Meet CHPP’s Team

Dr. Lynn Henderson has been involved in clinical companion animal practice in many forms since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 2007. Having worked in general practice, emergency medicine, house-call medicine and hospice and palliative care, she has always been most interested in the areas of veterinary medicine that allow engagement with the human side of practice. Dr. Henderson operated a successful veterinary house-call practice for 10 years, gaining certification in veterinary hospice and palliative care through the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care in 2019. Dr. Henderson also recently completed her Master of Education. She believes strongly in relationship-building, authentic communication and accountability in delivering on promises.  

As Veterinary Director, Dr. Henderson leads the program’s clinical and learning teams who are engaged in community service and service learning and oversees the relationships and partnerships between OVC and many community stakeholders and committed organizations with a focus on improving access to veterinary care.  

Meghan Longley completed her Registered Veterinary Technician diploma at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus and has worked with the OVC since 2010.  

She has furthered her education and training by working in various areas throughout OVC’s Health Sciences Centre, including small animal and large animal surgery, the intensive care unit, the large animal wards and, most recently, in the Clinical Studies department as part of the Clinical Skills team, assisting in teaching labs for years one through three of OVC’s DVM program.  

As Clinical Services Manager, Meghan provides critical strategic and operational support for the clinical program and student veterinarians participating in the CHPP.  

Melanie received her Registered Veterinary Technician designation in 2001 after graduating with honors from Seneca College. During her 21-year career at the OVC, she has worked in the Large Animal Wards, providing patient care. She also has experience working in both small animal surgery and large animal surgery.    

As an RVT in the Community Healthcare Partnership Program, Melanie is responsible for organizing and maintaining the technical aspects of the program, helping to facilitate and develop client communication and community needs, while providing support and functional guidance to veterinary students.    

After graduating from the University of Sydney, Wesley started his career in small animal general practice and later underwent an internship in emergency and critical care, working as an emergency veterinarian. Following his passion for shelter medicine, he completed a specialty internship under Cornell’s Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program and served as a shelter veterinarian at Toronto Humane Society. Today, he is the first clinical resident in shelter medicine in Canada and is involved in shelter consultative work, outreach, research and teaching. 

Dr. Lauren Van Patter is an interdisciplinary Animal Studies researcher who has explored questions of ‘living well’ in multi-species communities in the context of a range of species, spaces, and relationships – from feral cats and urban wildlife in Canadian cities, to domestic dogs in rural Botswana. As an action-oriented scholar, Lauren has collaborated widely with veterinarians, wildlife practitioners, biologists, community scientists, philosophers, and cultural theorists, and has published in peer-reviewed Veterinary, Animal Studies, Geography, African Studies, and Wildlife Management journals.

Their current work with CHPP aims to identify, understand, and remove barriers to animal healthcare access for underserved communities, which they approach through a focus on One Health and the Human-Animal Bond, and through Community-Based Participatory Research methodologies. As the Lang Professor in Community and Shelter Medicine, Lauren is also responsible for supporting student learning on Phase IV rotations, and designing and implementing curricular revisions throughout Phases I-III on CHPP’s five pillars: cultural humility, vulnerable animals, spectrum of care, wellbeing, and animal welfare.