My name is Abigail Hatch and I am originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I received my Bachelors degree in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut in 2021, and I will be graduating with my DVM from the University of Georgia in May of 2025. After graduation, I plan to complete a small animal rotating internship. My ultimate goal is to pursue a career as a small animal surgeon in academia, where I can combine the aspects of clinical practice, teaching, and research. In my spare time I love to lift weights, attend sporting events, and hang out with my dogs Zen and Athena

Ann is a veterinary medical officer working with the Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She completed her Epidemic Intelligence Service assignment with the Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch and prior to this worked in the CDC One Health Office. She went to veterinary school at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. C. Jill Stowe is a professor of Agricultural Economics in the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. She earned her BS in Mathematics from Texas Tech University and her PhD in Economics from Texas A&M University.

She currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Equine Science and Management degree program at UK. 

Dr. Stowe’s primary research program focuses on equine markets, with applications in price analysis and decision making. Additional research projects incorporate the fields of behavioral economics, game theory, and sports economics. In addition, she leads efforts to conduct statewide and nationwide equine industry surveys.

Dr. Stowe also participates in equine markets personally, spending much of her spare time and all of her spare money riding dressage.

Dr. Claire Fellman is a small animal internist with interests in pharmacology and immunology. Dr. Fellman grew up as a child of the Air Force moving around the world with her family, dog, and cat, before settling in Mississippi in 2000. She received her bachelor's degree in biological engineering at Mississippi State University before starting veterinary school, and then became involved in a research project investigating the effects of cyclosporine on the immune system in dogs as part of a summer research project. This experience led Dr. Fellman to begin a PhD, and complete her clinical training with a Small Animal Internal Medicine residency and Clinical Pharmacology residency, all at Mississippi State University. Dr. Fellman finished her training and began a faculty position at Tufts University in 2016.

Dr. Fellman enjoys treating immune-mediated diseases and working to identify more effective treatment strategies for animals. 

Dr. Danielle Hollenbeck is originally from Pennsylvania. She attended Kansas State University for veterinary school followed by a small animal rotating internship, surgical oncology specialty internship, and surgical residency at Texas A&M University. She will complete her residency this July and will be practicing soft tissue surgery after finishing. She enjoys hiking with her dog and spending time with her three cats. 

Dr. David Minich is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, he completed a one year rotating internship in small animal medicine at the University of Tennessee, followed by the Harlan Family Veterinary Internship at the Indianapolis Zoo. He is currently in his second year of residency focused on zoological and aquatic animal medicine.

Dr. Erica Reineke is a board-certified veterinary specialist in emergency and critical care medicine.  Dr. Reineke attended veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine where she also completed her internship and emergency and critical residency. She is currently a Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and is the director of the trauma center and extracorporeal therapy service. She is an invited speaker both nationally and internationally speaking on topics related to emergency medicine. Her research and clinical interests include treatment strategies in feline urethral obstruction, extracorporeal therapies, and respiratory conditions. She was the recipient of the Zoetis award for research excellence in 2022. 

Dr. Greg Wolfus is a dedicated small animal veterinarian and the founding director of the Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic, where he blends his passions for clinical medicine, teaching, and community service. In this role, Dr. Wolfus provides exceptional care while mentoring future veterinary professionals and strengthening the bond between veterinary medicine and local communities.

Originally from California, Dr. Wolfus attended UC Berkeley before earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, he worked at a local small animal hospital before returning to Tufts to teach and share his expertise with the next generation of veterinarians.

When he's not caring for animals or mentoring students, Dr. Wolfus enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his own companion animals. 

Jason B Coe DVM, PhD is internationally recognized for his leadership in researching clinical communication in veterinary medicine.  After graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 2001, Jason returned to the College from mixed-animal practice to complete a PhD in veterinary communications in 2008. Currently, Jason is a Professor and the VCA Canada Chair in Relationship-Centred Veterinary Medicine at OVC, where he has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and coordinates the clinical-communication curriculum across all 4 years of the veterinary program.    

Dr. Jenni Grady graduated from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012 and completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Tufts VETS in Walpole, MA. Following completion of her internship, she split her time for several years between practicing community medicine at Tufts at Tech and working at several local shelters and primary care clinics. She then became faculty at Tufts at Tech, and is thrilled to be involved in teaching and community medicine full-time. She works alongside Dr. Wolfus as well as veterinary and vet assisting students to care for pets that have previously had limited ability to seek veterinary attention.

Dr. Grady's veterinary interests include increasing access to care for under-served pet owner populations, teaching veterinary students, and general soft tissue surgery. She regularly lectures students on vaccination principles, parasite management, general preventative medicine, and early spay/neuter. 

John Volk is senior consultant with Brakke Consulting, the largest consulting firm serving the global animal health, veterinary and pet care markets. He is highly knowledgeable about companion animal, equine and food animal practice. John is principal author of five landmark studies of the veterinary profession: Brakke Study of Financial and Economic Behaviors of Veterinarians (1998), AVMA-Pfizer Business Practices Study (2005), Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study (2011-13), VPI-Veterinary Economics Financial Health Study (2014), and Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Studies (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). He has authored several articles for veterinary journals, and is highly sought after as a speaker at veterinary conferences, especially on topics such as practice consolidation, practice management, preventive care plans and pet insurance. A widely respected executive, John has been recognized numerous times for his professional achievements. 

Kat is currently an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Kat’s research interests are motivated by wanting to understand how veterinary-client communication can be enhanced to improve the lives of animals and the people who care for them. She completed her PhD and a postdoctoral fellowship in the area of veterinary clinical communication at the Ontario Veterinary College. Her PhD research explored pet weight-related communication in small animal veterinary practice, with emphasis on obesity-specific communication. Kat spends much of her time teaching, and she enjoys supporting student veterinarians and practicing veterinary professionals to develop their clinical communication and relationship-building skills during interactions with clients and colleagues.

Dr. Kayla Sample grew up in San Diego, CA, where her first word was her dog's name, foreshadowing her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. She pursued this passion, earning her undergraduate degree from the University of California Davis and her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota. After completing a community medicine internship at Tufts at Tech, she served as medical director for another high school community outreach program at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech Veterinary Clinic). Dr. Sample then returned to Tufts at Tech to complete her American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) residency in canine and feline practice. Now a faculty member at Tufts at Tech, she is passionate about primary care surgery, clinical teaching, and expanding access to veterinary care for all pets. Outside of work, Dr. Sample enjoys hiking and paddleboarding with her dog, Rocko.

Lilli Heinen is a German-born, Kansas-grown recent graduate from veterinary school. She attended Kansas State University for both her undergraduate degree and DVM. While enrolled in vet school, she was concurrently enrolled in a PhD program investigating modern data analytic techniques in the management of Bovine Respiratory Disease in feedlot cattle. She is now finishing her PhD but in her free time enjoys country swing dancing, reading, and any activity that can get her outside.

Dr. Mandy Wallace is an Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery at the University of Georgia. She is a 2010 graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Colorado State University in 2011. She was the PennHIP research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania prior to completing a combined Master of Science degree program and Small Animal Surgery residency at the University of Florida in 2016. She became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2017. She is on the executive board of the Veterinary Wound Management Society. Dr. Wallace’s research interests are in hepatic vascular anomalies, septic peritonitis, novel wound treatments, and biomaterials for soft tissue surgery.

Dr. Mark E. Peterson is well known for his clinical research and teaching in small animal endocrinology. Mark is the owner and director of the Animal Endocrine Clinic, a specialty referral hospital now devoted primarily to the diagnosis and treatment of cats with thyroid disease, where he conducts most of his clinic research. He also serves as adjunct Professor of Medicine at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, where he teaches and collaborates with investigators. Over the last 45-plus years, most of Dr. Peterson's clinical and research efforts has been directed toward advancing our understanding of naturally-occurring endocrine disorders of the cat, especially hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, calcium disorders, and adrenal disease. He has published more than 600 journal articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. Dr. Peterson is a frequent speaker at veterinary colleges and scientific seminars around the world.

Matthew MacLachlan is an Assistant Professor of Veterinary Business and Economics in the Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences department of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. His research seeks to develop new approaches, data resources, and insights into the interactions among health, the natural environment, public policy, and markets. He led the development and implementation of the current USDA approach for forecasting food prices and conveying uncertainty around those forecasts. Dr. MacLachlan collaborates with governmental and academic economists to further refine these forecasts’ predictive power. Collaborating with other economists and governmental analysts, he evaluates policy and market adaptations during disease, pest, or disaster management, including natural disaster assistance programs, trade embargoes, and active adaptive disease management. 

Dr. Michala Henriksen has an interest in clinical research with a focus on alternative and regenerative medicine, and how it can be used as a treatment for ophthalmic diseases in companion animals. In alternative medicine, Dr. Henriksen has been involved with the anti-inflammatory effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) for ophthalmic diseases in dogs. In regenerative medicine, she has been involved with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IRAP) ion dogs, and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) treatment of surface ocular diseases in dogs and horses. Treatment with PRF is an area that Dr. Henriksen is very interested in, and she has a feeling that PRF can provide us with a remarkable improvement to ulcerative keratitis therapy due to its fairly simple protocol, as well as having a superior healing ability through high amount of growth factors and cytokines. 

Michelle Evason, BSc, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), MRCVS, serves as Global Director, Veterinary Clinical Education for Antech Diagnostics (MARS). She has worked in general practice, academia, specialty clinical practice, and in the animal health industry. Michelle has published on numerous infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, nutrition, spectrum of care, veterinary- and pet-owner education related topics. She keeps busy (and humble!) with two teenage daughters, one husband, multiple 4-legged creatures, and numerous imperfect projects in various stages of completion on her farm in PEI, Canada.

Olivia Gibson is a recent master’s graduate in the Agricultural Economics department at the University of Kentucky. During her time in Kentucky, she was a graduate research assistant and completed her thesis titled “Horse Owner Preferences for Equine Veterinary Services.” 

Prior to her studies at the University of Kentucky, Olivia completed her bachelors in Agribusiness from Arkansas State University in May of 2022. She is the fourth generation of a Northeast Arkansas farm family, having grown up on a rice and soybean farm just outside Jonesboro. 

Olivia is now back in Jonesboro, Arkansas and intends to pursue a career in an agricultural setting.

Dr. Rachel Pfeifle is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys being actively involved in caring for patients, as well as teaching vet students, interns, and residents in training at the UGA Large Animal Hospital.

Dr. Pfeifle obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, followed by her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University in 2019. She then completed a Large Animal Rotating Hospital Internship at UGA from 2019-2020, before returning to Auburn for her master’s degree in biomedical sciences and a Residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine from 2020-2023. 

In her spare time, Dr. Pfeifle enjoys road and trail running, hiking, and camping with her husband and their dog, Blue. She also enjoys riding horses, flower gardening, and reading.

Dr. Ryan Wallace, DVM is a veterinary epidemiologist and expert in rabies prevention and control. As the director of the CDC’s World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Rabies and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Reference Laboratory for Rabies, Dr. Wallace leads global efforts to reduce the burden of this fatal disease. He has worked closely with state and local health departments to manage complex rabies exposures and enhance public health response systems. His leadership has advanced critical vaccination campaigns and surveillance programs, ensuring Americans are protected from this deadly virus.

Sarah Marvel, DVM, DACVS-SA

ACVS Fellow, Surgical Oncology

ACVS Fellow, Minimally Invasive Surgery (Small Animal Soft Tissue)

Dr. Marvel received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 2003 and then went on to obtain her DVM from the University of Wisconsin in 2009.  She completed a small animal rotating internship and a residency in small animal surgery at Colorado State University.  In 2014 she achieved board certification from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (DACVS-SA). Following her surgical residency, she completed fellowships in Surgical Oncology and Minimally Invasive Surgery.  She is currently an Assistant Professor in General Surgery at Colorado State University.  Research interests include near infrared fluorescence imaging, trauma, and minimally invasive surgery.  In her free time, she enjoys backpacking, scuba diving traveling, and snowshoeing.  

Sarah is currently a 4th year veterinary student at the University of Minnesota, set to graduate in the spring of 2025. Prior to vet school she worked as a CVT in the Small Animal Surgery Service at the University of Minnesota teaching hospital, where she developed a love for surgery and clinical research. She plans to pursue a residency in Small Animal Surgery and hopes to focus on orthopedics in her future career.

Simon F. Haeder an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management in the School of Public Health at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on access to health and health-protective services with a focus on administrative burden, provider networks, vaccinations, and school-based health services as well as the regulatory process. He was recently recognized by the American Political Science Association’s Health Politics and Policy section with the David Kline Jones Distinguished Scholar Award. Previously, he has been a fellow in the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Program, a national leadership development program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to equip teams of researchers and community partners in applying research to solve real community problems. 

Dr Stefania Gelendi is originally from Padua, northern Italy, where she obtained her DVM. She then moved to the UK to complete her small animal rotating internship in a private referral in England and her specialty internship in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She joined the Auburn University Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Residency program in 2022.

When she’s not in scrubs, Stefania can be found hitting the gym or out dancing with friends. And if she’s nowhere to be found, chances are she’s indulging in a power nap.

Dr. Fan serves as the principal investigator of the Comparative Oncology Research Laboratory housed in the Small Animal Clinic, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and his research focuses on identifying molecular and immunotherapeutic targets for improving treatment for canine and feline cancers. Dr. Fan is a core member at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in the Anticancer Discovery from Pets to People theme and also serves as the Associate Director for Translational Research and Development for the Cancer Center at Illinois that focuses on the inclusion of companion animals as sophisticated model systems to study cancer. Dr. Fan’s training as a scientist and veterinarian, has allowed him the opportunity to rapidly investigate and translate novel treatment strategies in dogs and cats with spontaneously arising cancers, and conduct meaningful comparative oncology research.

Dr. Vanna Dickerson is originally from Georgia, where she began her veterinary career working as an assistant at a local general practice for nearly 10 years. She attended the University of Georgia for veterinary school followed by a rotating internship at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, DC. She returned to the University of Georgia for a research fellowship and surgical residency, where her passion for all things soft tissue and feline surgery blossomed! She is currently an assistant professor of small animal soft tissue and minimally invasive surgery at Texas A&M University, where she has worked since completing residency in 2019. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, snuggling her cats, and audiobooks. 

An honors level graduate of the University of Melbourne who became a veterinarian because of his love of horse racing and has spent most of his career in the USA. An equine veterinary clinician and academic with a strong research background in equine exercise and performance science, and the diagnosis, management and prevention of exercise-associated equine diseases. Author of about 200 scientific papers and text-book chapters related to equine exercise science and internal medicine. Has collaborated on, and published findings from, basic and applied equine exercise research in Australia, Asia, Europe and South America. International experience as a consultant and/or speaker in more than 30 countries. ACVIM board certified in large animal internal medicine and co-author/editor of the renowned textbook, “Equine Internal Medicine”.  Member of the international committee of the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP).