Christine Hawke graduated from the University of Sydney in 1993, and spent four years in general practice both in Australia and the UK, during which time she disliked dentistry immensely. She returned to the University of Sydney in 1999, and completed her PhD in immunogenetics of autoimmune disease in 2003. After a break to start a family, Christine returned to the Faculty of Veterinary Science as a clinical lecturer, where, strangely enough, she developed an unexpected passion for small animal dentistry. Christine sat her ANZCVS membership exams in Veterinary Dentistry in 2006. She founded Sydney Pet Dentistry in 2007, and divides her time between clinical dentistry and teaching all aspects of small animal dentistry to vets, vet nurses and undergraduate students.