Rate My Professor Kristen Friedrichs

Kristen Friedrichs, DVM, DACVP, is Clinical Professor of Clinical Pathology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She earned a BA in Bacteriology in 1986 and a DVM in 1991 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completed a residency in Clinical Pathology at UW-Madison from 1999 to 2002, and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in Clinical Pathology in 2003. In her role, she co-administers the Clinical Pathology Laboratory, serves as a duty pathologist, and offers consultations to clinicians and veterinary students. Friedrichs teaches veterinary clinical pathology and diagnostic clinical reasoning to second-year DVM students and co-coordinates the Circulation & Respiration Module in Phase 2 of the OnWard curriculum, scheduled to roll out in fall 2026.

Her research specializations include establishing reference intervals for specific animal populations such as Friesian horses, free-roaming polar bears, captive elephants, and conservation cranes; histiocytic sarcomas in cats and dogs; and quality laboratory medicine encompassing validation, utilization, and monitoring of assay performance. Clinical interests cover cytopathology, hematology, clinical chemistry, and ancillary tests including serum tumor markers and immunochemistry. Key publications are 'Evaluation of serum ferritin as a tumor marker for canine histiocytic sarcoma' (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2010), 'ASVCP reference interval guidelines: determination of de novo reference intervals in veterinary species and other related topics' (Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 2012), 'Histiocytic sarcoma of macrophage origin in a cat: case report with literature review of feline histiocytic malignancies' (Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 2008), 'Reference intervals for blood-based biochemical analytes of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears' (Conservation Physiology, 2020), and 'Long-term assessment of relationships between changing environmental conditions and the physiology of Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears' (Global Change Biology, 2023). Friedrichs has impacted the field via contributions to American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology guidelines on reference intervals and quality assurance, and by training clinical pathology residents who now hold positions in academia, industry, and private practice.