Dr. Collister grew up in Mt. Prospect, IL.  He attended the University of Illinois where he received his B.S. in Microbiology (graduating magna cum laude) in 1990.  He continued his education at the University of Illinois and obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree as valedictorian in 1994.  During his undergraduate training and veterinary school, Dr. John became interested in research and in 1994 moved to MN to pursue his Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of Minnesota.  He is currently a faculty member at the College of Veterinary Medicine (since 2000) and teaches a variety of veterinary student courses and conducts research on the long term regulation of blood pressure and hypertension.  He worked every other Saturday for 26 years at a small animal practice in a northern suburb of St. Paul, and now enjoys working at Long Lake Veterinary Clinic when the opportunity arises (with his wife).  Dr. Collister enjoys the balance of teaching, research and community practice, and the relationships built with students, clients and their pets.  He is an avid fisherman (boat, fly and ice!), hiker, and enjoys biking, mountain biking, fat tire biking, traveling and camping with family (wife Dr. Cris and 5 children) who come along to encourage him to not fear heights.  He relaxes at home in Plymouth, MN with 2 dogs and a fluffy, polydactyl black cat, and is a member of St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church (Plymouth, MN).  He has been a faculty advisor for Christian Veterinary Fellowship since 2012, and just finished his first children’s book.