Our Speakers
Dr. Mark Acierno – Internal Medicine and Nephrology
Mark Acierno received his DVM from Mississippi State University in 2000. After completing an internship in small animal medicine and surgery, he completed an internal medicine residency at Tufts University. He is a professor at…
Read MoreDr. Larie Allen – Surgery
Dr. Larie Allen is a board certified small animal surgeon. She completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University and gained early entry into veterinary school. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University…
Read MoreDr. Robert Armentano – Internal Medicine
Dr. Robert Armentano is board certified in small animal internal medicine. He is a Chicago native and did his undergraduate studies in animal sciences at the University of Illinois. After obtaining early admission into veterinary…
Read MoreDr. Pedro Armstrong- Internal Medicine
Dr. Pedro F. Armstrong was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He attended Iowa State University for pre-veterinary studies. He graduated from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Following veterinary school, Dr. Armstrong…
Read MoreDr. Lenore Bacek – Emergency Critical Care
Dr. Lenore Bacek received her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2007, followed by a one-year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Louisiana State University. She completed both a residency…
Read MoreDr. Paul Bloom – Dermatology
Dr. Paul Bloom, Dipl., ACVD and Dipl., ABVP, Canine and Feline Specialty obtained his DVM with high honors from Michigan State University in 1976 and has worked in small animal medicine ever since. He obtained…
Read MoreDr. Benjamin Brainard – Emergency/Anesthesia
Benjamin Brainard is the Edward H. Gunst professor of small animal critical care, in the Dept. of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College…
Read MoreDr. Holly Brown – Clinical Pathology
Dr. Holly Brown received her DVM from the University of Georgia and worked in small animal private practice in Colorado and North Carolina. She returned to UGA for a residency in clinical pathology and additionally…
Read MoreDr. Dave Bruyette – Endocrinology
Dr David Bruyette received his DVM from the University of Missouri in 1984 and completed an internship at Purdue University and residency in internal medicine at the University of California-Davis. Dr Bruyette was an Assistant…
Read MoreDr. Christopher Byers – Emergency Critical Care
Christopher G. Byers, DVM, DACVECC, DACVIM (SAIM), CVJ is a practicing dual board-certified veterinary specialist, recognized international speaker, and respected author. Dr. Byers enjoys teaching, and is passionate about helping pet parents understand their fur…
Read MoreDr. Christine Calder- Behavior
A graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Calder has lived and practiced veterinary medicine in both her home state of New Jersey, and Maine for many years. In addition to general…
Read MoreDr. Kim Coyner- Dermatology
Dr. Kimberly S. Coyner graduated from the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. After a private practice internship and a year in emergency practice, she obtained a two-year teaching position and then…
Read MoreDr. Sue Ettinger – Oncology
Dr. Sue Ettinger is a practicing veterinary cancer specialist, international speaker, book author, and vlogger (video blogger). She is one of approximately 400 board-certified specialists in medical oncology in North America and currently practices at…
Read MoreDr. Kacie Schmitt Felber – Cardiology
Dr. Kacie Schmitt Felber was born and raised in Cumberland, MD. She received her Bachelor of Science in Poultry Science from North Carolina State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She continued her education at…
Read MoreDr. Phillip Fox – Cardiology and Critical Care
Dr. Philip Fox is certified by the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American Collagen of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. He is also Director of the Caspary Research Institute of…
Read MoreDr. Mary Gardner – Geriatrics and End of Life
A dynamic and engaging speaker, Dr. Mary Gardner is able to draw on a wide range of career experiences and life lessons to educate and motivate diverse audiences. Her presentations cover a variety of topics,…
Read MoreDr. Donnell Hansen – Dentistry
Dr. Hansen, a Minnesota native, toured through Iowa, Minnesota, and Oklahoma for her various degrees toward board certification in veterinary dentistry/oral surgery. In 2009, Dr. Hansen joined other specialists to form the Moxie Center in…
Read MoreDr. Don Harris – Avian and Exotics
Dr. Don Harris is a practitioner who works exclusively avian and exotics. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1980 and is the owner and founder of Avian & Exotic Animal Medical Center in Miami,…
Read MoreDr. Heidi Barnes Heller – Neurology
Dr. Barnes Heller obtained her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 2000. Following graduation she completed a rotating internship at the University of Illinois and a residency in neurology/neurosurgery at the University of Florida.…
Read MoreDr. Heidi Hoefer – Avian and Exotic Medicine
Dr. Heidi Hoefer is a 1987 graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and has been practicing avian and exotic medicine exclusively since 1988. Following a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Center…
Read MoreDr. Ann Hohenhaus – Oncology and Internal Medicine
Dr. Ann Hohenhaus is a third generation veterinarian who is also double board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is an avid blogger and has written for multiple media outlets including…
Read MoreDr. Jennifer Huck – Surgery
Dr. Jennifer Huck is a 2006 graduate of the The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship at Michigan State University and then went on to…
Read MoreDr. La’ Toya Latney – Zoo Medicine
Dr. La’Toya Latney is the Attending Clinician at the Animal Medical Center in New York City and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Zoo & Exotic Medicine at PennVet. She’s boarded in Reptile & Amphibian…
Read MoreDr. Tsumugi Anne Kurosawa- Cardiology
I am originally from New York City where I was born and raised. I attended Purdue University for both my undergrad and veterinary schools and really enjoyed my time living in the midwest. I adopted…
Read MoreDr. Adam Lancaster – Emergency Critical Care
Adam Lancaster graduated veterinary school from Iowa State University in 2008. He then went on to complete a rotating internship at Florida Veterinary Specialists (now BluePearl) in Tampa). During his internship, he discovered his passion…
Read MoreDr. Robert Larocca – Ophthalmology
Dr. Robert Larocca graduated from Emory University in 1987 with a Bachelors degree in Biology and Psychology, Dr. Robert Larocca attended and graduated from the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993, followed…
Read MoreDr. Patty Lathan – Endocrinology
Patty Lathan, VMD, MS, DACVIM, is an associate professor of small animal internal medicine at Mississippi State University. Her primary interest is endocrinology, specifically the management of adrenal disease and diabetes mellitus. She has published…
Read MoreDr. Leonel Londono- Emergency Critical Care
Dr. Leo Londoño received his DVM from University of Florida in 2011. After completing a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Hollywood Animal Hospital, he pursued a residency in emergency and critical…
Read MoreDr. Steve Mehler – Surgery
Dr. Steve Mehler has been certified in surgery by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons since 2007. His special interests include minimally invasive surgery, interventional radiology, and surgical diseases of the extrahepatic biliary tract in…
Read MoreDr. Linda Messinger – Dermatology
Dr. Messinger has been board certified by the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) since 1993. She is one of approximately 275 board certified dermatologists in North America. One of the major functions of the…
Read MoreDr. Barbara Oglesbee – Avian and Exotics
Barbara L. Oglesbee, DVM, DABVP (Avian), is a Graduate of Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been board certified in Avian Medicine and Surgery since the specialty began in 1993. She began…
Read MoreDr. Olivia Petritiz- Exotic Animal Medicine
Olivia Petritz completed her undergraduate and veterinary degree at Purdue University in Indiana. Following graduation, she completed a small animal rotating internship at a specialty hospital in San Diego, CA followed by an exotic animal…
Read MoreDr. Simon Platt – Neurology
Dr. Simon Platt received his veterinary degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1992, following which he undertook an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph…
Read MoreDr. Lysa Pam Posner – Anesthesia
Dr Posner has a BS in biochemistry from Purdue University. She completed her DVM at Cornell University and spent 9 years in private veterinary practice. She returned to Cornell to complete a Residency in Anesthesiology…
Read MoreDr. Lisa Powell – Critical Care
Lisa Powell graduated veterinary school from Texas A&M in 1995, completed a small animal rotating internship at the AMC in NYC in 1996, and then went on to a residency in small animal emergency and…
Read MoreDr. Kevin S. Stepaniuk – Dentistry
As a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College, Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, previous faculty member and section chief of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at the University of Minnesota, he has become…
Read MoreDr. Jenefer Stillion – Emergency Critical Care
Dr. Jenefer Stillion was born and raised in Colorado where she earned her veterinary degree from Colorado State University in 2004. She then went on to complete a one year internship in small animal medicine…
Read MoreDr. Robert Swinger – Ophthalmology
Dr. Robert Swinger completed his undergraduate work and received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois in 2003. After completing an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Specialists of…
Read MoreDr. Steven Thompson- Exotic Animal Medicine
He leads the Primary Care dog, cat and exotic pet rotations for 3rd and 4th year DVM and RVT student rotations and is affiliated with Purdue’s Center for the Human – Animal Bond and Center…
Read MoreDr. Brett Wasik – Endocrinology
Dr. Brett Wasik graduated from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. After graduation he completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Medical & Surgical Group…
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