Colleen Gallagher (she/her)
President
“My primary interest is in lab animal medicine. I’m also interested in anesthesia/analgesia and dentistry. Before vet school, I was originally a chemist, but I changed careers in 2020 and got certified as a vet tech last year.”
- Pets:
- Lulu (cat, flawless angel)
- Seamus (cat, monstrosity)
Audrey Ponder (she/her)
President-Elect
“Hi I’m Audrey, and I’m interested in small animal and potentially specializing in the future. I love the outdoors and going for walks. When I’m not too busy studying, I try to find opportunities to hit to town with friends, have a movie night, or host a dinner. My little study buddy/avid adventure pal is Pita, a 2 y.o. Cavalier mix.
Natalie McCarthy (she/her, they/them)
Vice President
“Hi I’m Natalie! I’m a V28, and my dream is work in many different countries with many different species. My primary veterinary interests are zoo medicine and exotics, but I want to try everything before I graduate. Outside of vet school, I play rugby and ice hockey! If you talk to me long enough, you will inevitably hear how my most recent game went. I also love to bake.”
- Pets
- No animals of my own but more than happy to pet everyone else’s!
Yiru Ma (she/her)
Senior Delegate
Primary interests:
- Surgery
- Anesthesia
- Nutrition
- Pets:
- Charlie (dog)
- Mei Mei (cat)
Jonathan Shia (he/him)
Junior Delegate
“Hello! My current interests are in lab animal medicine and aquatics, but I’m keeping my mind open to everything here at Cummings. Outside of school I like to play the clarinet and add movies to my Letterboxd watchlist (knowing full well I will never get to them)”
- Pets
- Taroko, 2 y/o Siberian
Julie Jesurum (she/her)
Senior Treasurer
“Hi! I’m Julie and I’m a first year at Tufts. I have previous experience as a veterinary assistant in small animal general practice, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and emergency practices. I also have previous research experience in biochemistry, and am interested in pursing research and laboratory animal work in the veterinary field. I hope to help maintain and continue supporting the financials of SAVMA at Cummings and to be a voice for students on campus.”
- Pets
- Tuxedo DSH kitten, Archibald (Archie)
- Female ball python, Bartholomew (Barth)
Alyssia Chok (she/her)
Junior Treasurer
Primary interests:
- Shelter medicine/community medicine
- Small animal general practice
- I would love to start a non-profit organization to help stray animals in Malaysia as that’s where I was born!
- Pets
- Maru (DMH, cutest and sweetest little boy)
- Misty (DMH, very cute but she’s bad)
- MooMoo (guinea pig – feisty and lots of attitude)
- 2 yorkies at home with my family back in NYC
Sonia Shah (she/her)
Secretary
I aim to integrate principles of CBT, ACT, and radical acceptance into the way I practice medicine with the hope of fostering resilience in all facets of veterinary medicine.
Primary interests:
- Radiology/diagnostic imaging
- Hospice and palliative care
- Preventative medicine
- Pets
- Nemo (black yorkie)
Outgoing Officers 2025
- Mary Stewart, president
- Kirsten Krause, vice president
- Soobin Kim, senior delegate
- Emily Hagan, senior treasurer