Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC

Justine A. Lee, DVM is a board-certified emergency critical care veterinary specialist, and is currently the Associate Director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. For the previous five years, she was on faculty as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lee graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Animal Sciences, and obtained her veterinary degree at Cornell University. She pursued her internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, which is affiliated with the MSPCA. In addition, she has also completed an emergency fellowship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania.

Currently, she is one of approximately 450 board certified veterinary specialists worldwide in emergency and critical care, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (DACVECC). Dr. Lee has been published in numerous veterinary journals, including the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, the Journal of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care, and the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

She was one of the editors of The Five Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Small Animal Toxicology textbook, and authored two humorous pet reference books, It’s a Dog’s Life… But It’s Your Carpet and It’s a Cat’s World… You Just Live In It. She has also been aired on radio and television to promote preventive medicine, animal health, and the overall well-being of pets. Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Lee lectures throughout the world on emergency and critical care, and recently was honored with the North American Veterinary Conference Small Animal Speaker of the Year for 2011.

When Dr. Lee is not working in the ER, she is playing ultimate Frisbee or ice hockey, hiking with her dog, traveling, gardening, or reading. Dr. Lee’s two kids include:

• "JP," a rescued pit bull terrier (abandoned with parvovirus) named after the Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston where Dr. Lee worked. (Note: JP passed from this world in July of 2011 You can read more about Dr. Lee's experience here.)
• "Seamus," a rescued grey and white tabby cat (abandoned with head trauma) named after a former Bostonian-Irish-owned patient.