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Thursday Speakers
Minneapolis, MN
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Jan. 29 - Feb. 1, 2025
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150+ CE Hours
Matt Allerson is a veterinarian with Holden Farms, Inc. based in Northfield, MN. Matt received his PhD, MPH, and DVM from the University if Minnesota. He works with a veterinary team at Holden Farms that is responsible for the health of 72,000 sows and the associated nursery/finish barns. Matt has an interest in swine production research and helping solve swine health issues as they arise for Holden Farms.
Paul Anderson received his DVM degree from Iowa State University in 1975. He practiced both small and large animal medicine until 1986. He received a Master of Science degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1988. Paul joined the Minnesota Board of Animal Health staff in 1990. He participated in disease control programs for swine, cattle, horses, deer and elk, and dogs and cats. He also directed programs for regulation of kennels (shelters) and commercial dog and cat breeders. He retired from the Board of Animal Health in 2017. Paul is currently the chairman of the MVMA Small Animal Welfare Committee.
Susan Arnold is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Arnold obtained her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. Following a year in general practice, she completed a small animal rotating internship at the University of Minnesota in 2016. She then completed her residency in veterinary neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019, obtaining board certification in the same year. She returned to the University of Minnesota as a faculty member in 2019. Dr. Arnold divides her professional time between practicing clinical veterinary neurology, conducting research on canine brain tumors, and teaching students and trainees. She is passionate about all aspects of veterinary neurology with special interests in increasing access to neurology, reducing “neurophobia,” and developing novel therapies for the treatment of canine brain tumors.
Al is the Chairperson of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Technician committee. He retired after 28 years of teaching at Ridgewater College in Willmar. Dr. Balay is a member of the AVMA’s Committee for the Advancement of Veterinary Technicians and Technologists. He and his wife Claudia co-own a twelve-horse stable with another couple in New London, Minnesota and where he is the resident veterinarian.
Currently retired from active practice, Dr. Bennett was formerly employed at Northern Valley Livestock Services, Plainview, Mn, from 2021 to 2024. Hs is also the former owner of Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center, Plainview, MN. Dr. Bennett has been a partner at Northern Valley Animal Clinic since July 1981. He has been primarily in dairy practice since 1981, with an emphasis on production medicine also since 1981. Dr. Bennett consults with dairy producers and various agribusinesses and engages in public speaking and education for agribusiness firms, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, other veterinarians, livestock organizations, youth groups, producer groups, business groups, and civic organizations. He is the current Past President, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association.
Felicia Boynton, DVM, DACLAM is an Assistant Professor of Comparative Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She has always been passionate about rodent clinical medicine; she developed the Standards of Care program at the University of Michigan during her residency training and has since contributed to similar programs at the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. She is currently working to expand her knowledge and skills in behavioral management, anesthesia and analgesia to improve the welfare of captive animals. After becoming the program director for the Minnesota Lab Animal Medicine Consortium in 2022, she learned she also has a passion for resident welfare. Guiding veterinarians through the transformative years of residency training – and learning from them along the way – has proved to be immensely rewarding. She hopes to grow as a clinician and educator, and to flood the field with educated, compassionate, curious veterinarians who will in turn train other vets. Her goal is to create a network of colleagues who share her vision of exceptional animal care in the service of science.
Luciano Caixeta is an Associate Professor of Dairy Production Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Luciano was born and raised in Brazil where he was involved in beef cattle production from a young age. He obtained his DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Universidade Federal de Goiás in his home town of Goiânia, Brazil. Upon completing his DVM training, he moved to Cornell University where he completed a residency in production medicine and a clinical fellowship at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. He also obtained his PhD degree in animal sciences from Cornell University. Before joining the U of M in 2017, Luciano was a clinical instructor in Dairy Population Health Management at the Colorado State University for 2 years.
Dr. Caixeta’s research program focuses on investigations about metabolic and infectious diseases during the transition period, the development and utilization of immunotherapeutics, and in the use of holistic approaches to understand the networks that form the complex biological systems of living animals (dairy systems biology).
Dr. Kat Coda is a clinical veterinarian at the University of Minnesota’s Research Animal Resources (RAR) and an adjunct assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) and has worked in both academic and pharmaceutical research settings. She is actively involved in teaching and mentoring veterinary students and residents, and serves on multiple institutional committees. Dr. Coda’s research interests include animal welfare and environmental enrichment, and she has published several papers in veterinary and biomedical journals.
Gerard Cramer is a professor of dairy production medicine at the University of Minnesota. Before coming to MN in 2013, he earned his DVM, did graduate work, and owned a dairy farm and a lameness-focused veterinary practice in Canada. Gerard likes to teach, train, consult, and do research about cow’s feet and the associated data.
Dr. Sara Davis grew up in central MN on her family’s dairy farm, which is where her passion for cows and animal health began. She then attended the University of Minnesota for both her undergraduate and veterinary medicine degrees. Following graduation in 2019, she worked as an associate at a mixed animal practice in Minnesota prior to becoming a faculty member at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. As a Ruminant Production Medicine Instructor, she has a large part in teaching hands-on clinical skills and production practices to students in the food animal curriculum. Currently, she is also working to complete a master’s degree at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests include the metabolic disorder ketosis and utilizing technology on farms to improve treatment and management practices.
Gerardo Diaz Ortiz is a Peruvian veterinarian with a master’s in molecular biology funded by the Fogarty International Center and a master’s in veterinary science from the University of Minnesota, funded by Fulbright. Gerardo is a veterinarian and researcher with training in animal health, microbial genomics, and epidemiology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Veterinary Science at the University of Minnesota, researching the microbiome dynamics among workers, animals, and the environment in Midwest swine farms.
Athena earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from North Dakota State University in 2004, and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Minnesota in 2011. It was during her time in graduate school, specifically during her Clinical Internship that her calling in Clinical Social Work presented itself. Athena had the pleasure of spending that school year as a Social Work Intern at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. As an Intern in the University’s Veterinary Social Services program, she learned from the founder of the program, and discovered her calling and passion for veterinary social work. Working with Veterinary Professionals and Clients of the VMC during that internship solidified that this was the population that she was meant to work with. That dream came true in October 2012, when she returned to the Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine. She had the absolute pleasure of spending 9 years in that role serving clients, clinicians and students. In that time her role changed and evolved, allowing her to hone her therapeutic approach with professional students, veterinary professionals and individuals and families struggling with the pain of saying goodbye to their furry family members. Growing the profession of Veterinary Social Work and creating a vast network of Veterinary Social Work Professionals is driving force for her professionally. This subset demands a knowledge base that not all Social Work Professionals have, and she wants to work with clinics and hospitals within Minnesota to determine if a VSW could serve their needs, and then assist in developing and recruiting for that position.
Tracy Erfourth has been a case manager with the Health Professionals Services Program for 21 years. As a case manager, she complete intakes interviews, develops participation agreements (monitoring contracts) and performs ongoing monitoring services. She collaborates with health professionals, their treatment providers and employers to ensure the public is protected and that health professionals are managing their illnesses appropriately. Tracy has worked with health professionals from every health licensing board. She has been instrumental in program development and training of new staff. She has worked in the mental health and substance use fields for over 32 years.
Dr. Eva Furrow is an Associate Professor of small animal internal medicine at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her veterinary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a residency in small animal internal medicine and a PhD in canine genetics at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on urinary stone disease, hyperlipidemia, and other metabolic disorders. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Canine Genetics Laboratory, the co-director of the Minnesota Urolith Center, and a founder of the American College of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology.
Sam Geiling is a credentialed veterinary technician, Navy veteran, and educator. She helped build the veterinary technology program in Hawaii, where she taught for over a decade. She also established the Hawaii Vet Tech Association and worked to pass legislation to recognize registered veterinary technicians in Hawaii. Sam moved home to Minnesota in June 2023 and now serves as interim treasurer for MAVT and co-chair of NAVTA’s Government Relations Committee to support each state in their legislative goals for veterinary technicians. She is a strong advocate for vet techs and advancing veterinary medicine.
Dr. Goldsmith is a Professor within the Ruminant Division at the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine since 2008. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001, and became board certified in the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine in 2009. Professional experience prior to his current position was as a private practice large animal veterinarian focusing primarily on food animals, working with clients in MN, IA and WI. Current research and academic interest is in areas of livestock production systems and emergency response planning. Dr. Goldsmith focuses on the development and teaching of programs for veterinary students in the area of bovine production medicine and management, along with providing outreach and education to veterinarians and producers throughout Minnesota.
Brad Heins is a Professor of Dairy Management at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research Center in Morris, Minnesota. Currently, Dr. Heins conducts his research and Extension program at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center. The Center has a 130-head herd in a certified organic system, and a 160-head herd in a conventional grazing system. His research and extension program focuses on best management practices for organic dairy production, forages for grazing, crossbreeding of dairy cattle, group rearing of calves, and renewable energy for dairy production systems. He serves on the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture Board of Directors and the Minnesota Organic Advisory Task Force.
https://z.umn.edu/wcrocdairy (WCROC Dairy Research and Extension)
Dr. Highland has served as the Pathology and Professional Veterinary Services Section Head and a Diagnostic Pathologist at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory since June 2022. She received both her B.S. (School of Pharmacy, 1997) and DVM (2006) from UW-Madison, and completed anatomic pathology residency training at the University of California-Davis (2006-2008) and as a Milwaukee County Zoo and Wildlife Anatomic Pathology Fellow (2008-2010). Dr. Highland received her Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Disease from Washington State University as a USDA Ph.D. trainee (2010-2016), then stayed in Pullman, WA for 3 years serving as a USDA-ARS Veterinary Researcher, specializing in small ruminant infectious diseases (2016-2019). Dr. Highland then served as a diagnostician and necropsy laboratory section head within the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (2019-2022). She maintains a strong interest in small ruminant health and disease.
After working in both small and mixed animal practices, Kim Horne spent most of her career at the University of Minnesota, Veterinary Medical Center where she found her passion in dermatology. She is one of the Co-Founders of the Academy of Dermatology Veterinary Technicians (ADVT) and is a co-editor of the book Small Animal Dermatology for Technicians and Nurses. Although Kim is now retired, she is still very active in her state and national vet tech associations.
Dr. Jacobs is a third-year laboratory animal medicine resident as Mayo Clinic. She received her DVM from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. Prior to vet school, she worked as a research assistant at the University of South Carolina studying cardiovascular disease in swine and mouse models. She is currently conducting research in the field of vascular surgery with a focus on the physiology of hemorrhagic shock.
Dr. Pam Johnson is the Executive Director for the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. She completed a two-year Equine Field Medicine internship at The Ohio State University from 1998-2000. She practiced equine ambulatory medicine until 2010 when she received a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota. After spending 18 months at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center working as pandemic flu planner for the hospital, she began her public health career in Food Safety with USDA/FSIS. Dr. Johnson is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve Veterinary Corps and has been on 4 overseas military deployments conducting global veterinary stability operations. She lives in the metro area and enjoys spending time at her cabin in northern Minnesota with her husband and two dogs.
Coming Soon.
Amanda Kriesel has been a Certified Veterinary Technician in Minnesota since 2008 when she graduated from Argosy University with her Associates degree in Veterinary Technology. She spent most of her technical career working in internal medicine and oncology. Over the years she flexed into people leadership, becoming a supervisor and then technician manager for her hospital. It was in that role that she developed her passion for empowering technicians, teaching, and training, which led her to pursue her Bachelors degree in Psychology and then her Masters degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology where her thesis work centered around on-the-job veterinary technician training. In 2019 she become BluePearl’s Regional Training Partner supporting 30+ BluePearl locations across the middle of the US, and in 2022 became the Regional Nursing Partner for that same region, expanding her support beyond just learning and training to medical quality, associate career pathing, nursing efficiency support, and more! This role allows her to live out her passion for elevating the veterinary technician role and working to ensure that there are career pathing opportunities available for technicians that are sustainable across the life of their career. She has been with BluePearl since 2010 when her home hospital in Minnesota joined the BluePearl family. She also serves on the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians Board of Directors and volunteers as a mentor with Mentor Vet Tech. She lives with her animal family in Minnesota which includes a poodle/bichon mix, four siamese cats, and a menagerie of aquatic pets including axolotls, frogs, urchins, and fish. She can often be found curled up with a good book or relaxing on her kayak in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Michelle Lake has been a CVT for 24 years. She received her VTS certification in emergency and critical care in 2006. She is a Federally and State permitted Master Wildlife Rehabilitator. She has volunteered and worked with wildlife throughout her career. In 2014 Michelle received the 501c3 status for a small not for profit organization she started. The Wildlife Intensive & Critical Care Unit (WICCU) combines her wildlife skills and veterinary technician skills to help the injured and orphaned wildlife that she admits. These days you will find Michelle devoting most of her time helping the wildlife as well as running the nonprofit organization. She is also involved in doing wildlife rescues, education events for a variety of communities and teaching online courses for other organizations. She and her extremely patient husband Rich, have three dogs, three cats and two ring-neck doves.
Christopher Lewellen is a 2010 graduate of Argosy University and have been working as a Veterinary Technician for 16 years. Christopher has experience in small animal, wildlife, and exotic medicine. The past two years in vet med were working in ophthalmology specialties- first at Companion Animal Eye Center, next at the University of Minnesota. Christopher currently works at Vet Eye Pros in Eagan with Dr Andrew Rogan. Christopher has a passion and enthusiasm for ophthalmology. When not spreading ophtho joy, Christopher enjoys reading and spending time with family.
Kelly Makielski is an Assistant Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Makielski’s clinical interests include endocrinology and infectious/immune-mediated disease, and her research primarily involves investigation of biomarkers in canine and human osteosarcoma.
Dr. Maryanne Murphy earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Animal Sciences and Biological Sciences from Rutgers University. She went on to achieve her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Iowa State University. Following her DVM, Dr. Murphy completed a rotating internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City. She then pursued a clinical nutrition residency and a PhD at the University of Tennessee, focusing her research on energy metabolism and satiety in both lean and obese dogs. Dr. Murphy worked as a clinical nutritionist at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey before transitioning back to academia at the University of Tennessee in 2016. Currently, she serves as the Chief of the Veterinary Nutrition Service at UT and continues to actively see patients, with particular interests in obesity prevention and treatment as well as dietary management of gastrointestinal disease. Committed to promoting and expanding the specialty of veterinary nutrition, Dr. Murphy mentors and trains veterinarians aspiring to become board-certified veterinary nutritionists. She served as the final President of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN), with an instrumental role in integrating ACVN into the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Subsequently, she became the inaugural President of the Nutrition Specialty within ACVIM, leveraging the larger organization’s ability to foster closer clinical and research collaborations while increasing awareness about the critical role nutrition plays in veterinary medical care. Dr. Murphy continues to serve ACVIM with roles related to the Nutrition Specialty Examination. A major professional interest for Dr. Murphy is veterinary nutrition education. Through her extensive work with patients, veterinarians, veterinary organizations, and research endeavors, she strives to elevate standards in veterinary care by advancing nutritional science.
Dr. Kate Myrna has a BA from Vassar College and received her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. She completed a 1-year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, and went on to complete a 1-year specialty internship at Angell Animal Medical Center – Western New England. Dr. Myrna then completed a Residency in Comparative Ophthalmology and obtained a Master of Science in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Myrna has been teaching at the University of Georgia for the past eight years where she has been recognized for her teaching and engaging lecture style through the Zoetis Distinguished Teaching award, multiple student teaching awards and a Lilly Teaching Fellowship. She was voted speaker of the year at VMX.
Dr. Naikare is a board-certified veterinary microbiologist and has been in the field of infectious disease diagnostics, microbial pathogenesis, and molecular biology for the past 20 years. Currently, he serves as the Director of the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. Prior to that, Dr. Naikare worked as the Director of the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory, University of Georgia (2017-2024) and Section Head of Bacteriology & Molecular Diagnostics at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (2007-2017). He partners with small animal practitioners, food animal veterinarians, and scientists on research projects that directly impact animal health, food safety, microbial pathogenesis & zoonosis/public health. Dr. Naikare is passionate about developing novel disease diagnostic & surveillance platforms for rapid & accurate microbial detection & monitoring of antimicrobial resistance at point-of-care & laboratory settings. He currently serves as a reviewer for several peer reviewed journals in the field of human & veterinary microbiology.
Sierra Palmer is a PhD student advised by Dr. Melanie Graham MPH, PhD in the Veterinary Science program at the University of Minnesota, with a MPH in Environmental Infectious Disease. Sierra works as a graduate research assistant and has more than 7 years of experience in behavioral management, training, and care with a focus on primates. She is a talented young professional working to translate innovative therapies for metabolic, autoimmune, infectious and inherited diseases. Sierra applies her passion for animal welfare by exploring and implementing evidence-based behavioral management techniques that benefit animals in the research setting, as reflected in her publications. She fulfills this passion outside of work by providing clinical care and behavioral management at a wildlife clinic, fostering pocket pets, and spoiling her three ferrets.
Cassie has been a CVT for over 20 years. Initially she earned her AAS from Argosy University. After graduation she worked in a small internal medicine practice for 1.5 years before moving to general practice. Cassie was given the opportunity to teach at Minnesota School of Business where she taught for 6 years also took classes to earn her BS in Veterinary Technology Management. She then worked for Pet Poison Helpline, where she still works part time. Cassie moved to working at the University of Minnesota to work in the Nutrition/Specialty Services. In June of 2019, she sat and passed her Nutrition Specialty exam and is now a Veterinary Technician Specialist with the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians. Cassie is currently employed with Animal Emergency and Referral Center of Minnesota in the Internal Medicine and ICU services. Cassie currently shares her home with her dog Mai Tai and cat Otto.
Igor Paploski is Researcher at the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota. His background is on epidemiology of infectious diseases – he has had the opportunity to work with several infectious diseases, both in humans and animals. His current research focuses on understanding the transmission and evolution of PRRSv and PEDv affecting swine herds in the U.S.
Dr. Mackenzie Reberg currently serves as the Epidemiology Officer for VS-Minnesota. Prior to this role, she was a Field Veterinarian for VS in southeast Minnesota. Upon graduation from the University of Minnesota in 2010, Dr. Reberg started out in mixed animal practice in southwest Minnesota for 8 years. Dr. Reberg is a Minnesota native and enjoys her public service role working with livestock producers, veterinarians, and others involved the livestock industry across the state.
Dr. Sally Ryan is an enthusiastic and experienced leader in the veterinary industry. She obtained her Bachelors in Animal Science at the University of Vermont and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine. She has worked as a shelter, primary care and emergency veterinarian. For almost twenty years, she led a multi-site emergency veterinary organization as medical director. She currently works as an IDEXX Professional Services Veterinarian in the Upper Midwest. In this role, she provides continual education on variety of topics related to veterinary diagnostics.
Dr. Robin Sherwin completed her laboratory animal residency at the Mayo Clinic and is now a Clinical Veterinarian at the University of Iowa.
Dr. Stauthammer is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine under the specialty of Cardiology. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 2004 and completed a general internship and cardiology residency at the University of Minnesota in 2008. He is currently employed at the University of Minnesota as an Associate Professor in cardiology as well as the Vice Chair of Clinical Service. His research interests include interventional cardiology and radiology, congenital heart disease and arrhythmias. His clinical interests involve all aspects of heart disease within large, small and exotic animals with a heavy focus on catheter based treatment modalities. Dr. Stauthammer’s teaching interest involve the implementation of active learning within the classroom. Dr. Stauthammer has received numerous teaching awards for his work in didactic and clinical teaching
Drew Swartz earned his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri before coming to the University of Minnesota in the Fall of 2020. Under the supervision of Dr. Marcia Endres, he conducted research on herd management practices in automatic milking systems for his Master’s in Animal Science. In the Fall of 2022, Drew began his Ph.D. program under the guidance of Dr. Gerard Cramer. His current research focuses on using an autonomous camera-based system to detect early stages of lameness in dairy cattle and understanding the perceived barriers producers and stakeholders have that prevent them from implementing technology.
Josh believes all veterinary professionals deserve to feel fulfilled and energized in their work, each and every day. Through his company, Flourish Veterinary Consulting, he combines more than 25 years of veterinary experience, a master’s in applied positive psychology and coaching psychology, education in positive leadership and positive organizational scholarship, and a passion for guiding leaders to cultivate workplaces in which people thrive, He’s also the author of the book, “Lead to Thrive: The Science of Crafting a Positive Veterinary Culture”. Josh has taught the art of practicing positive leadership at hundreds of organizations, conferences, and events. To further his mission of empowering veterinary leaders with practical guidance, in 2024 he began pursuing graduate education in conflict management and applied positive communication at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock.
Dr. Marlyse Wehber attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her Bachelor of Science in biology and veterinary school. In her second year she had her first class in dermatology and knew that it would be the career path she would follow. After graduation in 2021, she worked as a small animal general practitioner near Minneapolis. Her time in general practice allowed her to solidify her interest in skin, ear and allergies conditions of pets, which ultimately led to her pursuit of a residency in veterinary dermatology at Pet Dermatology Clinic. She is passionate about every aspect of dermatology and has a particular interest in atopic dermatitis, ear disease, and immune-mediated disease.