Gary D. Norsworthy, DVM, DABVP (Feline)

Dr. Norsworthy has been in private practice for over 40 years, 25 in small animal practice and 17 in feline practice. He is the owner of Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to practice, he lectures frequently on feline diseases and is the editor and major author of six feline textbooks, the most recent being The Feline Patient, 4th Edition and Nursing the Feline Patient, the first American feline textbook for technicians. His practice hosts externs from veterinary schools across North America and from other countries. He is a charter Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the Feline Practice Category and an Adjunct Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University and the Western University of Health Sciences. He was chosen for the 2009 Practitioner of the Year Award in the Medical Specialist category by the Texas VMA and has received Speaker of the Year at several conferences. He is the only person to be Speaker of the Year at the North American Veterinary Conference and the Western Veterinary Conference.

 

Jan Bellows, DVM

Dr. Bellows received his undergraduate training at the University of Florida and DVM from Auburn University in 1975. After completing a small animal internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City, he returned to south Florida where he still practices companion animal medicine , surgery and dentistry at ALL PETS DENTAL, in Weston Florida. He is certified by the Board of Veterinary Practitioners (canine and feline) since 1986 and the College of Veterinary Dentistry since 1990. He was president of the American Veterinary Dental College from 2013-14 and currently president of the Veterinary Dental Forum.  Dr. Bellows’ veterinary dentistry accomplishments include authoring three dental texts- The Practice of Veterinary Dentistry …. A team effort (1999), Small Animal Dental Equipment, Materials, and Techniques (2005) and Feline Dentistry ( 2010). He is a frequent contributor to DVM Newsmagazine and a charter consultant of Veterinary Information Network’s (VIN) dental board since 1993. He was also chosen as one of the dental experts to formulate AAHA’s Small Animal Dental Guidelines published in 2005 and updated in 2013.  Dr. Bellows practices at All Pets Dental, 17100 Royal Palm Blvd, Weston, Florida 954-349-5800.

 

Heidi Ward, DVM, DACVIM:

Dr. Ward earned her DVM Degree from The Ohio State University in 1989. She performed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Specialists of Connecticut in 1989-1990, a residency in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990-1992 and completed a  second residency in Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994.  She was a clinical assistant professor in the small animal internal medicine service at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for three years and worked within the internal medicine department of Med Vet in Columbus, Ohio for 1 year prior to moving to Florida in 1998. She currently works at Gulfcoast Veterinary Oncology and Internal Medicine in Sarasota, Florida.

 

Thomas J. Divers, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM, Diplomate ACVECC, Steffen Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

Dr. Divers earned his DVM from the University of Georgia and completed an internship in large animal medicine at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Divers returned to the University of Georgia for a residency in large animal internal Medicine and ambulatory practice and later worked for 2 years as an assistant professor in the large animal medicine and ambulatory practice at the College. Dr. Divers then moved to the University of Pennsylvania for 10 years where he was an associate professor of large animal medicine and served as chief of the section of medicine at the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Currently Dr. Divers is Professor of Medicine and co-Chief of the Section of Large Animal Medicine at Cornell University.  He has been the recipient of teaching awards at three universities, has received the Educator of the Year Award from both the AAEP and ACVECC and recently received the Cornell University Hospital for Animals Distinguished Service Award for service to referring veterinarians. He is a diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.  He is co-author of three textbooks, has authored numerous book chapters and has more than 190 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Divers is currently consulting editor of Veterinary Clinics of North America- Equine Practice. Dr. Divers’ current research focuses on newly - discovered hepatitis viruses in horses. Other research activities have included bacterial and toxic causes of liver failure in horses, equine neurological diseases including equine motor neuron disease and equine protozoal myelitis, equine lyme disease, equine leptospirosis, diseases of the urinary system and advances in internal medicine and critical care for horses, foals and dairy cattle. 

 

Debra Horwitz, DVM, DACVB

Dr. Horwitz received her DVM from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. In behavior referral practice since 1982 her practice is presently located in St. Louis, Missouri.  She is a frequent lecturer in both North America and abroad on behavioral topics to veterinarians and pet owners and often featured on both television and radio and is a behavioral consultant for the VIN.  She has authored and edited several books and book chapters including Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Behavior co-authored with Jacqui Neilson, BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine 1st and 2nd editions, behavior section editor The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline, third, fourth and fifth editions, and co-author of the Lifelearn Behavior Client Handouts. Her most recent project was as lead editor of a book for pet owners authored by diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Decoding your Dog published in January 2014. She was president of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists 2006-2008. In 2012 she received the Veterinarian of the Year from Ceva Animal Health at the Annual Show Dogs of the Year® Awards and was voted NAVC 2012 and NAVC 2014 Small Animal Speaker of the Year.

 

Thomas Lewis II, DVM

Dr. Lewis was born and raised in Arizona.  One only has to look to his 2nd grade school reports to trace his desire to be a veterinarian.  After graduation from Arizona State University and marrying his high school sweetheart, Dr. Lewis attended Colorado State University where he obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1986.  He then worked at Mesa Veterinary Hospital for two years before starting his residency in dermatology.  In 1991 he finished his residency and achieved Diplomate certification by the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.  Dr. Lewis founded the Dermatology Clinic for Animals (later Dermatology for Animals) in 1991 with offices in Mesa, and Tucson, Arizona as well as in Albuquerque New Mexico.  Within three years clinics were added in Salt Lake City, Utah, El Paso, Texas and Omaha, Nebraska.   By bringing a clinic to these cities, it meant that, for the first time, residents of the state had a board- certified veterinary dermatologist to treat the severely afflicted dermatology patient.  Dr. Lewis has a passion for the veterinary profession and the specialty of dermatology.  His principle interest includes investigating the role of allergies and the effect they have on the skin.  Improving the quality of life for a severely allergic patient is a challenge Dr. Lewis loves to accept and fulfill.  Dr. Lewis has written journal articles and supported research on a number of projects during his career.  He is frequently invited to lecture at veterinary continuing education meetings around the country, and is always eager to share with his colleagues some of the insights he has gained regarding dermatology disorders in animals.

 

Sharon Dial, DVM, PhD, DACVP

Dr. Dial received her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Montana State University after which she attended Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine.  Following a year in a private rural practice, she returned to CSU for residency training in clinical pathology.  In addition, she completed a doctorate and post-doctoral training in pathology at CSU.   After a clinical instructorship at the University of Wisconsin and four years as an assistant professor at Louisiana State University, Dr. Dial returned full time to her primary interest, diagnostic pathology and has been an active diagnostic pathologist for the last 21 years.  She is a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Pathology with dual board certification in clinical and anatomic pathology.   Dr. Dial is currently a Research Scientist at the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Arizona in Tucson.

 

Victoria M. Lukasik, DVM, DACVAA

Dr. Lukasik received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Washington State University where she was awarded the Outstanding Senior Student in Medicine and Surgery (across all disciplines) and the Dorothy Eggerman Memorial Scholarship Award. Dr. Lukasik completed her residency in anesthesiology at Cornell University and received her Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (DACVAA) in anesthesia in 1997. She has received awards from the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists, American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), research awards from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Lukasik is actively involved in research at the Arizona Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona and has published numerous professional articles and contributed to textbooks on the field of anesthesia. She is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker and has been presented with several professional awards, including one for compassion.

 

Mary Ann Thrall, DVM ACVP

Dr. Thrall’s BA degree is from the University of Evansville (1966), her DVM degree is from Purdue University (1970), and her MS degree is from Colorado State University (1977). Dr. Thrall was a small animal practitioner from 1970 to 1974. Prior to joining the faculty at Ross University, she was a faculty member at Colorado State University for 32 years. Her research interests over the last 30 years have been in the areas of bone marrow transplantation as therapy for feline models of lysosomal storage disorders, characterization of feline models of lysosomal storage diseases, including the mucopolysaccharidoses and Niemann Pick C1 disease, and treatment of ethylene glycol toxicosis in dogs and cats. Dr. Thrall is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP), and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP). She has served as the president of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (2006-2007) and The American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (1984-1985). She served as Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies, from February 2012 to February 2015. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at RUSVM, where she teaches veterinary clinical pathology to more than 400 veterinary students per year.

 

Dennis Chew, DVM ACVIM

Dr. Chew is a 1972 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. He did a one-year internship at South Weymouth Veterinary Associates and a two-year residency in internal medicine and nephrology at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1977. Dr. Chew was an attending veterinarian at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for 36 years and is now Professor Emeritus. Most of his work in clinics, research and publications involves urology/nephrology in small animals. He has special interest in disorders of calcium metabolism, chronic kidney disease and vitamin D metabolite dynamics, idiopathic/interstitial cystitis of cats, and urinary endoscopy. He has been the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 2 editions of the Manual of Nephrology and Urology in Small Animals.

 

Kenneth Thornberry, DVM

Dr. Thornberry received his DVM from The University of Missouri in 1988 and currently is an adjunct professor and co-facilitates the VM2 Business Management Course at the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also the off-campus advisor for the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) at the University of Missouri. He founded, owned and sold both general and specialty practices in St Louis, MO. He owned his general practice for over 25 years and grew it to a 17,000 sf, 8 doctor, full-service veterinary hospital. The specialty practice opened in 2007 and grew to a 13,000 sf, 24-hour emergency / critical specialty hospital with 11 doctors and 6 specialties. In 2015, he sold his specialty practice to Blue Pearl and his general practice to National Veterinary Associates (NVA). Dr. Thornberry still practices and co-manages his original general practice as an NVA hospital - Veterinary Group of Chesterfield - In addition, he provides practice and business leadership mentoring, speaking and consulting services to industry and corporate leaders. Dr. Thornberry is a frequent guest lecturer at veterinary colleges, Veterinary Business Management Group (VBMA) and practitioner events across the country. He lectures and independently consults on practice management, leadership, communication, veterinary business operations and practice profitability / valuation creation, along with selling strategies. He is active is his community and has been recognized for his academics, leadership, practice and service.

 

Mark A. Mitchell DVM, MS, PhD DECZM (Herpetology)

Dr. Mitchell received his DVM in 1992 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in clinical epidemiology with an emphasis on wildlife medicine from the University of Illinois in 1997. He completed his PhD in clinical epidemiology with an emphasis on Salmonella spp. in reptiles at Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2001. From 1996-2007, Dr. Mitchell served as a member of the zoological medicine faculty at LSU, and from 2007-2016 served as a member of the faculty at the University of Illinois. He is currently the Hospital Director of the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Professor of Zoological Medicine. Dr. Mitchell is a past-president of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. His interests include invertebrate, fish, amphibian, reptile, avian, and non-domestic mammal medicine and surgery, as well as conservation medicine and clinical issues in non-domestic species. Dr. Mitchell has published over 500 book chapters, peer-reviewed manuscripts, scientific abstracts, proceedings and lay articles. He currently serves as the co-editor of the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine [link to http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=1557-5063] and the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery [link to: http://www.arav.org/ECOMARAV/timssnet/common/tnt_frontpage.cfm]. Dr. Mitchell is also the co-editor of the Manual of Exotic Pet Practice and Current Therapy in Exotic Pet Practice [link to http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Exotic-Practice-Mark-Mitchell/dp/1416001190].

 

Don J Harris, DVM

Dr. Harris graduated from Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980. Within 10 years his practice had become limited to birds and other exotic pets, and in 1991 he founded South Florida’s first exotics-only practice, Avian & Exotic Animal Medical Center. In 1992 Dr. Harris was elected president of the international Association of Avian Veterinarians, and in 2008, president of the North American Veterinary Conference, arguably the largest and most well-recognized veterinary conference in the world. Receiving numerous awards and commendations for his contributions to exotic animal medicine, Dr. Harris continues to be an avid speaker, instructor, writer, consultant, mentor, surfer, snowboarder, skydiver, and movie star. OK, so he’s not the best surfer.

 

Benjamin Brainard VMD, DACVAA, DACVECC

Dr. Brainard received his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000, followed by a 1-year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Georgia. Following his internship, Dr. Brainard completed dual residencies in Veterinary Anesthesiology and Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Brainard is board certified in both veterinary anesthesiology and emergency/critical care. He serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Dr. Brainard was named the Director of Clinical Research of the College of Veterinary Medicine in June 2017.

 

Valerie Parker, DVM ACVIM ACVN

Dr. Parker received her DVM from Tufts University. She then completed a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, followed by a small animal internal medicine residency at Iowa State University and a clinical nutrition residency at Tufts University. She is a diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Dr. Parker’s primary areas of interest include to kidney disease, gastrointestinal disease, and vitamin D metabolism, as well as nutritional management of dogs and cats.

 

Jon Michael Fletcher, DVM ACVIM

Dr. Fletcher received his DVM from Louisiana State University in 2005.  He completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Auburn University before returning to LSU for his small animal internal medicine residency.  Following his residency, he worked in a private specialty hospital in New Orleans four years before having the opportunity to join the faculty at Louisiana State University in 2012.  His clinical and research interests include the prevention and management of small animal endocrine and metabolic diseases as well as diagnostic endocrine testing.

 

Stacee Santi, DVM

Dr. Stacee Santi is a 1996 DVM graduate from Colorado State University and the founder of Vet2Pet, a technology startup that builds personalized custom apps for veterinary practices. With over 20 years of clinical experience in small animal and emergency practice, Stacee brings an “in the trenches” approach to innovation and solutions for veterinary teams. She has also served as a medical advisory consultant for NVA for 5 years, medical director for AAHA general/ER practice in Colorado as well as a member of the Executive Committee and Chairperson for the Telehealth Task Force for the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association.