Dr. Jerry Vanek's career working with sled dogs has taken him from the southern tip of Chile to the northern reaches of Scandinavia to the southern tip of South Africa; from Boston, Massachusetts, to Nome, Alaska; from North Dakota to the Yukon. He has served as a sled dog veterinarian on over 85 races and expeditions in North and South America, Europe, and Africa since 1992, including 8 Iditarods, 5 Yukon Quests, 12 John Beargreases, 6 UP 200s, 7 Empire 130s, multiple times on the White Oak Classic, CanAm Crown, Race to the Sky, Apostle Islands, and Great Trail, as well as the Eagle Cap, Grand Portage Passage, Red River, IFSS World and Junior World Championships, South African National Championships, Norway’s Femundløpet, Sweden’s Amundsen Race, and numerous Midwestern sprint snow and dryland races. In 1993, Dr. Vanek was the veterinarian on the Mount Vaughan Antarctic Expedition, and, in 2007, ‘09, and ’11, a veterinarian on the 1925 Diphtheria Serum Run reenactment. A musher since his teens, he still drives dogs whenever he can. He is an honorary life member of the North Star Sled Dog Club; recipient of the Maeb Bayers’ Lifetime Achievement in Mushing award and the White Oak Classic Musher Tribute award; and past president, life member, and charter board member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association. Over the past two decades, Dr. Vanek has presented more than 110 lectures and publications on sled dog medicine. He is a certified canine rehabilitation therapist (CCRT) and his veterinary practice is focused on sled dogs and canine sports medicine.

Dr. Skoraczewski is a veterinarian at Ely Vet Clinic.

Dr. Nicole Reynolds is pleased to return to the Voyageurs Classic again as a trail veterinarian.  Dr. Reynolds is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and she holds a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology with a concentration in infectious diseases.  Dr. Reynolds maintains a strong interest in emergency preparedness and response and critical care medicine and she volunteers her extended training through the Minnesota Veterinary Reserve Corps, the National Veterinary Response Team, and the Region 5 Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT).  She is a member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA) and she has been hooked on mushing since vet school.  She now skijors competitively and when she is not running or skijoring with her one-dog team, she’s in Colorado, traveling abroad, seeking backcountry snow opportunities, or finding any excuse to be active outside.

(Photo by Denny Warner)

Dr. Kim Rozinka is happy to be returning to the Voyageurs Classic veterinary team again this year.  Dr. Rozinka is currently a relief veterinarian in the St. Paul, Minnesota area and is staff surgeon and adjunct professor for the veterinary technician program at the Minnesota School of Business.  She graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and has volunteered as a trail veterinarian since 2003 at races such as the Grand Portage Passage, UP200 in Michigan, Apostle Island's Sled Dog Race, and the Can-Am Crown in Maine, as well as the John Beargrease Marathon, where she serves as their Chief Veterinarian.  When she’s not playing with her children, her dog, or working, she enjoys skiing, camping, hiking, and Guinness.