Anatomic Pathology Residents
Arthur Cheng, DVM
Dr. Cheng is originally from Brazil. He earned his DVM in 2019 from the Universidade Federal do Paraná – Campus Palotina (UFPR), where he also completed a residency in anatomic pathology in 2022. Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Cheng actively participated in various research projects focused on Brachyspira spp. and Chlamydophila sp., demonstrating a keen interest in infectious diseases and their impact on animal health. To further enrich his knowledge and gain experience, he completed multiple externships at veterinary schools in the United States. Dr. Cheng has diverse interests in veterinary pathology, including infectious diseases, ophthalmic pathology, and poultry diseases. He joined the combined Residency/Avian Diseases PhD program in 2023. Cheng enjoys spending time with family and friends, doing outdoor activities, and cooking with his wife.
Luan Henker, DVM, MS, PhD
Dr. Henker was born and raised in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He completed his veterinary school studies at Instituto Federal Catarinense – campus Concórdia (IFC) in 2016 . After graduation he joined the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), where he completed a Masters (2019) and a Doctorate (2022) in Veterinary Pathology. His Doctorate studies were focused on investigating causes of naturally occurring abortion in cattle and sheep in Southern Brazil. Dr. Henker is interested in numerous areas of veterinary pathology, including infectious diseases, parasitic diseases and neuropathology. He joined the combined anatomic pathology residency – Master’s program in 2022. Luan enjoys spending time with his family and friends and doing outdoor activities.
Patricia Titos Jimenez, DVM, MSc
Dr. Jimenez was born in Granada, Spain. She received her DVM from the University of Córdoba (Spain) and her master’s degree in Medicine, Health and Animal Improvement also from the University of Córdoba (Spain). Her master’s work is published in “Listeriolysin S is a Streptolysin S-Like Virulence Factor that targets exclusively Prokaryotic Cells In Vivo”, in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute (2017), published in mBio –American Society for Microbiology Journal. She spent three years in clinical practice and joined the combined anatomic pathology residency-PhD program at Auburn University in 2021.
Jessica Lambert, DVM
Dr. Lambert is originally from Cherokee, North Carolina. She completed her BS in Biology, Pre-Vet at Western Carolina University in 2017. She then received her DVM at the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine with a focus in equine medicine in 2023 and completed multiple advanced anatomic pathology rotations before pursuing her residency position. She has a strong interest in equine and large animal pathology and hopes to pursue a career in diagnostics. Her hobbies include horseback riding, visiting craft breweries, and hanging out with her two dogs Luna and Nova and cat Dumbledore. Dr. Lambert joined the combined anatomic pathology residency-Master’s program in 2023.
Carlos Lopes, DVM, MS
Dr. Lopes was born in Ceará, Brazil. He received his DVM from the Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE, Brazil) in 2018. In 2014 he was an exchange student at Colorado State University (CSU), where he performed multiple externships in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (2015). Dr. Lopes completed a previous residency in anatomic pathology at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) (2021). His master’s degree was obtained from the same university and was focused on detecting lymph node diseases from slaughtered cattle for human consumption (2023). He has a strong interest in infectious diseases and equine pathology. Dr. Lopes joined the combined anatomic pathology residency-PhD program in 2023.
Cierra Starbird, DVM
Dr. Starbird is originally from California where she completed her BS in Animal Science, Pre-Vet at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2018. She then received her DVM at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022 and completed multiple anatomic pathology externships before pursing her residency position. She has a strong interest in production animal pathology and hopes to pursue a career in governmental work. Her hobbies include keeping reptiles, houseplants, and hanging out with her two dogs Oscar and Frank. Dr. Starbird joined the combined anatomic pathology residency-Master’s program in 2022.