Meet Dr. Lynn Henderson, veterinary director of OVC’s Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program
When picturing a veterinarian, you might think of a clinician examining an animal or reviewing diagnostic test results. However, a critical aspect of practicing veterinary medicine might be left out of that scene: the owner across the exam table with one hand comforting their beloved companion animal.
The intricacies of the human-animal bond and client communication were what drew Dr. Lynn Henderson, a veterinarian and veterinary director of the Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP) at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), into a career that focused primarily on human-centered aspects of veterinary care.
“As a practicing veterinarian, I was always most concerned with ensuring that clients understood what was happening to their animal, all of their available options and that I was on their side in moving forward with whatever decision they made for their animals,” says Henderson. This is why Henderson was drawn to hospice and end-of-life care for companion animals shortly after graduating from the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at OVC.
Recognizing this passion led Henderson to pursue professional certification through the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, leading to the opening of her own mobile veterinary practice in 2010.
“Hospice and end-of-life care are often seen as an odd specialty for someone who loves animals,” Henderson reflects, “and yet it is one of the spaces within veterinary medicine where you can make the most difference for the people involved; it can be the worst experience of their life, or it can be a sad day handled with grace and kindness. I fell in love with making it a positive experience while ensuring both animal and human were comfortable and considered at every stage of the journey.”
Soon, her love for hospice and end-of-life care evolved into a desire to teach and support student veterinarians as they learned these skills. Henderson completed another certificate in professional development for adult learners through the University of Manitoba, followed by a master of education at the University of Toronto. She augmented her master’s degree with a collaborative specialization in Indigenous health, learning about Indigenous teaching methods and approaches to decolonizing higher education.
Just as she was completing her training in 2019, OVC received its single largest donation to fund CHPP – a new and innovative academic program focused on identifying, understanding and removing barriers to healthcare for companion animals in under-resourced and made-vulnerable communities.
Armed with a wealth of knowledge in human-centered medicine, teaching and appreciation for the range of challenges faced by underserved communities, Henderson was eager to effect change through CHPP and returned to OVC as its veterinary director in 2021.
Before CHPP was created, Henderson shares that “there were always students and faculty within OVC who were deeply invested in offering service to communities in need. CHPP is really a formalized curricular manifestation of what was already occurring as a volunteer-led club at OVC.” The formalization of these offerings allowed for long-term relationships with community partners and the ability for “student veterinarians to count on this material being delivered year after year. It’s a game changer.”
Now over four years since its inception and with Henderson at its helm, CHPP combines research, teaching and community service provision to bring veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians and student veterinarians together in partnership with community organizations to help Indigenous communities, people experiencing homelessness and sheltered animals with primary and acute veterinary care at a subsidized cost.
“We work within three major fields to meet this aim: research, teaching, and service provision,” Henderson explains. “But I believe the heart of the program is related to teaching student veterinarians. If we fundamentally change the way that students view their role as future practitioners, and as engaged community members, we embrace the possibility of changing the future of access to care for animals and the people who love them.”
A typical day for Henderson involves working as a veterinarian at community clinics, teaching student veterinarians in a classroom setting, leading elective clinical rotations for final-year student veterinarians and maintaining strong partnerships with the community.
“Over the next few years, our immediate goals for CHPP are to flesh out delivery of the curricular elements for student veterinarians, as well as continue offering services to our community partners while ensuring that our team can deliver in a reliable and ongoing way.” Some of these community offerings include low-cost spay and neuter clinics, veterinary care service weeks in under-resourced Indigenous communities and veterinary care provision with reduced barriers through humane societies and shelters.
“Reflecting on my past, I had no idea that a position like the one I hold now could possibly exist in my future,” Henderson says. “I am grateful that I followed my interests, as it all led to the privilege of leading the amazing CHPP team! Working together, I like to think that we’re changing the future of veterinary medicine, one practitioner at a time.”
