking, kayaking and cooking.
Brina Bunt, DVM
Dr. Brina Bunt learned how to pronounce the word "veterinarian" when she was just three years old, "and I have wanted to be a veterinarian since I can remember." Today she is an emergency veterinarian and has been with us since December of 2011. She is originally from Seattle.
Dr. Bunt began volunteering at an emergency animal hospital when she was 15. "From that time on until I attended vet school, I worked as a technician in small animal hospitals and as an intern at the Woodland Park Zoo and P.A.W.S. Wildlife rehabilitation center." Dr. Bunt also worked on fishing boats in Alaska and helped to herd cattle on a ranch in Montana. Over the years she has worked with elephants, rhinoceri and in such far flung places as India and Kenya.
She earned a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Washington and then went on to the Royal Veterinary College in London. There she earned her DVM in 2007.
"My favorite part of being a veterinarian," she said. "Is improving the quality of life of animals and making their humans happy. I have the best career in the world and believe I should use my knowledge to make a positive difference for individuals, and to make the world a better place for animals and their people."
Dr. Bunt is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the American Veterinary Medical Association and Vets Beyond Borders. She volunteered at the Jeevashram Foundation for Vets Beyond Borders Indian veterinarian training program.
She and her husband Matthew share their home with Peanut, a ginger cat, that was rescued in Virginia.
Laura Kortschak, DVM
A native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, General Practitioner Dr. Laura Kortschak has been working at AECFV since March of 2007.
Dr. Kortschak was a pet lover as a child and remains motivated by "working with people and their pets."
Dr. Kortschak received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science and Poultry Science from the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph in 1982. She graduated from Ontario Veterinary College, also at the University of Guelph, in 1986. Today she runs her own practice and has a special interest in dentistry. She is a member of CVBC, SVBC, and CVMA.
Her family of pets includes a Border Terrier named Trixie, a domestic short haired cat named Simon and a domestic medium haired cat named Russell. Her outside interests include bootcamp, singing in the church choir, gardening, and attending the Highland Games and Dance competitions with her children.
Her husband Ernie is an engineer with Dupont Canada and they have three children, Eric, Collin and Meaghan.
Kim Corfield, DVM
General Practitioner Dr. Kim Corfield has been working with the Animal Emergency Clinic at the AECFV since the summer of 2010. Her goal is "helping people help their animal family."
She started helping animals when she was growing up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. "As a child I was saving baby birds, stray cats, dogs—I even tried to save snakes and assorted rodents. My mother was not impressed."
Dr. Corfield received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Brock University, where she published poetry and helped raise funds for the local SPCA. She received her DVM from Atlantic Veterinary Hospital in 2004 and now enjoys surgery, ophthalmology and dermatology.
Her favorite professional memory is "saving a hamster for an 8-year old girl. My first operation was an amputation of its hind limb after a previous vet had recommended euthanasia."
She spends time with her family of pets, including Ryan, a mixed breed lab, and Baxter, who Dr. Corfield adopted from a local animal hospital. In her free time she wakeboards, skis, practices yoga and attends boot camp.