Dr. Tess van Kan grew up in Cleveland, OH. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Findlay in 2014, where she developed a deep interest for the intersection of human and animal health. This led her to pursue a master’s degree in infectious disease and global health from Tufts University in 2016. From there, she received a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri in 2021. Throughout her academic career, she was involved with many research efforts, but especially focused on diseases that could affect both humans and animals (called zoonoses). She has even worked with tick and mosquito borne diseases for the CDC!
After graduation, she wanted to develop a more diverse approach to fostering the human-animal bond and went into clinical practice. One of the most exciting things she discovered about veterinary medicine is that no two days are ever the same and this is especially true in the case of emergency and critical care! She has found a real passion for being able to provide hospital services to her patients in their greatest times of need. On this front, she is committed to providing a high standard of care to help improve her patients’ quality of life and clinical outcomes wherever possible. Sometimes that also means providing a gentle and compassionate environment to help us say goodbye. Both ends of the spectrum are just as important.
In her spare time, she enjoys being outside (rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, paddleboarding) with her wife and two dogs. She is also an avid gamer and loves building/upgrading her PC and finding the next great computerized world to immerse herself in.
