Backpacking is one of Dr. Jen Johns favorite activities.
Dr. Jen Johns is an associate professor of clinical pathology and the Erin and Mary Power Endowed Faculty Fellow at the Gary R. Carlson, MD, College of Veterinary Medicine's Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
What is your role within the OVDL?
I’m a clinical pathologist. I look at slides made from samples like blood, urine, joint fluid, spinal fluid and small tissue samples of just about anything — lymph nodes, tumors, the surface of a cat’s eyeball, fluid from a sea star’s belly… it is never boring. I also review data results from patient chemistry and hormone tests to see if the numbers can give us a clue as to the diagnosis.
What drew you to this field and how did you get started?
Strangely, I never considered this career while in vet school. The idea snuck up on me while I was in practice. What clinched it was doing general practice/emergency work at a practice in the High Sierra. The courier for our diagnostic lab couldn’t get to us during the frequent blizzards, and the necessity of doing the diagnostic work myself helped me realize that I found it fascinating and enjoyable. It’s like being a detective who helps animals and their people.
What is your favorite part about your job and why?
Two things in particular: One is the great diversity of animal species that we see. The other is teaching. An essential part of our job is teaching veterinary students and training pathology residents, which we do simultaneously with diagnostic work. The relationships that we form with the vet students, the residents and interns throughout the hospital, and especially our own pathology residents, are unique and special.
What's the most interesting case you've worked on and why?
So many of the cases are interesting! One recent case stands out: we received a tube of abdominal fluid from a dog. The fluid was filled with shimmering flecks. It looked like a tube of clear glitter; I’ve never seen such a thing before. The “glitter” turned out to be cholesterol crystals that the body was making in response to a rare parasitic infection.
Do you have any hidden talents or unique hobbies? Share them with us!
I love being outside — backpacking, trail running with our dog, bicycling, gardening, etc. My favorite hobby is stained glass. I started decades ago with a few hand tools and a beginner’s book, and I was immediately hooked. Being in Corvallis, Oregon I’m two hours away from Bullseye Glass in Portland — huge bonus! But bad for my bank account.
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