Dr. McCracken graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. She completed her equine surgery residency and master of science degree at the University of Missouri in 2012 and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2013.

She previously worked as an associate surgeon at Rainland Farm Equine Clinic, a sport horse-focused private practice outside Seattle, and as a clinical instructor of large animal emergency and critical care and equine surgery at the University of Tennessee. She is currently an assistant teaching professor of equine surgery at the University of Missouri.

Dr. Reed is an associate teaching professor at The Ohio State University Veterinary Health Center. Her primary duties are clinical instruction of students rotating through the hospital, supervision of residents in training, and providing client and patient services.

Dr. VanderBroek obtained both her bachelor’s and veterinary degree from Michigan State University. Following a large animal rotating internship at the University of Georgia, she completed a surgical residency at New Bolton Center, the University of Pennsylvania’s large animal hospital. After her residency, she became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Large Animal) and remained at New Bolton Center as a lecturer in large animal surgery until coming back to Michigan State University in 2020.

Carrie Jacobs obtained her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 2012. Following graduation, she completed a Large Animal Rotating Internship at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center in 2013. She then stayed at New Bolton Center to complete a three-year residency and a one-year fellowship in Large Animal Surgery. In September 2017, Dr. Jacobs returned to Michigan State University as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Large Animal Surgery. After 2 years at MSU, Dr. Jacobs had the opportunity to join the surgery group at NC State as a Clinical Assistant Professor with emphasis in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. She is also currently completing an alternate track residency in sports medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr. Gordon-Evans is an associate professor in small animal surgery at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her DVM from the University of Missouri in 2000. Following graduation, she completed a small animal internship at Kansas State University in 2001, then an orthopedic research fellowship at Iowa State University in 2002. She stayed at Iowa State University in a small animal surgery residency and completed a PhD in biomedical sciences. Dr. Gordon-Evans became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2006 and the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2015. She has held leadership positions in ACVS and VOS and has served on the Small Animal Scientific Advisory Board for the Morris Animal Foundation. She has experience in orthopedics and rehabilitation in both research and clinics.

Dr. Holt graduated with a bachelor of veterinary science from the University of Sydney in 1983 and worked in private practice until 1985. He completed an internship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine between 1985 and 1986, then practiced in Australia from 1986 to 1987. He completed a residency in surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine between 1987 and 1990. He is currently professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Dr. Orton received a DVM from Washington State University. He completed residency training in small animal surgery at Ohio State University, a NIH research fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and a PhD from Colorado State University. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Dr. Orton established the clinical cardiology service at Colorado State University and began a heart surgery program for small animals in 1991. This program is credited with firsts in canine open-heart surgery and is recognized as a leading center for small animal cardiac surgery and interventions. Dr. Orton’s current research interests are in the areas of pathobiology of valvular heart disease and development of interventions for valvular heart disease. He is an Honorary Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology) and serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology

Dr. Dunn is a trauma and general surgeon at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, CO, a level I trauma center, since 2011. Prior to that, she served as the Medical Director of the Level I Trauma Center in Johnson City, TN, where she was a Professor at East Tennessee State University. She was a long-time member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) and serves on the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) subcommittee. She currently is the content lead for the Team Dynamics Chapter for the upcoming 11th Edition ATLS Course. She served as Vice Chair and Chair of Tennessee COT and is the past chair of the Colorado COT. She recently completed two terms as the NCOT Region 8 Chief. She has extensive experience caring for injured patients and has given multiple talks locally, regionally, and nationally. Her research encompasses the inflammation of trauma, a host of multi-institutional trial endeavors, and has an ongoing interest in translational medicine and care of the injured patient across species. She works closely with members of the Veterinary COT to promulgate the Veterinary ATLS.

Dr. Edwards completed ROTC and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the army and served as an infantry and signal corps officer for 5 years. After this stint in the military, he attended the University of Georgia where he earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree. He then reentered the army and completed a one-year rotating internship at the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Center at Lackaland Air Force Base, TX. He went on to serve in a number of assignments in Arizona and Georgia as well as a deployment with the 10th Mountain Division to Iraq as the Division’s Agricultural advisor and Veterinarian. He returned to the University of Georgia to complete a combined masters degree and a residency in veterinary emergency and critical care medicine. Upon completion of his training, he became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and subsequently led the busiest Veterinary Treatment Facility in the Department of Defense based in Okinawa, Japan. He then served at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research as both the Deputy Director of Research as well as the Research Support Division Chief. During this time, he conducted research into areas vital to Military Working Dogs including coagulation abnormalities, transfusion medicine, shock, trauma and resuscitation. He retired from the army and worked for two years at BluePearl Veterinary Specialists in San Antonio as both a critcalist and the ER Service Lead. He is now an associate professor at Texas A&M University with a dual appointment as the Hemorrhage Control and Vascular Dysfunction department scientific lead at the Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Hall has a passion for improving trauma patient care through collaborative clinical and translational research. She was a faculty member at the University of Minnesota for 14 years where she also earned her DVM, Emergency and Critical Care training for board certification and master’s in Clinical Research. Dr. Hall is honored and proud to be a part of the ACVECC Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) with its multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional approach to improve trauma patient care. Dr. Hall joined the Critical Care Services team at Colorado State University in 2019 and is enjoying being part of a team striving to contribute to and help advance all we do in the critical care space. Primary drivers of Dr. Hall’s philosophy, whether on the clinic floor, on the basketball court, in the classroom or advancing research collaborations include Angela Duckworth’s research on “grit”, Carol Dweck’s research on “growth mindset” and John Wooden’s “pyramid of success”.

Dr. Hayes graduated from Bristol University in 1998 and entered mixed practice in Carmarthen, Wales, before obtaining her RCVS small animal surgery certificate and pursuing an internship in Alberta, Canada. After a period working as an ER doctor she completed a residency in small animal emergency in critical care, a PhD in Epidemiology, and a residency in small animal surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph, Ontario. She then worked in private practice in Pennsylvania before undertaking her current position as surgery faculty at Cornell University. Her professional interests include study design and data modeling, disease scoring and error analysis, and minimally invasive surgical techniques. She is married with two children, and enjoys fly-fishing and gardening in her spare time.

Dr. MacPhail is a Professor of Small Animal Surgery at Colorado State University (CSU) Veterinary Teaching Hospital. After receiving her veterinary degree from Texas A&M University, Dr. MacPhail completed a rotating internship, surgical residency, soft tissue & surgical oncology fellowship, and PhD all at CSU. Dr. MacPhail has been on faculty at CSU since 2004. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), and ACVS Founding Fellow in Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Bryden J. Stanley is a professor of surgery at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated as a veterinarian from Murdoch University, in Australia in 1982. She was in practice for 2 years, then returned to Murdoch to become a surgical intern in 1985. She followed her internship with a position as Surgical Registrar at the University of Sydney. From 1987 to 1990, Dr. Stanley completed an ACVS Surgery Residency training and Master’s Degree at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Following residency, Dr. Stanley was on faculty at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and has also worked as a Scientific Communications Manager for Mars Petcare. Dr. Stanley came to Michigan State University in 1998, where she has played an active role in teaching, research and clinical surgery. Stanley’s clinical interests are in all aspects of soft tissue surgery, particularly upper respiratory, wound management and cutaneous reconstructive techniques. Dr. Stanley runs two research labs – in upper respiratory diseases and wound healing for which she runs numerous clinical trials. Her current upper respiratory studies are laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy in Labradors and Newfoundlands, Norwich terrier upper airway syndrome and the brachycephalic upper airway. Her current wound healing studies are in incisional negative pressure wound therapy, honey-based products, amniotic membranes and ischemic preconditioning. She publishes frequently, has received many teaching awards and lectures widely at a national and international level.

Dr. Budsberg received his DVM from Washington State University in 1983. He completed an internship at Angell Memorial in Boston and his residency in 1987 in small animal surgery at Michigan State University. Dr. Budsberg spent time at Louisiana State University before joining the faculty at the University of Georgia. Currently, Dr. Budsberg is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.

After graduating from the veterinary program at the University of Bristol, U.K., with honors, in 1991 Dr. Lascelles completed a PhD in aspects of pre-emptive/perioperative analgesia at the University of Bristol. After an internship, he completed his surgical residency at the University of Cambridge, U.K. He moved to Colorado for the Fellowship in Oncological Surgery at Colorado State University. He is currently the Dr. J. McNeely and Lynne K. DuBose Distinguished Professor of Musculoskeletal Health at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is board-certified in small animal surgery by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He is director of the Comparative Pain Research and Education Centre (CPREC). His research program (Translational Research in Pain [TRiP]) is dedicated to answering critical questions about pain control and pain mechanisms through high quality, innovative research. His career has been focused on developing algometry methods (methods to measure pain) in spontaneous disease animal models (pets with naturally occurring disease), and probing tissues from well-phenotyped animals with spontaneous disease to understand the neurobiology, with a strong translational focus. The aim of his research is to improve pain control in companion animals, and facilitate analgesic development in human medicine. He has authored over 230 peer reviewed research papers and reviews and 500 research abstracts, as well as over 30 book chapters. He has a collaborative research program that focuses on the relationship between pain and cancer progression, and the neurobiology of oral cancer pain.

Dr. Ortved is an Associated Professor of Large Animal Surgery at New Bolton Center, the University of Pennsylvania, in Kennett Square, PA. She received her DVM degree from the University of Guelph in 2006 and completed her large animal surgery residency at Cornell University in 2010. She became a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011. Following her residency, she obtained a PhD in equine cartilage repair in June 2014 at Cornell University and joined the faculty at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists in July 2015, where she has been an active equine surgeon. In January 2016, Dr. Ortved became board-certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She joined the faculty at New Bolton Center in February 2016 as a large animal orthopedic surgeon. She brings her research program in orthopedic disease to New Bolton Center, where she will continue to pursue gene and cell therapies for improving cartilage repair and preventing osteoarthritis.

Dr. Barker returned to the Newmarket Equine Hospital on completion of his surgical residency to join the referrals team and specialize in equine surgery. In February 2014 he successfully passed the qualifying examinations of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, becoming a Diplomate of the college and gaining recognition as a European Specialist in Equine Surgery. He has published several papers in peer reviewed scientific journals and presented both nationally and internationally, on subjects including soft tissue injuries to the tarsocrural joint, sinus surgery and fracture repair.

Dr. García-López obtained his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and went on to complete a one-year equine internship at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center (Ringoes, New Jersey, USA) followed by a three-year Large Animal Surgical Residency with special focus on Equine Sports Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2001 and by the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2013. Following his residency he obtained a lecturer position in the Section of Equine Sports Medicine and Imaging at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania where he remained for 2 years. From 2002 through 2022, he returned to Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant then Associate Professor in Large Animal Surgery, where he helped developed the Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery Service of which he served as its director from 2014–2022. While at Tufts, he focused his work on the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal disorders as well as the use of advanced imaging in the equine athlete. In 2022, he returned to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center where he is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Large Animal Surgery, with a focus on equine orthopedics including arthroscopy and fracture repair, lameness diagnosis and treatment, and advanced imaging. Dr. García-López is also a faculty member of AO VET North America (AO VET NA), of which he served as Chair from 2021–2024. He regularly lectures and provides consultations at the national and international level.

Dr. Ortved is an Associated Professor of Large Animal Surgery at New Bolton Center, the University of Pennsylvania, in Kennett Square, PA. She received her DVM degree from the University of Guelph in 2006 and completed her large animal surgery residency at Cornell University in 2010. She became a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011. Following her residency, she obtained a PhD in equine cartilage repair in June 2014 at Cornell University and joined the faculty at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists in July 2015, where she has been an active equine surgeon. In January 2016, Dr. Ortved became board-certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She joined the faculty at New Bolton Center in February 2016 as a large animal orthopedic surgeon. She brings her research program in orthopedic disease to New Bolton Center, where she will continue to pursue gene and cell therapies for improving cartilage repair and preventing osteoarthritis.

Dr. Laura Riggs is an associate professor and the service chief of equine surgery in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Louisiana State University. She is a 2001 graduate of the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, she completed a large animal rotating internship and surgery residency at the University Of Georgia College Of Veterinary Medicine. In 2007, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. The same year she completed a PhD in veterinary physiology at the University of Georgia. In 2016, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Since 2008 Dr. Riggs has been a member of the clinical faculty in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Louisiana State University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching and research activities in the Equine Health and Sports Performance program.

Dr. Dechant is a professor in clinical equine surgical emergency and critical care at the University of California, Davis (UC, Davis). She graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1996. After completing a private practice internship in her home province of Alberta, she moved to Fort Collins, CO, to complete a combined master’s and clinical residency in large animal surgery at Colorado State University from 1997 to 2000. After her residency, Dr. Dechant joined the large animal surgery faculty at the University of Saskatchewan for a one-year position as a clinical associate. From 2001 to 2004, she was a visiting assistant professor at Oklahoma State University with clinical responsibilities as an equine emergency clinician. In 2004, Dr. Dechant was hired in an emergency surgery position at the UC, Davis, initially in a lecturer position and then in a clinical track faculty position. Dr. Dechant was honored to receive Faculty Distinguished Teaching Awards from the School of Veterinary Medicine (2015) and UC, Davis (2016). Her research interests are related to improving the diagnosis and care of large animal emergency and critical care patients. She also has a secondary interest in camelid medicine and associated research.

Dr. Luedke attended Colorado State University for her undergraduate and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. She completed internships at Pioneer Equine Hospital in Oakdale, CA and Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists in Elmont, NY. She stayed with Cornell University in Ithaca, NY for a residency in large animal surgery, achieving board certification in 2021. She practiced at Manor Equine Hospital in Monkton, MD for two years before joining Colorado State Univeristy as an Assistant Professor in 2022. Her field of interest as a clinician and in research focuses on surgery of the upper respiratory tract, orthopedic surgery, and minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Prange received his veterinary degree from Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany, in 2002 and started working as an associate veterinarian in a private equine referral clinic in North-Rhine Westphalia. During this time, he completed his thesis, and after four years in private practice, he successfully applied for an internship at the Marion duPont Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, VA. From 2007 to 2010, he was an equine surgery resident at Michigan State, where he also completed his master’s degree in large animal clinical sciences. Since 2010, he has been a member of the equine group at NCSU, first as an emergency clinician and since 2012 as a soft tissue surgeon.

Dr. VanderBroek obtained both her bachelor’s and veterinary degree from Michigan State University. Following a large animal rotating internship at the University of Georgia, she completed a surgical residency at New Bolton Center, the University of Pennsylvania’s large animal hospital. After her residency, she became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Large Animal) and remained at New Bolton Center as a lecturer in large animal surgery until coming back to Michigan State University in 2020.

Dr. Charlotte Lacroix owns and manages Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc., a consulting firm which advises veterinarians and attorneys nationwide on veterinary business and legal issues, with a focus on veterinary business transactions.  Dr. Lacroix received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1988 from the University of California at Davis.  After completing a large animal internship at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada), she worked for several years at an equine medical and surgical referral practice serving northern New Jersey’s large equine community.  In pursuit of her goal to make greater contributions to the veterinary profession, Dr. Lacroix attended law school and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.  She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

            Dr. Lacroix is a skilled negotiator and business strategist.  She assists her clients in determining the relevant and important business aspects of a diverse array of transactions.  Her legal and consulting activities include: legal document preparation and negotiation; advising on all aspects of veterinary partnerships, including associate buy-ins, specialty and general practice governance and management, and partner retirement and withdrawals; succession planning; negotiating and facilitating the purchase and sale of practices of all types, as well as, entity selection and start-ups; consulting on issues unique to specialty practices; assisting with all employment related and human resource issues; and advising on malpractice cases, animal law and welfare, drugs and biologics, medical records/informed consents, veterinary ethics and other legal and business problems.  Dr. Lacroix lectures extensively on all these topics nationwide and overseas, and is a frequent speaker at AVMA, NAVC, WVC, VSIPP and other veterinary association and industry meetings and seminars. She is also an enthusiastic adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

            Dr. Lacroix is a regular contributor to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, NAVC’s Today’s Veterinary Business and Veterinary Practice News, Impromed, American Animal Hospital Association, Veterinary Clinics of North America and Veterinary Economics-DVM360 publications. She has written numerous other articles, contributed to several books, and appeared on radio and television.  Dr. Lacroix also volunteers her time and expertise to veterinary and other organizations, including AVMA, AAHA, AAEP, NJVMA, and PVMA. She was the 2014-2015 President of the NAVC and is currently Chair of the Board of PetsPAC and Board member of the Veterinary Innovation Council. Dr. Lacroix was recognized and awarded by Lawyer Monthly “2016 Women in Law”. She was awarded “Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs” in 2018 among approximately 1000 other nominations.

Dr. Langenbach, owner and chief of surgery, is a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 from the University of Munich, College of Veterinary Medicine in Germany, and was awarded a scholarship to pursue a combined American and German education. She spent most of her third year of veterinary school at Kansas State University and part of her fourth year at Ohio State University, Cornell University, and Animal Medical Center of New York. After receiving her veterinary degree, she continued her studies with a one-year internship followed by a three-year residency program at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine. During her residency, she completed a doctoral thesis with the University of Zurich, Switzerland, on Medical Patellar Luxation and Hip Dysplasia in Cats. With her residency finished, she accepted a lectureship position with the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1998, Dr. Langenbach achieved Diplomate status as a board-certified surgeon. Since her time at the university, she has published several articles, authored a book chapter, and has presented at many regional, national, and international meetings. She is currently collaborating with North Carolina State University on clinical studies. Her clinical interests include arthroscopy; canine and feline dysostosis; orthopedic disease, such as cranial cruciate disease; elbow and hip dysplasia; and oncologic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Oblak is a veterinary surgery oncologist, associate professor of soft tissue and oncologic surgery, and the animal health research chair in veterinary medical innovation in the Department of Clinical Studies at Ontario Veterinary College. She is an active member and chair of the research committee of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology and the co-director of the Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation at the University of Guelph.

As a clinician-scientist focused on veterinary clinical trials, her research program centers on innovation and the incorporation of novel techniques and technology with translational potential. Her notable research interests include the incorporation of 3D printing into surgical planning for animals and humans and near-infrared fluorescence-guided surgery for sentinel lymph node mapping and intraoperative decision making.

Dr. Scharf is an assistant professor of small animal soft tissue and oncologic surgery at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She received a bachelor of science in earth systems from Stanford University and a DVM from Texas A&M University prior to completing a rotating internship at The Ohio State University and a surgery residency and master of science at the University of Florida. Her research interests include minimally invasive surgery, surgical oncology, and endocrine neoplasia, as well as the role of companion animals as models of environmental exposure.