Meet the Speakers

She returned to Cornell for a large animal internal medicine residency, obtaining board certification in 2007. Dr. Johnson worked at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Centre as a lecturer in Large Animal Medicine for 4 years while simultane ously completing a neurology residency that was split between Penn’s small animal and large animal hospitals. In 2011 she became the 3rd large animal internist in the world also to obtain certification in neurology, and she joined the faculty at the Univer sity of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Johnson is currently Associate Professor of Large Animal Medicine and Neurology in the Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Centre.

Her primary research focus is improving antemortem diagno sis of neurologic disease in horses. She has a special interest in infectious diseases, including equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) and Lyme neuroborreliosis, as well as in non - infectious diseases, such as equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (ED M), that are prevalent in her caseload

University of Pennsylvania - https://www.vet.upenn.edu/

Dr. Lombardi has been an associate veterinarian at The Oaks Equine and Farm Services in Smithfield, VA since 2004.

She received training in animal chiropractic through Options for Animals and is certifie d in chiropractic through the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). Her acupuncture training was completed through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). She has completed advanced training in equine acupuncture throu gh IVAS and Chi University. Dr. Lombardi loves teaching others and is an adjunct professor of veterinary t echnology at Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, VA . She is an instructor at The Alliance for Integrative Care, which provides continuing e ducation for animal chiropractic professionals.

Tidewater Community Collage - https://www.tcc.edu/about-tcc/

Eventually heading back to Australia, Darien has worked at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital in Shepparton Victoria, where she first started as a fledgling intern, and has since held positions as lecturer and senior lecturer/clinician at the University's of Sydney and Adelaide veterinary teaching hospitals. During this time Darien has enjoyed many years vetting within her favourite equine sport of endurance riding, and achieving 2* FEI endurance status, with the occasional opportunity to compete in rides herself. Darien also enjoys casual race day work for Racing NSW.

Currently, Darien is part of the team at REC Equine Specialists at their newly built equine practice referral hospital in Horsley Park, Sydney. Darien is working on her PhD in veterinary clinical education with Charles Sturt University. Darien's special interests are in all aspects of equine intensive care, neonatology, and clinical teaching and learning

Randwick Equine Specialists - http://www.randwickequine.com.au/

Prior to this, Dr Mitchell had several stops on the way in Australia (internships and time in private practice), Cornell University, USA for her medicine residency and Switzerland for her PhD in equine cardiovascular medicine.

She particularly enjoyed the critical care/intensive care patients, neonates and cardiology cases involving all la rge animal species. Originally from New Zealand, Dr Mitchell is a proud kiwi who loves the outdoors, hiking, backpacking and any water based activities, frozen or unfrozen!

Cornell University - https://www.cornell.edu/

Following this, Laura completed a residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Madison and became board certified with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Laura returned to Australia and worked at the University of Adelaide as a Lecturer in Equine Medicine and then returned to private specialty practice and completed a Masters of Public Health part - time

She has completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne and the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship in antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary practice, publishing numerous papers on the topic in national and international journals. Laura continues to research in this area as an ARC DECRA fellow at the Melbourne Veterinary School

Melbourne University - https://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/

Laura completed a residency at the University of Melbourne and attained a fellowship of the ANZCVS in 2010. Laura is currently undertaking a PhD through the University of Adelaide investigating exercise associated cardiac arrhythmias in Thoroughbred racehorses

Laura is a consultant specialist in Equine Medici ne in the greater Melbourne area. My expertise includes Cardiology, Respiratory medicine, Gastrointestinal disease, Weight loss, endocrine disease and foal medicine. I am available for referrals at South Eastern Equine Hospital, Bendigo Equine Hospital and Ballarat Veterinary Practice.

LINKS:
SEEH - https://seeh.com.au/
Bendigo - http://victorianequinegroup.com.au/
Ballarat - https://www.bvp.com.au/equine.php

She then completed a Residency in Equine Medicine at Michigan State University from 1991 - 1994, as well as receiving a Master of Science degree. Leanne became a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Equine Medicine i n 1994 and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1995.

She returned to Randwick Equine Centre in 1994 as a Partner. Leanne has been the Stable Veterinarian for Mrs Gai Waterhouse for the past 20 years as well as consulting on Equine Medicine cases at the new REC Specialist Equine Centre at Horsley Park.

Randwick Equine Specialists - http://www.randwickequine.com.au/

Nathan’s main fields of interest include t he diagnosis and treatment of lameness in performance horses, equine surgery and pre-purchase examinations.

Nathan is a former president of Equine Veterinarians Australia, during this time he developed course for veterinarians on pre-purchase examinations a nd he continues as a key presenter in annual workshops. Nathan has a keen interest in Sport Horse Medicine and he has held the position of Australian Equestrian Team Veterinarian since 2013 taking him to the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games

WestVETS Equine Hospital - https://www.westvets.com.au/equine-hospital/

She stayed on at the practice following her internship and spent two years doing predominantly racetrack work. Having been a keen event rider herself, she then developed the sports horse aspect of the practice and completed a residency to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2016

She is now a Senior Associate at REC Equine Specialists and focuses on sports horse work. Her main interests are lameness, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitation

Randwick Equine Specialists - http://www.randwickequine.com.au/

She also completed a rotating internship at Mid - Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, New Jersey. She has research and clinical interests in endocrinology, laminitis and neurology. Upon completing her residency in the Summer of 2022, she plans to pursue an equine neurology fellowship at Ne w Bolton Center.

University of Pennsylvania - https://www.vet.upenn.edu/

She then spent a year in private equine practice in Pennsylvania, before returning to Great Britain to take a position in clinical orthopaedics in the Centre for Equine Studies of Animal Health Trust, Newmarket. Sue ran a clinical referral service for lameness and poor performance, attracting clients from all over the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe for 37 years. From 2019 she has worked as an independent consultant. Sue's key interests are improving the diagnosis of lameness and poor performance maximising the opportunity for horses to fulfil their athletic potential at whatever level, bearing in mind the importance of the relationship between the horse, the tack, and the rider.

Sue is co-editor, with Mike Ross, of Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse and co-author of Clinical Radiology of the Horse and Equine Scintigraphy. She has published more than 330 papers in peer reviewed journals concerning lameness and diagnostic imaging and has lectured worldwide. Sue is a form President of the British Equine Veterinary Association and is currently scientific advisor to the Saddle Research Trust and Moorcroft Rehabilitation Centre.

Sue is also a rider, and has produced horses to top national level in both evening and show jumping. Sue holds the Instructors and Stable Managers Certificates of the British Horse Society (BHSI).

it was between the horse’s ability and willingness to perform with ease the task the rider was requesting, and the balance and suppleness of the rider in the saddle between them, that often created pain or discomfort to both. More than this, the sheer lack of education, research and available information for riders, trainers and other equestrian industry professionals on the effects of saddle design and fit on the biomechanics of both horse and rider was incredibly frustrating. 3 Saddlefitting Qualifications later, including being a Qualified Fitter with the UK Society of Master Saddlers, Paula has made it a mission to help change the standard o f saddlefitting in Australia by training and mentoring saddle fitters for Performance Saddlefits through to their SMS Qualifications.

As a group, they train, study and conduct research into saddlefitting, saddle design and the interactions between pressure , balance and biomechanics both in Australia and Internationally, working with top industry vets, physios, designers and manufacturers . In recent days, Paula is also the founder and managing director of Horse Pro Hub, an online platform for horse owners an d riders.

Website Link - https://performancesaddlefits.com.au/

She has published numerous critiques, techniques and journal articles on a variety of technical subjects in large animal disaster and emergency rescue , horse barn fires, trailer wrecks and heavy rescue of large animals . She is a Principal/SME member of the Technical Committee of the NFPA Code 150 – Animal Housing, and contributes to equine/livestock welfare committees and others defining technical competencies for large animal response around the world.

TLAER Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/tlaer/

His main interests are in oncology, ophthalmology, wound management and dermatology and is the primary author of 10 equine veterinary text books and over 100 refereed scientific papers. Receiving the Animal Health Trust Scientific Award in 2003, the BEVA (Blue Cross) Welfare award in 2004 and the Merk -WEVA Welfare Award in 2006 alongside the OBE from the Queen for his services to Equine Medicine in 2005. In 2018 he was awarded the RCVS Inspiration Award, and in 2019 he was awarded an honorary membership of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in recognition of his lifetime’s contribution towards the improvement of the health and welfare of the horse worldwide.

Dr Knottenbelt is actively involved in animal and human charity work both in UK and abroad and is a founder member of the Vets with Horsepower team raising money for charity through provision of high quality CPD to vets and horse owners.

www.equinesarcoid.co.uk

Dr Lugton notes that working with stimulating and inspiring veterinarians and the passion about what can be learnt and achieved in the profession, alongside the drive for education, opportunity to improve veterinary knowledge and developing a wide range of skills has remained a significant focus.

A favourite career investment was courses in Equine Podiatry at the International Equine Podiatry Centre in Kentucky, USA, and Equine Acupuncture in Florida, USA. Both avenues significantly increasing the ‘tools’ in the toolbox for treating and assessing horses and importantly they have also enabled Dr Lugton to understand, communicate and build relationships with farriers, chiropractors, physios, and other therapists more effectively. In 2017, Balanced Veterinary Services was created in the out skirts of Sydney, Australia to focus more on the areas previously mentioned and to achieve a better work/life integration. Dr Lugton now spends her time between family and working with clients and their farriers on both the prevention and the management of foot related lameness’s. Outside the veterinary field Dr Lugton loves being outdoors, spending time with family, pets and with partner Sam, a professional rider training and competing horses in eventing, dressage and show jumping, horses are never far away at any point in time.

Balanced Veterinary Services Facebook

He is also a partner with Oculus Insights offering business management services and education to veterinarians throughout the world. Dr. Pownall received his MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in Ontario, and was the class valedictorian. He presents internationally on business strategy, human resources, pricing, and marketing for veterinarians. He also contributes to numerous journals on business management topics.

Dr. Pownall has a blog, podcast and webinar series on veterinary business management at www.veterinarybusinessmatters.com and you can learn more about Oculus Insights at www.oculusinsights.

Currently enrolled in the PhD in Nursing Science program at the University of Cincinnati, Afton is also a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) T42 predoctoral fellow. Afton’s research interests include mental health within the workforce, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, burnout, and public health.

When Dr Madigan saw the need for a better solution for compromised horses sent to the UC Davis VMTH, he designed state of the art slings using the animal’s skeletal system support. These slings are now used to safely lift horses recovering from injury or anaesthesia, and to airlift stranded horses, cows, and other large animals to safety and he later developed a sling for down cattle that is being used on dairies to help injured cattle. Dr. Madigan founded the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT), which has gained national attention as a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) under the Office of the Surgeon General. He has responded to floods, fires, and other disasters in California and nationally.

Dr. Madigan develops curricula to train first responders and emergency personnel in safe and humane animal rescue, sheltering, and preparedness. Dr. Madigan's efforts have not gone unnoticed by his veterinary colleagues. He was honored to be the recipient of the American Veterinary Medical Association animal welfare award in 2006 and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Achievement award in 2007 and his continued devotion to improving animal wellbeing led to the dean appointing him as the first Director of the International Animal Welfare Training Institute in 2008.

His research has focused on gastrointestinal diseases of the horse with specific focuses on equine gastric ulcer syndrome and hindgut disease. A/Prof Sykes maintains a strong interest in post-graduate education and speaks regularly at various conferences around the world on subjects relating to equine health.

Dr Davis is a trained coach, facilitator and is certified in neurolinguistic programming and extended DISC workplace behavioural assessments and served in high functioning teams to develop work level standards for federally employed government veterinarians, negotiated government enterprise bargaining agreements and prepared a successful submission to government that saw a new veterinary school designed, funded and realised.

Dr Davis thrives on leading veterinarians to create successful businesses and careers that they love!

www.veterinarycareers.com.au

Dr Townsend returned to Liverpool as a staff clinician in 2009 before joining Three Counties Equine Hospital in 2015. Holding European Diplomas in both Equine Surgery and Veterinary Dentistry (Equine) and lectures widely on Equine Dentistry, Dr Townsend is also a co-author of 5 chapters in the recent Equine Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery Textbook.

https://www.tceh.co.uk/team-surgeons.html

Dr Barakzai sits on the Editorial Consultants Board for Equine Veterinary Journal and was previously on the Editorial Review Board for Veterinary Surgery and is regularly invited to speak at local, national and international veterinary conferences and has been an examiner and chief examiner for the RCVS certificate.

www.equinesurgicalreferrals.com

Dr Neil is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and a registered specialist in equine medicine and in 2008 decided to concentrate on her particular interest in performance horses and started Sporthorse Veterinary Specialists, a practice which concentrates on lameness and poor performance in sport horses. Dr Neil has a special interest in musculoskeletal ultrasonography and became a certified member of the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology (ISELP) in 2012 and gained status as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2013. The FEI National Head Veterinarian for Australia, a member of the veterinary commission for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the current Vice Chair of the Veterinary Committee, Dr Neil is the editor of the fifth edition of the EVA’s Guide to the Examination of Horses (‘The Blue Book’).

www.sporthorsevet.com.au

After her internship, Dr Savage shuttled between Northern and Southern hemisphere breeding seasons as a stud vet for two years before embarking on a residency in Equine Internal Medicine at the University of Bristol, which she completed in July 2020. Passing the college examinations to became a European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine in 2021it was during this time Dr Savage also undertook research into equine acute kidney disease and trigeminal-mediated headshaking. Dr Savage joined the team at Three Counties Equine Hospital in October 2020 and has been awarded an RCVS certificate in advanced veterinary practice while also holding a master’s degree in veterinary parasitology.

Outside of work, Dr Savage enjoys running and can be found on nearby trails accompanied by her dogs.

www.tceh.co.uk

He has also authored numerous book chapters related to Equine Neonatology, Equine Neurology, Hyperbaric medicine, and infectious diseases. He implemented the current Infectious Disease and Equine Emergency Response Programs at Hagyard and holds the position of Infectious Disease Officer and Equine Emergency Response Co-Director. He is also a Certified Hyperbaric Technologist and a Member of the Veterinary Infectious Disease Society.

https://www.hagyard.com/services-and-facilities/mcgee-medicine-center

Alex became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in 2013 and returned to the University of Sydney as a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging in 2014. Currently, Alex is the Director of her own company Alex Young Specialist Veterinary Imaging.

Buchanan is one of the very few people in the world to be board certified in Internal Medicine and Emergency Critical Care and has a unique experience in colic, respiratory disease, cardiac disease, eye conditions and sick foals. He joined Bravoz Valley Equine Hospital Navasota in 2005, where he works alongside his father, Dr Terrell “T-Bone” Buchanan. He is also active in community outreach by speaking at meetings and events around the world regarding equine care.

Website Link: https://bveh.com

Dr Vale is an ex-Chairman and Director of Equestrian Australia. Warwick has previously owned and managed a 5 veterinarian equine hospital and has previously owned mixed and small animal based practices. He is currently working consulting as an equine clinician and offering a veterinary business consultancy service. Warwick is an AVA Fellow and FEI veterinarian.

Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Lordan began working as a large animal veterinarian at SRH Veterinary Services in Ipswich, MA. Dr. Lordan has since completed her accreditation as a Certified Journeyman Farrier with a Therapeutic Endorsement through the American Farriers' Association and is recognized as a Diplomate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers in England. Dr. Lordan is currently pursuing certification through the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology in equine musculoskeletal ultrasound.

She has professional publications on plant toxicity, the treatment of burns in horses, and surgical procedures in horses with colic.

Elizabeth began writing about her experiences as a horse vet and published under Elizabeth Woolsey Herbert's name: “Horse Doctor an American Vet’s Life Down Under" in 2005 and her father’s letter to his parents during his time in the Army Air Corps. Jacks’ War Letters from an American WWII Navigator in 2015. While veterinary medicine has been her passion, fly fishing, horseback riding, and writing occupy her leisure time. Since her retirement in December 2020, she now writes fictional books about equine veterinarians under the name Elizabeth Woolsey, Horse Doctor Press.

In 2009 Hadley became a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Surgery of Horses. Later in 2009 she started a four-year residency in Equine Surgery at the newly built, state-of-the-art Veterinary Clinical Centre, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. The program involved long hours of study, research, clinical work, undergraduate teaching, externships and conferences in the USA and Australia, followed by a gruelling examination process. During this training Hadley completed research into laryngoplasty (tie-back/roaring surgery), laparoscopic and vaginal removal of large ovarian tumours and the pararectal approach to the bladder in standing geldings. In 2014 she was recognised by the NSW Veterinary Surgeons Board as a Registered Specialist in Equine Surgery.

Hadley started working for Dr Nick Kannegieter part-time during her study period and full-time after the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Examinations in February 2014. Hadley is thrilled to be working with one of the nation’s most highly regarded surgeons who also has one of the largest surgical caseloads in Australia. Hadley hopes to offer additional areas of expertise in laparoscopic surgery, standing pararectal cystotomy, ophthalmic surgery/medicine and diagnostic ultrasonography. As member of the AVA Hadley was recently appointed by Equine Veterinarians Australia as the NSW State Representative. Hadley also works as an FEI veterinarian for eventing and as at the Sydney Royal Show each year.