Looking to become an Exhibitor or Sponsor?

|

Thursday Speakers

Minneapolis, MN

/

January 28–31, 2026

/

140+ CE Hours

Paul Anderson

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Paul Anderson received a DVM degree from Iowa State University in 1975. He was in private practice until 1986. He received a Master of Science degree in veterinary medicine and public health from the University of Minnesota in 1988. Paul joined the Minnesota Board of Animal Health staff in 1990. He directed regulatory programs for the control and eradication of diseases in swine, cattle, horses, deer, elk, dogs and cats. He also directed regulatory programs to protect the health and welfare of dogs and cats kept by kennels (shelters) and commercial dog and cat breeders. He retired from the Board of Animal Health in 2017. Paul is the chairman of the MVMA Small Animal Welfare Committee. The mission of the committee is to identify issues that affect small animal welfare in the state of Minnesota and develop and monitor programs and policies to improve small animal welfare.

Joe Armstrong

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Bovine

Sponsored by:

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Joe Armstrong is a member of the Zoetis Dairy Technical Service Team and focuses on helping dairy and beef operations with the practical application of evidence-based medicine and management. With Zoetis, he is responsible for providing technical support to Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and northeast Iowa. Joe received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Minnesota-Morris in 2011. He graduated from the University of Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. After veterinary school, Joe worked as a private practitioner with beef and dairy farms at Anderson Veterinary Service in Zumbrota, MN. Dr. Joe then worked as the Cattle Production Systems Extension Educator at the University of Minnesota. Joe lives in the Twin Cities of MN with his wife, who is also a veterinarian, and his two children.

Rian Ashmore

CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)

Thursday, January 29

Veterinary Technician

Speaker Bio:

Rian Ashmore has been a Certified Veterinary Technician since 2012. Rian specializes in anesthesia at the University of Minnesota. Rian’s interests include stabilizing and anesthetizing critical patients, pain management, and cardiovascular disease.

Al Balay

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Al Balay 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, where he is the resident veterinarian.

Felicia Boynton

DVM, DACLAM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

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.

James Buck

Thursday, January 29

Small Ruminant

Sponsored by:

Speaker Bio:

James Buck was raised on a diversified family farming operation in Tennessee. Attended the University of Tennessee graduating with a B.S. in Agriculture Business. During his 40 plus year career he has work to improve livestock operations selling feed, seed, fertilizer, and animal health. For the past 20 years Autogenous Vaccines have been the focus of most of his work. James is currently an employee of Cambridge Technologies. His primary focus has been working with Veterinarians to produce vaccines to increase protection against new strains or emerging disease threats in ruminants. A need identified has been the lack of disease prevention vaccines for small ruminants. Cambridge tapped James to work with local Veterinarians to determine what would be best for small ruminant owners and if Cambridge could address those concerns.

Melissa Carpentier

DVM, DACVIM

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal I-Cutting Edge

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Missy Carpentier, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) is a veterinary neurologist and the owner of Minnesota Veterinary Neurology. Dr. Carpentier enjoys all aspects of neurology, however, utilizing her skill set to improve any animal’s quality of life will always be at the forefront of her dedication to the veterinary field. Recently, she has developed a strong interest in myopathies and neuropathies. With collaborations with other veterinarians across the country, she has recently helped identify genetic variants that are responsible for two separate inherited conditions in French Bulldogs and Great Danes, respectively.

Sandra Faeh

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Sandra Faeh is a small animal veterinarian from the Chicago area. Her journey in organized veterinary medicine began in 1995 as the national SAVMA president. Since then, she has served as president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, Illinois alternate delegate and delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates, chair of the AVMA House Advisory Committee, AVMA president, and AVMA vice president. Dr. Faeh formerly was part-owner of four small-animal clinics in the Chicago suburbs for more than 20 years. This provided her with insight into the daily challenges faced by practicing veterinarians both physically and mentally. She now seeks to assist young veterinarians with all aspects of their careers in her role as a veterinary mentor. Dr. Faeh currently serves as chief veterinary officer for National Veterinary Associates, where she is helping the organization build a clinical mentorship program. Dr. Faeh is a 1996 veterinary graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She and her husband, Marshall Butler, are the proud parents of three sons: Pierce, Aidan, and Alex.

Jennifer Ficken

CVT

Thursday, January 29

Veterinary Technician

Speaker Bio:

Jennifer Ficken graduated from MIM (Argosy University) in 2002, worked for Banfield (multiple twin cities locations) over the course of 16+ years, holding positions including kennel assistant to practice manager. She joined BluePearl in 2012 as an internal medicine/oncology technician but within a year or so navigated her way to the dentistry team and has not looked back since. Jennifer conducts independent training sessions on behalf of Midmark as well as by individual request from hospitals in the Twin Cities. These opportunities have greatly improved her speaking skills and built a comfort to do something she never imagined she would do.

Richard Ford

DVM, MPH

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal II-Immunology

Sponsored by:

Vaccine Adverse Reactions: The Conflict Between Science & Emotion
Chronic Cough in the Dog
FeLV & FIV: How Real is the Threat?
FIP: More Complex Than We Thought?
Feline Viral Upper Respiratory Disease: Why It Persists! And What To Do About It
Hyperlipidemic States In The Dog & Cat

Speaker Bio:

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Dr. Ford practiced small animal and equine medicine prior to completing the internal medicine residency at Michigan State University. Subsequently, he taught internal medicine at Purdue University for 4 years after which he joined the medicine faculty at North Carolina State University. Dr. Ford was the Lead Editor of the 2017 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines and has served as a co-author on the AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines. He currently coordinates the rabies awareness initiative in the US and the rabiesaware.org website, a resource (US) for veterinarians on State laws and regulations governing rabies and rabies vaccination. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Ford spent 28 years with the US Air Force as a Biomedical Scientist. He retired from the USAF Reserve as a Brigadier General, where he was assigned to the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General at the Pentagon.

Gail Golab

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Golab is Associate Executive Vice President and Chief Veterinary Officer for the American Veterinary Medical Association, overseeing the association’s Animal and Public Health, Animal Welfare, and Global Outreach Divisions. Previously, Dr. Golab has served as Chief Advocacy and Public Policy Officer, as Director of the Animal Welfare Division, and in a variety of other roles in the AVMA’s Publications, Education and Research, and Communications Divisions. Before her tenure at the AVMA, she spent several years in private companion animal practice, and prior to that served as Biochemical/Biomedical Research Consultant at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. Dr. Golab is best known for her more than 30 years of work in the human-animal interactions/animal welfare field that began as an undergraduate; transcends both professional degrees; has included opportunities for exposure to a variety of concerns affecting diverse species; and includes experience in research, policy development, and practical applications. Accordingly, she has served on advisory committees on the care and use of animals in agriculture, biomedical research, the pet industry, entertainment, transport, and human healthcare applications. She graduated with a PhD from Texas A&M University, a DVM from the University of Illinois, is certified as a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Animal Welfare), is a charter diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare (an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty board), and a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice.

Tim Goldsmith

DVM, MPH, DACVPM

Thursday, January 29

Bovine

Sponsored by:

Speaker Bio:

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.

Holly Hommerding

DVM, DABT, DABVT

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal I-Cutting Edge

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Holly Hommerding has been with Pet Poison Helpline since 2014. Originally from central Minnesota, Holly received her BS and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hommerding became a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (ABT) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT) in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Holly had enjoyed an early and fulfilling career working in small animal general practice in the Twin Cities metropolitan area through 2016, but her love for toxicology was impetus to continue on a professional course in clinical toxicology with Pet Poison Helpline. She now lives in the Twin Cities with her comical golden retrievers Nutmeg (Meg) and Dandelion, her strong-willed cat Miriam, and her geriatric cockatiel Frankie.

Pamela Johnson

DVM, MPH

Thursday, January 29

WeGIVE

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Pamela Johnson is the Executive Director of 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.

Erik Jopp

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Swine

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Jopp graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. He worked in a mixed animal practice in Central Minnesota for 12 years focusing in large animal medicine, primarily dairy medicine. He then went on to work with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in the Dairy and Meat Inspection Division for 11 years as the field veterinarian and supervisor. Dr. Jopp started with the Board in May of 2022 as Assistant Director and currently oversees the Senior Veterinarians and Emergency Planning.

Briana Keller

DVM, DACVIM, CHPV

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal I-Cutting Edge

Speaker Bio:

Briana Keller, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), CHPV, is a board-certified veterinary oncologist, a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian, and a Human-Animal Bond Certified Veterinarian. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2013, and she was a rotating intern and oncology intern at North Carolina State University, where she also completed her oncology residency in 2018. She founded the Oncology Service at the Animal Emergency and Referral Center of Minnesota in 2018, which has now grown to include a second oncologist and a busy caseload. Dr. Keller enjoys working with pet owners to provide care that supports the human-animal bond, from the initial cancer diagnosis through the cancer treatment process and even including end-of-life care. Dr. Keller knows firsthand how important quality of life is for pets with cancer since she previously treated her own Lab mix Raleigh, and Raleigh enjoyed tennis balls, snuggling, and raiding the recycling bin for cardboard until the very end!

Mackenzie Keown

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

Mackenzie Keown, DVM is a second year Laboratory Animal Medicine Veterinary Resident at the Mayo Clinic. During her residency, she began researching the use of ultrasound-detected lymph node markers in a swine lymphadenopathy model. Prior to residency, Mackenzie earned her DVM at the University of Missouri.

Samantha Likar

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Sam Likar is a first year resident veterinarian with the University of Minnesota’s Research Animal Resources (RAR). She went into vet school with the specific goal of pursuing laboratory animal medicine after working in a non-human primate research lab during undergraduate school and earned her DVM from the University of Minnesota in 2025. She has a particular interest in analgesia and surgery and caring for large species such as pigs, sheep and non-human primates. She’s a born and raised Minnesotan and lives in Robbinsdale with her husband Brandon and foster-fail kitty, Bubby.

Annette Lundberg

DVM, MS, DACVD

Thursday, January 29

Small Ruminant

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Annette Lundberg is an assistant professor of comparative dermatology at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Originally from Michigan, she obtained her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Minnesota. Following that, she completed a year-long rotating internship at the ASPCA Animal Hospital in New York City before returning to the University of Minnesota for a specialty internship in dermatology. She then completed a combination masters and residency program at Auburn University in Alabama before being lucky enough to come back to Minnesota to join the University once again. Dr. Lundberg is passionate about improving human and animals’ quality of life and making veterinary health care accessible to all pet owners. When not at work, she enjoys knitting with her two cats as well as going on long walks with her two dogs.

Drew Magstadt

DVM, MS

Thursday, January 29

Bovine

Speaker Bio:

Drew Magstadt is a Clinical Associate Professor and has been a veterinary diagnostician for the past decade at the Iowa State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. He grew up on a ranch in central North Dakota and spent two years in mixed animal practice. His research interests generally stem from real-world case submissions and include applied research into infectious diseases of food animal specie

Hemant Naikare

BVSc & AH, MS, PhD, DACVM, MBA

Thursday, January 29

Small Ruminant

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Hemant Naikare is a board-certified veterinary microbiologist with over 20 years of experience in infectious disease diagnostics, microbial pathogenesis, and molecular biology. He currently serves as Director of the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota. His previous leadership roles include Director of the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (University of Georgia) and Section Head at Texas A&M’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Naikare has developed and implemented diagnostic panels for small ruminant diseases, including Neospora caninum, Caseous lymphadenitis, Tritrichomonas foetus, and respiratory and abortion syndromes. He has led federally funded research on rapid diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance, served on NIH grant review panels, and consulted internationally on veterinary microbiology. Passionate about workforce development, he mentors students and fellows through experiential learning programs, with a focus on underserved communities and global capacity building in animal health diagnostics.

Cassandra Olds

PhD

Thursday, January 29

Bovine

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Cassandra Olds serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University where she has a 50% Research, 30% Teaching and 20% Extension appointment. She received her PhD from the University of Basel in 2012 and underwent postdoctoral training at Washington State University and University of Idaho. She serves as the Veterinary Entomology Extension specialist for Kansas but also provides services to other states. Her research and Extension program are integrated to tackle producer’s insect and tick problems. She works closely with producers and veterinarians to evaluate the impact of arthropod pests directly in the field with the goal of developing sustainable pest control strategies to mitigate economic losses. Her current research projects include evaluating Theileria orientalis transmission and impacts on cattle herds, as well as the economic impact of stable flies in feedlot cattle production systems.

Devi Patnayak

BVSc, PhD

Thursday, January 29

Small Ruminant

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Patnayak is an Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. He received his DVM and Master’s degree in Veterinary Microbiology from India. He received his PhD degree from University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine. After working as a Research Associate at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), he joined the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine as a faculty. He serves as Section Head for serology and virology sections at the VDL. His interests include detection, characterization and surveillance of viral pathogens affecting animals, poultry and fish and applied and innovative research for the diagnosis of diseases affecting them.

Philip Richmond

DVM, CAPP, CPHSA, CPPC, CCFP

Thursday, January 29

Keynote & Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Richmond is a practicing veterinarian and the Founder | CEO of Flourishing Phoenix Veterinary Consultants, LLC. He advocates and consults for positive culture and individual, team, and organizational psychological health, safety, and wellbeing in veterinary workplaces. Dr. Richmond leads and is involved in state, national, and international projects for advancing workplace wellbeing and culture in veterinary medicine. He is one of the co-creators of the PERMA4Plus Tool for Veterinary Workplaces and for Veterinary Professional Schools—both comprehensive wellbeing, psychological health and safety and positive leadership assessment tools. In addition, he co-created the Certificate in Veterinary Workplace Wellbeing-a course to empower wellbeing champions in veterinary organizations. Dr. Richmond currently serves as the chair of the FVMA Professional Wellbeing Committee. He is also a member/advisor for several national committees and boards for workplace suicide prevention, psychological health & safety, and veterinary wellbeing, including those sponsored by the CDC/NIOSH, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Veterinary Visionaries, MentorVet, and Appalachian State University. Dr. Richmond is a speaker and published writer, including having co-authored “Psychological Health and Safety Guidelines” from Veterinary Visionaries and chapters in The Five-Minute Consult: Practice Management. He is a frequent veterinary podcast guest and holds multiple certifications in applied positive psychology, appreciative inquiry, workplace wellbeing, psychological health & safety, trauma-informed workplaces, resilience training, behavior change, and suicide prevention. For his work, he has been awarded the FVMA Gold Star, FVMA Veterinarian of the Year, Uncharted Veterinary Community Founder’s Award, Blue Buffalo Together for Pets Award, and was a finalist for the US Bright Minds Veterinary Wellness Champion Award.

Christine Rohlf

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Christine Rohlf is a second year veterinary resident at University of Minnesota’s Research Animal Resources (RAR). She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University and plans to achieve board certification in Laboratory Animal Medicine following residency. She enjoys working with a diverse range of species in the research setting and has special interests in anesthesia and pain management. Outside of work, you can find her dining
with friends, relaxing with a good book, or running with her dog, Buck.

Sally Ryan

DVM,SHRM-CP

Thursday, January 29

Veterinary Technician

Sponsored by:

Veterinary Technician Better Not Play Around with Matters of Heart: Using NT-ProBNP in Practice
Triple Treat: Feline Retroviruses and Heartworm
SNAP 4DX Plus Test: What Comes After the Blue Dot?
Cancer Dx Testing: Canine Lymphoma-Find it Early, Fight is Early

Speaker Bio:

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.

Rachel Schambow

BS, DVM, PhD

Thursday, January 29

Swine

Speaker Bio:

Rachel Schambow is a Research Associate in the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the University of Minnesota whose work focuses on using both qualitative and quantitative epidemiologic tools to support the control of African swine fever and other high impact diseases of livestock. She holds a bachelor’s degree (2016) from the University of Wyoming, a DVM (2020) from the University of Wisconsin, and a PhD (2023) from the University of Minnesota.

Jennifer Schorn

MSW, LGSW

Thursday, January 29

WeGIVE

Speaker Bio:

Jennifer is a macro-trained Licensed Graduate Social Worker with nearly 12 years of experience in social services. She has supported older adults and individuals with disabilities in navigating healthcare systems, managed financial literacy programs for adults facing cancer-related costs, and worked in crisis response and eviction prevention for public housing residents. Jennifer’s social work approach emphasizes empowerment through empathy, clear communication, collaborative problem-solving, and connection to vital resources. Today, she serves as the Animal Welfare Social Worker at Animal Humane Society, where she works to strengthen and support the human–animal bond. Her role centers on three core areas: grant implementation, programing, and support for both clients and staff. While social work practice in animal welfare is relatively new, Jennifer brings her professional approach and personal love for her own pets to this emerging area of practice, uniting compassion for both people and animals.

Kurt Sladky

DVM, MS, DACZM, DECZM

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal III-Exotics

Reptile Husbandry, Nutrition, and Associated Diseases
Reptile Sedation, Anesthesia and Analgesia
Reptile Diagnostic Techniques
Common Reptile Diseases
Surgical Techniques and Common Surgical Procedures
Amphibian Medicine: Restraint, Diagnostics, and Common Diseases

Speaker Bio:

Kurt Sladky received his MS in Animal Behavior and DVM from the University of Wisconsin and completed a Residency in Zoological Medicine at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the North Carolina Zoo. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine and the European College of Zoological Medicine and is currently a Clinical Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and a faculty member in the Master of Public Health program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His current research interests include analgesia and anesthesia of captive and free-ranging nondomestic species; and noninfectious and infectious diseases of wildlife associated with anthropogenic change. Dr. Sladky has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in the primary literature and has published more than 25 book chapters. He has trained 22 Residents and 6 Specialty Interns in Zoological Medicine, and has also mentored research projects for more than 30 veterinary and graduate students.

Ron Sosa

CVPM, CCFP. PgD-CLD

Thursday, January 29

WeGIVE & Practice Management

Speaker Bio:

Ron Sosa (he/him) is the founder of Syn-APT Neuroinclusive Leadership Coaching and also the Executive Director of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference. A former practice owner and operations leader turned certified coach, Ron builds pragmatic, people-first systems that boost performance without burning out teams. His work blends operational clarity with universal design, translating neurodiversity science into everyday workflows, conflict skills, and leadership habits that actually stick. Ron is the host of the “Left Unattended” podcast and the forthcoming author of Rewriting the Rules: A Leadership Model for a Neuroinclusive, Human-Centered Workplace (2026). Ron brings real tools for hard days, such as cleaner communication, conflict you can use, and team design that helps everyone do their best work.

Afra Suri

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

Afra Suri, DVM is a first-year resident in the Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program at Mayo Clinic. She earned her DVM from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2025.

Shana Tanenbaum

DVM

Thursday, January 29

Comparative Medicine

Speaker Bio:

Coming Soon

Julia Tomlinson

BVSc MS PhD DACVS

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal I-Cutting Edge

Speaker Bio:

Dr Julia Tomlinson is a specialist in sports medicine & rehabilitation and owns two busy Metro rehabilitation practices with 50% of the clientele owning sporting dogs. The first practice opened in Burnsville in 2007, the second in Blaine in 2024. She sees cases ranging from sports health baselines to poor performance and injuries. She has an MS in diagnostic ultrasound imaging of the equine musculoskeletal system and nearly 20 years ago brought this skill to canine sports medicine. She is the founder of the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians, a Past-President of the American College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and trains residents. She uses myography to study muscle action in sporting dogs, and is author/editor of the textbook “Physical Rehabilitation for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses” the 2nd edition was published in 2024.

Natalie Urie

DVM, MPH

Thursday, January 29

Small Ruminant

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Urie grew up in a small agricultural town in Michigan, where she raised livestock and was actively involved in 4-H. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Bachelor of Science degrees from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. For the past 13 years, she has worked with the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), leading national studies, acting as the small ruminant specialist, and contributing to outbreak response. She has authored or coauthored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and developed numerous producer-focused information briefs and reports in both English and Spanish. Most recently, Dr. Urie has continued her passion for research and science translation at Colorado State University, where she applies real-world data to study HPAI transmission dynamics in dairy cattle and to better understand the immune response to this emerging disease.

Amanda Young

DVM, DACVD

Thursday, January 29

Small Animal I-Cutting Edge

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Amanda Young is a 2011 graduate from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She spent 4 years in a small animal general practice in a suburb of Chicago before completing a year-long internship in specialty dermatology at the University of Illinois. She completed a residency in veterinary dermatology at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center in 2019 and has been with Pet Dermatology Clinic since. Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and pets (2 cats, 1 dog). Her most passionate hobby is cheering on the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team but she also loves spending time outdoors camping, fishing and hiking.