Speakers

Dr. Harry Cridge is a board-certified internal medicine specialist (ACVIM & ECVIM) and Associate Professor at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His clinical and research interests center on pancreatitis, hepatobiliary disease, and gastrointestinal disorders in dogs and ...

Brandi Pooley, CVT, CPhT, CAWA is a senior level veterinary technician from Texas. She has over 18 years of experience in emergency/critical care, academia, general practice, racehorse and performance horse medicine, equine surgery, orthopedic surgery, exotics and zoo medicine, and shelter...

Dr. Sonja Olson is a passionate veterinary wellness coach, educator, and emergency room veterinarian with over 25 years of experience. She specializes in helping individuals and teams within the veterinary field navigate stress, find balance, and cultivate emotional well-being. Combining...

Craig graduated from Massey University in 1998. Since then he has worked in clinical practice, both in New Zealand and the UK. During this time, he developed an interest in small animal dentistry, culminating in him attaining his membership from the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary...

Dr Anthony Caiafa BVSc BDSc MANZCVSAnthony graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree in 1978. He worked in companion animal practice for 17 years and obtained his membership level in Small Animal Surgery (1992) and Veterinary Dentistry (1993). He then...

Dr Kayoko Kuroda graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2006.  Since completing her degree, she has pursued her twin passions of teaching and clinical practice while working in small animal general practice around Queensland.  She obtained Membership in ...

Yoko Clinch BSc BVMS (Hons) MANZCVS (Veterinary Radiology, Veterinary Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation– Canine), CCRT, CVAYoko graduated from Murdoch University in 2004 and started work in mixed practice in rural South Australia.  She returned to Perth in 2007 and has been working in small...

Dr. Catherine Chan BVSc (Hons I) FANZCVS (Veterinary Oncology) Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology)Registered Specialist in Veterinary OncologyDr. Cat Chan is the only board-certified veterinary oncologist with credentials from both the Australian (ANZCVS) and American (ACVIM) colleges. With over 13...

Dr Kate Lamb is a Brisbane-based veterinarian and graduate of the University of Queensland. She joined The House Call Vet in 2018. After a few years in practice Kate felt she wanted to improve the care she could offer to the steady stream of chicken, cockatiel and budgie patients that she was...

Dr Joanne Sheen graduated from the University of Edinburgh. She is a Diplomate in the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Exotic Companion Mammal Practice, and holds the RCVS Certificate in Zoological Medicine from the United Kingdom. She is currently the senior associate at Sydney Exotic ...

Leah Wright is a dedicated Emergency and Critical Care Specialist at the Veterinary Referral Hospital, with a passion for providing exceptional care to animals in need. After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2009, she began her career as a mixed practice veterinarian in the town of...

Robin is the founder of Animal Eye Care in Melbourne.  Since 1991 Animal Eye Care has provided specialist Veterinary Ophthalmology Services. Since 1990 Robin has done numerous CVE continuing Veterinary Education presentations. He is well known for providing practical advice for vets in general...

Sophie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2007 and enjoyed several years in general practice within the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2014, Sophie commenced a rotating internship, followed by a residency in dermatology at the University of Bristol (Langford Vets). She was...

Melissa is an ECC veterinary nurse based in Western Sydney with over a decade of experience. She holds multiple qualifications, including VTS (ECC), diplomas in ECC and GP nursing, and a Cert IV in training and assessing. A passionate educator, she’s published in AVNJ, lectured nationally, and...

Rachel graduated from the University of Sydney in 2009 and worked in general practice at various clinics in Sydney. She then started an internship at UVTHS before beginning a surgical residency. Rachel completed her memberships in small animal surgery in 2014 and finished her surgical residency at...

Annie Smith is a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Anaesthesia and Analgesia with a passion for critical anaesthesia monitoring, patient safety, and education. After graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Technology in 2019, she began her career in general practice before discovering her love...

Ben Mielke is a highly skilled and experienced Veterinarian Surgeon based in Melbourne, Australia. With a passion for animal welfare and a commitment to excellence in veterinary care, Ben has dedicated his career to providing top-notch surgical services for animals in need.As a key member of the...

Kara Airey Cert IV RVN CCRVN HCert Bus., Fear Free (TM) CertifiedKara spent the first 15 years of her career as a specialist surgical vet nurse in Perth and in Dublin, Ireland.  Through these roles her passion for caring for patients during their post operative recovery lead her to further studies...

Emma has a global network and much experience in assisting veterinarians in their careers. Emma uses her unique talents in seeing the connections and synergies between a veterinary professionals' interests, skill set and her knowledge of what the job marketplace wants and has on offer. Emma is...

I began my veterinary career in 2012 at Snowy Vets, stepping into a fast-paced clinic with no prior experience. Over time, I took on broader responsibilities across client communication, marketing, and administration, eventually transitioning into management and business ownership. Leading a...

Dr. Sarah Webb is a passionate veterinarian dedicated to fostering a healthier and more sustainable future for the veterinary profession. Graduating from Charles Sturt University in 2022, she is committed to raising awareness about the unique challenges faced by veterinarians often leading to...

Pauline is an Australian Organisational and Coaching Psychologist with 30 years in business both locally and internationally, across a range of industries and sectors. She is a practitioner researcher and is currently actively engaged in research that includes veterinary practices which focuses on...

Angela is a dual-registered Veterinary Nurse in the UK and Australia, with over 25 years of experience in the veterinary industry. After 16 years in clinical practice - during which she earned her Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) qualification in Emergency and Critical Care and held multiple...

A part-time lecturer (veterinary practice management) and PhD scholar (entrepreneurship) at the University of Adelaide.  With her professional background and research focus, Adele contributes to curriculum development in professional capabilities, and research into factors affecting career and...

Clement Choo is a veterinary radiation therapist at BVSC, bringing over eight years of experience from the human radiation oncology field into veterinary cancer care. His clinical interests centre on stereotactic radiotherapy—a precisely targeted, high-dose, short-course treatment approach that was ...

Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi is a leading expert in fish health, parasitology, and aquatic animal biosecurity. She is a professor at Charles Sturt University, where she specialises in fish diseases, parasite ecology, and their impacts on aquaculture, fisheries, and conservation.Professor Shamsi has...

Sarah Stoddart is the founder and sole director of Vitality Law Australia, an award winning boutique law firm which specialises in advising healthcare practitioners and business owners, including veterinarians, across Australia on commercial, property and regulatory matters.  A leader in her...

Deb Croucher BVSc CertVRDeb Croucher is a veterinary marketing expert who helps vet clinics grow their client base and boost profits through smart, ethical digital strategy. She’s the founder of Specialist Vet Marketing and Brilliant Digital, and has worked with general and specialist veterinary...

Rhonda Ponder RVN, AVN, DipVN(GP), DipVN(Surgery) With over 20 years of experience in the veterinary industry, Rhonda’s career encompasses general practice, specialty surgery and anaesthesia, emergency and critical care, management and professional development. She holds Diplomas in Veterinary...

Imke has completed undergraduate training in veterinary medicine at the Hanover School of Veterinary Medicine in Germany. Her postgraduate research doctorate degree (Dr. med. vet.) and a postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution focused on molecular genetics of inherited diseases in...

Lara Czarnota-Bojarski, RVN, AVN, CertVN ECC, Cert IV TAE Lara is an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse with over 14 years in the veterinary industry. She began her career in a mixed and general practice clinic, where she developed a strong foundation and comprehensive skills across all areas ...

Wendy is a Registered Veterinary Nurse Specialist and VTS in Small Animal Internal Medicine based in New Zealand. Since 2008, Wendy has held various roles in veterinary practices across New Zealand including Lead Consulting Vet Nurse, Large Animal Technician and Head Vet Nurse. In 2015 Wendy was...

Veterinary professionals often walk alongside clients during some of the most emotional moments of their lives - saying goodbye to a beloved companion. Drawing on her experience as a pet owner, animal trainer, certified grief educator, and author of PerPETual Love – Forever In Your Heart, Ann...

Kym is an accomplished veterinary professional with over 14 years of experience across emergency, general practice, and specialist fields. As a practice manager and educator, she is passionate about developing cohesive, high-performing teams and driving excellence in patient care and client...

Dr Leah Manning Johnson, BVSc, MANZCVS (Small Animal Internal Medicine, Pathology), DACVP Dr Leah Johnson is a specialist veterinary anatomic pathologist based in Greater Sydney, currently working at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute. She is also pursuing a PhD in collaboration with...

Anita is a highly experienced veterinary nurse with many years in the profession. She currently serves as the Employee Engagement Officer for Veterinary Specialist Services (VSS), a multi-site referral hospital group in Australia, where she focuses on staff wellbeing, diversity, and professional...

Dr Jeremy Watson BVSc (hons) MANZCVS (SA surg)  Graduated from Melbourne University in 1986. He established the Brimbank Vet Clinic, a small animal practice in  suburban Melbourne, which became the first veterinary practice in Australia to become certified carbon neutral in 2021. He completed...

Aine Seavers MVB, MRCVS is an experienced Australian-Irish Companion Animal veterinarian, multi-peer reviewed author & reviewer, plus author of approx. 150 general veterinary articles in publications such as Control & Therapy CVE Sydney, The Veterinarian and The Veterinary Ireland...

Dr Jackie Campbell BVSc (Hons), Dip CMT, CHPV, is the Director of Sunset Vets and one of Australia’s leading voices in veterinary palliative care. A Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian, Jackie works with clinics nationwide to enhance end-of-life support for pets and their...

Renée Blackman is a leading rabbit and guinea pig educator, speaker and podcaster dedicated to transforming the way small companion animals are cared for in Australia. As the founder of The Pampered Bun, Renée has spent over four years providing specialised grooming and care services before...

Matthias is Lupa's GM for APAC. He spent over 5 years working with some of the world's largest companies at Boston Consulting Group (inc. Qantas, BHP, GSK) on multiple topics including developing AI solutions tailored to businesses. He joined Lupa to bring AI to the veterinary space in...

  Elpida graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2005. After completing 1.5 years of internship training at the same institution, she moved to the UK, where she worked as a first-opinion vet for several years. She then undertook a residency in Clinical...

Bec is the Learning & Development Lead at Queensland Veterinary Specialists and a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Anaesthesia & Analgesia. She is dedicated to elevating clinical standards through structured education, practical skills training, and evidence-based teaching for...

Ron started out as a service engineer and worked for many years with various medical manufacturers, including monitoring and ultrasound.   Although technically minded, there was a transition from technical to customer training and sales, leading to several roles as sales and service support to...

Emeritus Professor Rand is Australia’s leading expert in urban cat management. She is the Executive Director and Chief Scientist at the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation and an Emeritus Professor at The University of Queensland, where she taught Urban Animal Management. Over the past 17 years, she...

Dr Esther Callcott is a Medical Biochemist and Veterinary Nurse with extensive experience across both human and veterinary medicine. She completed a Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours in 2009 alongside a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and has 15 years of clinical experience in general...

Donna is a specialist veterinary anaesthestist working in Sydney. She owns and operates Sydney Animal Pain Clinic with a strong focus on education and support of referring veterinarians. She works in clinical anaesthesia at MediPaws Specialist Hospital in Sydney. 

Dave is a 1995 University of Sydney graduate who has worked all over the world as a large and small animal veterinarian. Since 2002 he has been back in Sydney and from there he developed a keen interest in small animal medicine. Dave went on to complete his Fellowship (speciality) in small animal...

Ian Warren is a leading innovator in veterinary dentistry and digital diagnostics, with two decades of experience advancing dental equipment, imaging technology, and workflow solutions for companion-animal practices across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Europe, and the United States. Prior to...

Dr Kathryn (Kate) Bruce BVSc (Hons) MANZCVS (SAM) graduated from the University of Queensland in 2015, and worked in a busy GP and emergency clinic for several years before transitioning to the role of Hospital Veterinarian at the Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre. Kate completed her...