2024 SPEAKERS

Biography 2024   Dr Anthony Caiafa BVSc BDSc MANZCVS   Anthony 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...

I was born in Sweden and moved to Townsville to become a vet in 2009. I graduated from JCU at 2013 and moved with my now husband Matt to Victoria where we both have been practising as mixed veterinarians in the beautiful Yarra Valley. I have also worked educating veterinary nurses at TAFE. We have...

Inkarri (BVetTech, RVN) has over 10 years’ experience within the veterinary and animal industry. Specialising in customer service, education, and management. Inkarri understands the complexities within this unique, vibrant community and is passionate about providing support to veterinary clinics...

Marcia is a registered veterinary nurse specialist and an international speaker.  Having 20 years’ experience in veterinary anaesthesia, she started her career working for the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in New Zealand and was the senior anaesthesia nurse there for over 16...

Asha is a registered and accredited veterinary nurse from Melbourne, with over 17 years of industry experience. Holding a Diploma of Veterinary Nursing to specialise in Emergency & Critical Care, Asha spent 16 years at the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital where she developed her...

Dr Andrew Levien graduated from the University of Sydney in 2006 with first-class honours, receiving numerous academic awards. For the first three years of his professional career, he worked as a general practitioner in Sydney while simultaneously completing a Postgraduate Certificate in...

Emily is a senior registrar in Feline Medicine having completed a residency at the University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital and is a member of the Australian New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Medicine of Cats. She has published work looking at feline genetic diseases and is...

Olivia Oginska is a veterinarian, speaker, positive psychology coach, a certified workplace conflict mediator and an emotional intelligence specialist. Since 2010, Liv has been immersed in a global veterinary community, completing multiple externships in the UK, North America and Australia. In...

Laura qualified with a BSc(Hons) in Veterinary Nursing from Napier University in Edinburgh in 2010 and became an RVN with the RCVS. In 2015 she moved to Australia and started her journey into emergency and critical care, working as a Team Leader and 2IC in a busy referral ICU/emergency...

Dr. Nellie Choi completed her undergraduate veterinary degree at Murdoch University, Western Australia in 2009. After graduation, she worked in various general practices in Australia for 5 years before starting a veterinary dermatology residency in California with the Animal Dermatology...

Dr Jackie Campbell is one of Australia’s leading voices in the field of veterinary palliative care. As the owner of Sunset Vets, the country’s largest network of veterinarians focused exclusively on palliative and end-of-life care, Jackie spends much of her time helping families to effectively...

Angela is originally from the UK and qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2003. She spent seven years working in a large 24-hour clinic just North of London and completed her RCVS Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing before moving to Australia in 2010. Since then, she has worked in a...

Christine is a Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine from the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) and a Senior Lecturer at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. She is currently enrolled into a part time PhD looking into the re-emergence of ...

Shari has taken the long way around the world working and living in 3 continents and 4 countries but mostly trying to find a way to pet all the dogs!! Animal welfare has been a common thread throughout her career as a veterinarian, small business owner, university lecturer, clinical skills...

Lauren is an Australian Veterinary Nurse with over 15 years of experience in specialty and referral nursing. She is AVNAT registered and completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2010. Lauren initially worked in veterinary ophthalmology for seven years before shifting her focus to...

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 ...

Ann Carstens earned her BVSc from the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa in 1982. She served as a State Veterinarian for 2 years, whereafter she pursued a M.Sc in Veterinary Physiology at Texas A&M University (1987).Ann ventured into race track practice in Johannesburg in 1987, before...

Nichole ( Nikki) Catley is a Grief Facilitator and founder of Paws For Talk. As a certified Grief Facilitator, Nikki has been supporting pet families for the past seventeen years as they consider end of life or quality of life assessment. Nikki can provide a safe space for clients to share their...

Luke Ingenhoff graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney in 2006.  He has worked in farm animal practice (predominantly cattle practice) for over 17 years, including 3 years in the NSW Hunter Valley, 2 years in England and 12 years at the University of...

Melissa currently works for a Specialist Hospital in Sydney as an Emergency and Critical care nurse. This role has expanded her knowledge and love for critical care medicine, ventilation, and trauma. She has worked for over 10 years as a veterinary nurse in both general practice and specialty...

Aleona is a veterinarian and research fellow in animal fertility. She is passionate about using cutting edge, novel techniques in reproductive biology to benefit endangered species and livestock, and developing new approaches to preserve fertility. Aleona holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science...

Sara qualified as a registered veterinary nurse with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011. After working in clinical practice for several years, Sara returned to study in 2018 and completed the Certificate in Veterinary Nursing for Emergency and Critical Care (CertVNECC). In 2022 Sara...

Mel’s business, Cooper and Kids specialises in creating safe, happy and positive relationships between babies, kids and dogs. She is a busy mum of three human babies and two beautiful golden retrievers, Cooper and Scout. She absolutely understands the chaos and the juggle that comes with running a...

With over ten years healthcare experience, Dean is adept at delivering tailored projects that reach beyond our clients’ expectations. A critical thinker, Dean is passionate about providing unique solutions to ensure our clients achieve their goals, whilst experiencing a hassle-free Practice design...

After graduating BVMS from Murdoch University (1998), Kate has worked in both mixed and small animal Veterinary practice. She has completed International Veterinary Acupuncture Certificate (2005), 3 years study with Homeopathic Professional Teaching Group, LFHom(vet) (2003), Chinese Veterinary...

For over 15 years Maggie has worked in small animal general practice and we’re sure she’s a familiar face to many in the industry.  Her passion for dentistry led to her obtaining the Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (Dental) and the Veterinary Technician Specialty VTS (Dentistry) – the first and only...

Dr. Tania Bishop is an accomplished Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarian with 24 years of experience. She holds memberships in avian medicine, an industry fellowship at the University of Queensland, and qualifications in wildlife disease risk analyses and species management plan development from...

Camilla Whishaw BHSc (Nat) Equine Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist Optim Equine   Camilla Whishaw BHSc (Nat) is a highly respected and sought after equine health practitioner, based in Australia and consulting globally. She is an experienced equestrian and has an active lifelong...

Dr. Chris Lam graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Sydney in 2015 after previously obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology and Japanese studies from the U.S. and subsequently working in human oncology research in Hong Kong. After obtaining his veterinary degree, he worked in small...

Georgia has been in the veterinary industry for 10 years. She completed her qualification; Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and moved to London with her dog and husband in 2017. Her time in London was spent traveling and studying to apply to be on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons...

Jo graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2004,and gained her post-graduate qualification in zoological and exotic medicine in 2008. In 2017 Dr Sheen became a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Exotic Companion Mammals. Only the second Australian vet to achieve...

Dr. Kate Mornement holds a Ph.D. in animal behaviour and is a Board Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist (CAAB) through the Animal Behavior Society. She has devoted the past 17 years sharing her expertise through her consulting business Pets Behaving Badly and recently founded Pet Behaviour...

Senior Lecturer In Veterinary Anaesthesia And Analgesia Fernando graduated as a veterinarian in Madrid (Spain) and worked for a number of years in small animal practice and research both in Spain and in the UK. He completed an internship and then a residency in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia...

Jordan is a finance specialist with over eight years of healthcare banking experience and is dedicated to providing tailored financial solutions to veterinary practitioners. He is passionate about partnering with his clients to establish, strengthen and grow their practices. Jordan has extensive...

Pauline is a leading Australian Organisational & Coaching psychologist with a focus on designing, launching, and sustaining psychologically healthy resilient teams. She is a sought-after speaker and innovator who offers thought leadership in the area of creating success by embracing all levels...

Dr. Williana Basuki, BVSc (Hons), MS, MANZCVS, DAVDC Board Certified Veterinary Dentist Registered Specialist. Dr. Basuki was born and grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. She earned her veterinary degree at the University of Queensland in 2010. Following a year of general practice and a couple of...

I am Dr Chris Lee, a small animal veterinarian for over 30 years. I have always been passionate about pet welfare and the pet/owner bond. Early in my career, I certified as a veterinary acupuncturist and developed a keen interest in small animal surgery and orthopedics. More recently I traveled to...

Dr Claire Jenkins is a Veterinarian, and the founder and CEO of VetChat. She is passionate about preventative care, early intervention and how easy access to the right advice drives better health outcomes for pets. Claire founded VetChat in 2015, which has since grown into a remarkable team of 40...

Diplomate, ACVIM (Oncology); Diplomate, ACVR (Radiation Oncology) David completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery with an emphasis on medical oncology at the University of Illinois in 2001. He subsequently completed residencies in medical and radiation oncology at the University ...

Kim is a Certificate IV-qualified nurse and has been nursing for 8 years. She is both a registered and accredited vet nurse with VNCA. In 2021, Kim passed her Veterinary Technician Speciality examination and became the 2nd VTS in Nutrition in the Southern Hemisphere. She presented at the 2023 VNCA...