Hours
Monday – Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed
Hours
Monday – Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed
Design by
Monday – Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed
Monday – Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed
Design by
Dr. James Kirkham is the co-owner of Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital with his wife Dr. Alex Kirkham. James was raised in Squamish, BC and has a love for Canada’s west coast. James and Alex have been the proud owners of Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital since 2018. James and Alex have a dog named Rigby and a cat named Dexter and have recently expanded their family to welcome a new baby girl Josie.
James completed his Bachelor of Sciences with Distinction at the University of British Columbia. He went on to complete his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012, graduating at the top of his class and was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for highest academic achievement.
James has a professional interest in diagnostic imaging, dentistry, internal medicine and preventive care.
In his free time he enjoys kayaking, skiing, hiking, camping and motorcycling.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Alex Kirkham knew from a very young age that being a veterinarian was her life calling. She attended the University of Manitoba and received her Bachelor of Sciences degree. Alex completed her veterinary studies at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. She has been the proud owner of Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital with her partner James since 2018. She has a special interest in small animal surgery, dentistry, dermatology and feline medicine.
Alex has many non-veterinary interests and struggles to find enough time for them all. She enjoys reading all types of books, knitting, drawing and painting. She also enjoys being active with her family by getting outside kayaking, hiking, camping and skiing. Alex lives with husband James, their daughter Josie, cat Dexter and dog Rigby.
Trish knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was young. After graduating from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, she moved to Vancouver Island and began working as a mixed animal veterinarian then transitioned to small animal medicine. Trish then became the owner of Austin Animal Hospital in Coquitlam where she practiced for several years. After selling Austin Animal Hospital, together with her partner and their French Bulldog, she moved to Costa Rica to enjoy the sun, surf and jungle. While in Costa Rica, Trish volunteered with an animal rescue and veterinary hospital where she fell in love with two Costa Rican dogs. Her family and three dogs are now very happy to be back home on Vancouver Island, where she enjoys camping and exploring the island. Trish enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine with a special interest in feline and canine internal medicine.
Chris and his wife Hannah fell in love with Vancouver Island after visiting on holiday and moved to Nanaimo to enjoy everything the BC Coast has to offer. A native of Robin Hood country in the UK, he graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2010 and returned several years later to undertake research into blood clotting disorders. Since then he has worked mostly in emergency and critical care medicine and has particular clinical interests in ultrasonography and interventional endoscopy, as well as a love of exotic pets. An avid wildlife photographer, outside of work he is usually found in a kayak or walking the stunning beaches the island has to offer looking for whales and bears. They have three gorgeous cats, Nimpkish, Tsitika and Skookumchuck who braved the crossing from England and now divide their time equally between charging through the house and sleeping.
Sam grew up in Surrey, BC with many pets and a love of all animals, making becoming a veterinarian the obvious dream. She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2024, and also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Science Diploma. Some of their areas of interest in veterinary medicine are surgery, dentistry, and feline medicine.
During their downtime, Sam enjoys attending concerts, going to the cinema, collecting records, dancing poorly, and singing karaoke. Sam lives with her four cats, Jenny, Jackie, Natalie, and Andy (all named after songs by her favourite band)!
Lisa began her veterinary support career in 1998 at Guildford Animal Hospital in Surrey. She worked at GAH for thirteen years before moving to Vancouver Island with her family. In 2013 she brought her experience and knowledge to the Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital team.
Lisa and her husband have a teenage son. In support of her son’s current RC racing and mountain bike riding interests she can often be found at the race track or on the mountain.
Lisa enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction, with a large focus on crime and mystery novels. As a hobby photographer Lisa enjoys shooting macro nature and landscape photos as well as pictures of her family.
Lisa has two Axolotls, Toothless and Zero, as well as a lovely teenage Cockatiel named ‘Chevy’.
Aidan has lived throughout Vancouver Island his whole life. After completing his bachelor’s degree in biology at UVIC he moved to Nanaimo following his interest in animal care. In his free time, he likes to be outdoors exploring the Vancouver Island backcountry, camping, hiking, and backpacking. Aidan is excited to continue to learn about veterinary medicine and meet all the animals that come into the clinic.
Registered Veterinary Technician Lori received her Diploma from Thompson Rivers’ University in 1993. She then worked at Victoria’s 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital, for eight years before returning to Nanaimo. She joined the Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital team in 2002, and has been the lead Technician ever since.
With high values on healthy living and friends, Lori can frequently be found hiking and going to the gym. In her down-time and on rainy days, Lori enjoys reading. She’s even a book club member!
Lori has an idiosyncratic poly-dactyl cat named Turbo. After Turbo was brought into the clinic for orthopedic surgery Lori adopted him from the BCSPCA. Turbo is quite the adventure cat, always getting up to some kind of mischief, and he absolutely loves going glamping with his mum and dad in the family trailer!
Aliesha graduated in 2004 from Fairview College in Fairview Alberta. Prior to schooling she volunteered at Garibaldi Veterinary Hospital in Squamish and returned to work there after college. She has a special fondness for dentistry. Aliesha joined our team when her family decided to make Nanaimo their new home in the summer of 2018.
Aliesha and her husband have two lively girls who keep them on their toes. She also had two exuberant, loving dogs, Wedge Antilles and Bowden Cable.
Though you may have already guessed, there is a love of Star Wars in their household! In Aliesha’s spare time she enjoys doing arts and crafts, sewing and reading, mainly satirical fiction like Jasper Fforde.
Myrica graduated from the Douglas Veterinary Technologist program in 2020 and has been working in the veterinary field since 2018. She spent 4 years working at Granville Island Veterinary Hospital in Kitsilano before moving to Boundary Bay Veterinary Speciality Hospital in Surrey. There she worked in both the Emergency and ICU departments dealing with all sorts of pet ailments and emergencies. After a year working in emergency medicine, she decided it was time to slow down a little and she moved to Nanaimo with her partner to be closer to family and to spend more time outside!
Myrica loves spending time with her 2 cats, Cosmic Creepers and Kiki as well as taking her dog Kyndle on little island adventures in her doggy backpack. When she is not working or snuggling her animals, she is probably reading, crafting or hitting up a local farmers market. Myrica has a passion for working with senior patients and helping their families keep them happy and healthy during their golden years.
Kim was born and raised on Vancouver Island, and moved to Nanaimo to complete a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. With an immense love for animals, she has volunteered with many programs, and is currently an executive with Elderdog Canada.
Her free time is often spent outdoors with her newest addition Benson; a golden retriever cross bernese mountain dog. She is an avid softball player, and has been playing since the age of four.
Joining our team in 2021, she is excited to meet and care for your fur-children!
Larissa was born & raised in Nanaimo. She lives with her husband Tom , their two teenage children and their blue heeler,Rip! After being a stay at home mom for 11 years Larissa decided to rejoin the workforce and became a team member at Nanaimo Veterinary Hospital in 2023. Larissa has always had a deep love for all animals especially dogs!
In her free time you will probably find Larissa at the hockey rink cheering on her son or at the dance studio waiting for her daughter to finish her hip hop class. In the summer you can find Larissa and her family exploring all the different campsites our beautiful island has to offer. Larissa is excited to meet your fur babies and to learn as much as she possibly can about veterinary medicine!
