DVM, Dr med Vet, DECVIM-CA

Dr. Busch graduated with a veterinary degree from the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich Germany. She worked several years at the clinic of small animal medicine while doing her doctoral thesis on the acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome. She is board-certified in internal medicine by the European College of Veterinary Medicine. She currently serves as head of the department of gastroenterology at the clinic of small medicine of the LMU.

BSc, Dr med Vet, PhD, DACVIM(SAIM), MRCVS

Dr. Dandrieux completed his Veterinary Medicine degree in 2002, followed by a rotating internship and thesis at the University of Bern. He completed his specialist training in Small Animal Internal medicine as a joint program between the University of Bern and Louisiana State University and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in 2008. He has worked in the UK as a lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool before moving to Australia. Dr. Dandrieux completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in gastroenterology and worked as a Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine until May 2022.

Dr. Dandrieux’s research focuses include gastro-intestinal diseases, immune-mediated disease, and the use of immunosuppressant drugs. He is a passionate clinician and teacher who is especially interested in clinical research to improve evidence-based medicine. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the outdoors.

MedVet, MSc, PhD, DACVP

Dr. Giaretta is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Gastrointestinal Laboratory at Texas A&M University, where she provides specialty diagnostic service in small animal gastrointestinal pathology and pathology of the liver. She received her veterinary degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, followed by a Master’s degree. She completed a combined residency/PhD program in anatomic pathology at Texas A&M University and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal pathology of companion animals, bile acid metabolism, and gastrointestinal microbiota in dogs with chronic enteropathy.

DVM, DECVN, PhD, PGCAP, FHEA, MRCVS

Dr. Volk is currently Professor of Small Animal Diseases and the Head of Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Honorary Professor of Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery, Royal Veterinary College, London and Affiliate Professor of Veterinary Neurology, University of Copenhagen. He graduated from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover in 2001, where he also did his PhD in Neuropharmacology studying basic mechanisms of drug-resistant epilepsy. He then completed his specialist clinical education doing an internship and a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). At RVC, he has served roles as lecturer, head of service, clinical director of the Small Animal Referral clinic, and now as head of department of clinical science and services.

Dr. Volk is internationally known for his work in the field of SARS-CoV-2 Medical Scent Detection Dogs, neuropathic pain and epilepsy. He was President of the European College of Veterinary Neurology and active in the Executive Board of Veterinary Specialisation as treasurer. Dr. Volk has been chairing the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force, which published seven consensus statements for canine and feline epilepsy and was a co-chair of the recent published ACVIM consensus statement about medical treatment of epilepsy and ECVN consensus about movement disorders. He has been a recipient of several Jim Bee educator excellence in teaching awards, the prestigious Bourgelat Award from BSAVA, and the International Canine Health Award from the Kennel Club, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) International Award. In 2022, Holger became fellow of the RCVS for Meritorious Contributions to Clinical Practice. He has published multiple books and book chapters, >250 articles, >170 conference abstracts, and is a frequent flyer on the international conference circuit.

Md, PhD

Dr. Wagemans is the Global Head of the Purina Institute with headquarters in St. Louis, USA. Dr. Wagemans graduated in pediatrics with postgraduate certification in Neonatology. Her academic carrier was related to the pediatric healthcare and nutrition in the State Medical University in Russia. PhD scientific research was performed in the field of iodine deficiency and cardiovascular system in children. She had over 100 scientific presentations at different medical & scientific forums and over 40 publications in peer reviewed journals.

Dr. Wagemans joined Nestlé in 2002 working in different areas of infant nutrition in Russia & CIS, India, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka and Switzerland. In 2014 she was appointed as the Global Head of the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) in Switzerland. Under her leadership, the Institute became one of the most credible educational platforms in the area of nutrition with a global on-line membership of 500,000 health professionals from 191 countries. Since 2020, Dr. Wagemans leads the Purina Institute, which is the global organization that is dedicated to sharing the latest nutrition knowledge and break through research with veterinary healthcare professionals worldwide to help pets live longer and better lives.

DVM, DACVIM(SAIM), PhD

Dr. Quimby received her veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a small animal rotating internship in Sacramento, CA. She subsequently spent two years in feline practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan before moving on to Colorado State University for a combined small animal internal medicine residency and PhD program. She completed a PhD focusing on feline CKD in 2012 and was faculty at Colorado State until 2017. Dr. Quimby is now a faculty member at the Ohio State University.

Dr. Quimby’s research continues to focus on chronic kidney disease in cats. Current research areas include the study of renal aging, telomere length and cellular senescence, novel treatment strategies and evidence-based supportive care strategies. She has an interest in clinical trials and feline clinical pharmacology which is aimed at improving supportive care and quality of life in cats with chronic kidney disease. Dr. Quimby has received the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Award and the AVMF/Winn Feline Foundation Research Award for her contributions to nephrology and feline medicine. In 2021 she was selected to serve on the IRIS board.

DVM, PhD, MRCVS, DECVIM-CA

Dr. Stavroulaki graduated from the University of Thessaly in Greece in 2016. After a short period in clinical practice, she completed a one-year postgraduate training in medicine and clinical pathology in 2017, and started a PhD with a focus on the effects of antibiotics on the feline gastrointestinal microbiome, which she completed in April 2022 with honors at the same institution. In September 2021, she moved to Ireland and completed a Small Animal rotating internship and a specialty internship in Small Animal Medicine at the University College Dublin. In July 2023, she started a Small Animal Medicine Residency at Dick White Referrals. Her main research focus is gastroenterology.

MedVet, DrVetMed, PhD, AGAF, DACVM

Dr. Suchodolski graduated with a veterinary degree from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. After working for several years in a small animal specialty clinic he returned to academia and received his PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from Texas A&M University for his work on molecular markers for the assessment of the intestinal microbiota. He is board-certified in immunology by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM). He currently serves as Professor and Associate Director of the GI Lab. He has published more than 340 peer-review manuscripts in the field of veterinary gastroenterology and microbiome. Dr. Suchodolski is the Purina PetCare Endowed Chair in Microbiome Research.

B Vet Med

Hodel has been studying Veterinary Medicine at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich, Switzerland since 2018, where she is currently a Master student with special interest in small animal internal medicine.

DVM, PhD, DACVIM(SAIM)

Dr. Tolbert completed her small animal internal medicine residency and Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University. She is a clinical associate professor in the Gastrointestinal Laboratory at Texas A&M University and is a member of the Dog Aging Project consortium. She also holds a position as a Clinical Veterinary Instructor at North Carolina State University and is pursuing an alternate-track residency in small animal nutrition at the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Tolbert’s clinical interests and research program are focused on the treatment of acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats. She has published over 75 peer-review manuscripts and received the Zoetis award for Excellence in Veterinary Research in 2018.

MS, PhD

Dr. Spears earned a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Companion Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She joined Nestlé Purina in 2005 and worked as a Senior Principal Scientist in the Nestlé Purina PetCare Research Unit until 2022. She currently holds the position of Senior Manager of Clinical Trials and serves as an affiliate faculty member at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Natural Science and Mathematics and Department of Veterinary Medicine. She has been researching the impact of nutritional intervention on the oral and gastrointestinal microbiome of dogs and cats for more than twenty years.

Dr. Spears has numerous patents and publications in the field of companion animal nutrition and digestive and oral health. She has led and supported several key projects, bringing new innovations to the market including postbiotics to modulate immune health, the combination of honey and spirulina to reduce breath malodor through modulating the oral microbiome, the combination of Enterococcus faecium SF68 and psyllium to improve microbial diversity, and fiber blends to enhance digestive health.

Dr med Vet, DECVIM-CA

Dr. Werner graduated in veterinary medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. Afterwards, she worked as an assistant veterinarian in gastroenterology and internal medicine at the Clinic for Internal Medicine of Small Animals at LMU Munich and in the emergency service of a private veterinary hospital. She subsequently started a small animal internal medicine residency at the Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine at LMU Munich. Since 2022, she has been working at the Small Animal Hospital of the University of Zurich as an Internal Medicine Specialist, focusing on gastroenterology.

Dr. Werner’s research interests include studies on the judicious use of antibiotics in gastroenterological diseases in dogs and cats, and the alternative methods to modulate the intestinal microbiota positively. In September 2023 she started to work as an Internal Medicine Specialist in a privately owned clinic near Zurich, Switzerland.