The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360

Gaemia Tracy, DVM, DACVIM, (Neurology) attended veterinary school at Ohio State University and then completed a one-year rotating small animal internship at Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Charlotte, North Carolina. He joined the VRC team in 2020. Tracy's special interests include IVDD treatment and management, atlantoaxial instability management, management of inflammatory CNS diseases, and seizure management. 

Dave Lasus is the CEO of Heart + Paw. He is a dedicated, collaborative, and entrepreneurial executive with extensive experience strategically and aggressively scaling business operations, footprint and financial results for rapidly growing companies.

Lasus employs a dynamic background in QSR, Veterinary, Multi-site retail/service, Consulting and Real Estate Development companies to craft both efficient and profitable systems. He's adept at multifunctional oversight, capability building, performance management and data-driven decision making. He have a strong record of success identifying, navigating and resolving business challenges to accelerate outcomes.
Most notably, Lasus has:
• Driven more than 600% EBITDA growth for a QSR chain.
• Facilitated expansion by up to 25 new stores per year.
• Innovated new product opportunities that have delivered double digit percentages of total sales.
His colleagues and co-workers describe him as thorough, enthusiastic, passionate and responsive. He's best known for maintaining a keen pulse on all aspects of operations and fostering agile responses to market trends.

Gianluca Bini, DVM, MRCVS, DACVAA, graduated from the University of Perugia, Italy. He then moved to the United Kingdom, where he completed two internships, one in anesthesia and one rotating, at Dick White Referrals, one of the largest referral centers in Europe. After completing his residency at North Carolina State University, he is currently an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Paul Kline, DVM, received his doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from Texas A&M University in 1986. After 9 years of private veterinary practice, Paul pursued an opportunity to work in community development in Central Asia where he spent 8 years living and working in Mongolia. Initially he served as a field worker, training Mongolian veterinarians in new medicine and surgery techniques, herd health management, and the development of private practice models. He was later appointed as the Executive Director of a diverse team of over 100 people from 21 different nationalities and was responsible for overseeing the implementation of more than 20 programs in a variety of sectors, including health, education, agriculture, and business. He has participated in facilitating development programs with such partners as the United Nations, the World Bank and a number of government and non-government agencies. He also was awarded a National Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University in 1999. 

Marcy A. Bliss, is the CEO of Wedgewood Pharmacy, the leading compounding pharmacy for animals in the US. She is responsible for all aspects of the pharmacy operation and for leading the delivery of extraordinary business results. In 2018 Wedgewood Pharmacy acquired Diamondback Drugs, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Formerly the executive vice president of Business Operations and Marketing, Bliss began her career with Wedgewood Pharmacy in early 1999. Over the years, she assumed positions of increasing responsibility, many with a significant emphasis on pharmacy growth, the building of infrastructure, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and regulatory compliance. She leads the company's public affairs and issues-management programs, and is frequently seen on Capitol Hill, protecting patient and prescriber access to compounded medication. 

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. George Melillo, VMD, Co-founder & Chief Veterinary Officer, brings more than 35 years of veterinary experience to Heart + Paw. 
In 2018, he co-founded Heart + Paw, bringing to life his lifelong commitment to animals and the people who serve them. Heart + Paw is now one of the fastest growing veterinary care, grooming, and dog daycare center groups in the country, with a mission to become partners in pet parenthood, helping four-legged family members to live a longer, healthier, and happier life. 
Central to Heart + Paw's mission is the dedicated team of veterinarians and team members who maintain the highest quality of care for Heart + Paw's patients, led by Dr. Melillo. Often described as the "heart" of Heart + Paw – he is committed to the health, wealth and mental well-being of those that serve this community.
In 2021, Heart + Paw grew from 10 to 23 locations, covering nine states from Tennessee to Rhode Island, with nine current locations in the Philadelphia region, where Heart + Paw is based. The company anticipates nearly doubling locations by the end of 2022. 
Dr. Melillo is frequently interviewed by media and has been featured in media including CNN, Los Angeles Times, iHeartRadio, Reader’s Digest, PureWow, Daily Paws, and more. 
Currently Dr. Melillo serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of Animal Care of Pennsylvania and enjoys life with his wife, five millennial children, two grandchildren and his 10-year-old rescue Jack Russell terrier, Pancho.

Valerie Marcano, DVM, PhD, is a poultry veterinarian in the Carolinas as well as the co-founder and CEO of Pawsibilities Vet Med, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that aims to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups to the veterinary profession. She is the chair of the first ever Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) and a member of the AVMA/ AAVMC Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commission. Marcano received a Bachelor of Science at Cornell University, and her DVM and PhD degrees from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017 and 2020, respectively. 

Seth Andrews, PhD, is a process engineer with Precision BioSciences. He completed a post-doc at the University of Georgia after earning his PhD in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia in 2019. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering from Cornell University. Over the course of his graduate work, Seth has mentored numerous high school and undergraduate students. He also served as the president of the University of Georgia’s Engineering Graduate Club.

Patricia White received her BS degree from the University of Georgia in 1977 and her DVM from Tuskegee University's School of Veterinary Medicine in 1983. After graduation, she completed a 13-month small animal internship at Michigan State University then returned to Tuskegee's School of Veterinary Medicine where she served on the small animal medicine faculty for 3 years. She completed a three-year dermatology residency training and Master's degree program at The Ohio State University in 1990, then was awarded a two-year Merck, Inc. research fellowship, which allowed her to continue clinical fatty acid research initiated during her residency.  

White is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American College of  Veterinary Dermatology. She has authored numerous articles for both veterinary journals and lay publications, and enjoys lecturing nationally and internationally. In her spare time, Dr. White enjoys traveling, scuba diving, gardening, working with clay, and clay work designs.

White can be reached at [email protected]

Jessica Lowe DVM, MBA, BSc, graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago School of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to that, Lowe attended the University of Maryland, College Park where she earned her first degree. She has a diverse background, working in small animal medicine, emergency veterinary medicine, exotic medicine, lab animal medicine and public health veterinary medicine for over 10 years. Lowe has a special interest in feline medicine and internal medicine. She has 2 cats at home and enjoys outdoor biking and traveling. Lowe joined FirstVet in 2021.

Elliot Garber, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVPM, is a specialist in Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a graduate of Tufts University and the University of Virginia. He is Vice President of Growth at Instinct Science. Garber led and trained teams in clinical practice for 8 years while in the military, including 3 years as veterinarian to the Navy SEALs and their working dogs. He built and sold an 8-figure ecommerce and marketing agency before joining Instinct to launch the veterinary industry's first electronic prescribing software.