The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360

Grant Gilbert is a fourth-year (2023) veterinary student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and a dvm360® Student Ambassador.
He has interests in cardiology, endocrinology, autoimmune diseases, and exotic companion animals. He plans to attend a 1-year rotating internship in pursuit of further specialty training. He earned his BS in Animal Science at the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ivan Zak, DVM, MBA, is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and a passionate advocate for the well-being of veterinary professionals. Twelve years as an ER vet inspired Ivan to create SmartFlow, a first in the industry workflow optimization system later acquired by IDEXX. In 2019, Zak founded Veterinary Integration Solutions, an executive consulting firm where he helped veterinary groups systemize acquisitions integration and improvement of practices with special attention to burnout prevention. Along the way, he obtained an MBA degree in International Healthcare Management with a thesis in implementation of Lean thinking to improve the employee experience, pursuing his goal to make a sizable impact on the veterinary profession. Zak took the lead in Galaxy Vets, a new veterinary healthcare system co-owned by its employees with burnout prevention as a strategic priority.

Bill Miller, DVM, DACVO, graduated from Louisiana State University in 1982 and an internship in small animal surgery and medicine at Auburn University in 1983. There he participated in an ophthalmology residency and Masters of Science degree program. He became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists in 1986. He started his specialty practice, Advanced Animal Eye Care, in Memphis, TN, in 1986. He currently serves the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists as chair of the Governance Committee.

Liz Hughston, MEd, RVT, CVT, LVT, LMVT, VTS (SAIM) (ECC), currently practices as a relief veterinary technician, trainer, and consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has authored articles and textbook chapters and is a co-editor of Cannabis Therapy in Veterinary Medicine (Springer Nature) and the upcoming 2nd edition of the Small Animal Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses textbook (Wiley).

Currently, Hughston is President of the National Veterinary Professionals Union, Co-Founder of the Veterinary Cannabinoid Academy, an Administrator of the Not One More Vet Support Staff group, Credentialing Committee Chair of the Academy of Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians, and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of dvm360. 
 
Hughston is dedicated to advancing veterinary technology, technicians, and assistants through training, mentorship, and advocacy both within and outside the veterinary profession.

Staci Scolavino, VMD, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary of Medicine. Prior to veterinary school, she worked as a research technician at Harvard Medical School, and co-authored three novel scientific publications. 
After graduation, Scolavino completed an internship at Oradell Animal Hospital and then practiced as an associate veterinarian at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. To pursue her passion for nutrition and research, Scolavino joined Royal Canin as a scientific services veterinarian. She worked primarily with their diet lines by developing scientific reasoning for vets, stakeholders and the general public. Currently, she is working with Virbac US as Nutritional Technical Manager to help develop and brand the new pet food line. 

Content sponsored by Virbac

Zachary Tooley is a third-year veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. He completed a masters program at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He received the Army Health Professional Scholarship Program and was commissioned into the Army Veterinary Corps as a second lieutenant. After veterinary school, he will complete a rotating externship at one of the Army’s sites, followed by 3 years of active duty. He is the current Student AVMA president.

Charles E. Short, DVM, PhD, DACVA, DECVAA established the programs in veterinary anesthesiology at the University of Missouri and then at Cornell University during his 64 year career as a veterinarian. He received his DVM from Auburn University in 1958. Dr. Short is an international speaker and meeting organizer on anesthesia and pain management and has provided over 700 invited lectures. In addition, he completed over 350 publications including coeditor of the textbook, "Animal Pain". He, with 6 colleagues, founded the ACVAA as a specialty in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia. He was a cofounder of the IVAPM. His passion included sharing his expertise with others.

Jennifer Johnson, VMD, CVPP has been a small animal veterinarian for 28 years, working as an associate, then owning and operating a busy 6-doctor practice in the Philadelphia suburbs. Pain management education is her passion, and Dr. Johnson has spent the last 15 years teaching colleagues about multimodal pain management options.  Her special interest is the use of photobiomodulation (laser therapy) and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy as non-pharma approaches to pain management.  In 2012, she achieved Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner (CVPP) qualification through the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM).  Now relocated to Arizona and a full-time educator, Dr. Johnson speaks nationally on pain management and digital thermal imaging, stressing the importance of pain identification in general practice.  She has published numerous articles and blogs, most recently authoring the chapter on pain management for Laser Therapy in Veterinary Medicine (Wiley 2017).  Dr. Johnson is the Immediate Past-President of the IVAPM. She consults for multiple veterinary medical advisory boards and is also a board member of eagleYcondor, providing children’s education and veterinary care to rural communities in Ecuador.

Pam Hale, DVM, MBA, Destination Pet’s chief medical officer, is a graduate of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her MBA from St. George’s University. Dr Hale is a member of the AVMA and Georgia Veterinary Medical Association. She serves on the Dean’s Counsel for Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine and the American Veterinary Medical Association Professional Liability Insurance Trust. She shares her home with 7 pups and her husband, Chuck. Hale is joined on this episode by Ryan Hart.

Seth Wallack, DVM, DACVR, is a board-certified veterinary radiologist, founder and CEO of Veterinary Imaging Center of San Diego. His work in radioiodine (I-131) therapy for treating feline hyperthyroidism resulted in a new protocol for treatment dosing, and he lectures on this topic regularly at seminars and meetings around the country. He also started the American Association of Veterinary Radiologists (AAVR), an online veterinary radiology education resource for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and is the founder and president of Vetology. He has published numerous professional journal articles and book chapters and is the author of The Handbook of Veterinary Contrast Radiography.

Click here to learn more about Vetology.ai. 
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Paul Bloom, DVM, DACVD, DABVP (Canine and Feline), obtained his doctor of veterinary medicine degree with high honors. He was board certified with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 1984 and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) in 2001. He became an Elite Fear Free Certified practitioner in 2018 and completed the Cat Friendly Certificate Program in 2020. Currently, he is the staff dermatologist at Allergy, Skin, and Ear Clinic for Pets and an adjunct professor at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing. 

Dr Bloom has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on all aspects of veterinary dermatology and has extensive experience in diagnosing and managing chronic ear and skin diseases, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius/multidrug-resistant infections. He serves on the ACVD scientific program committee and is a reviewer for the professional journals Veterinary Dermatology, The Veterinary Journal, Irish Veterinary Journal, Journal of Small Animal Practice, Veterinary Sciences, JAVMA, and Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.  

In 2019, Dr Bloom was honored to be selected for the Distinguished Veterinary Alumni Award – Practitioner and the Philanthropist of the Year award from the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

When he's not working, Dr Bloom spends his time playing hockey or relaxing at home in rural Northfield Township, Michigan, with his wife and “menagerie,” which currently includes 3 horses, 2 miniature donkeys, 1 goat, 2 sheep, 2 cats, and 1 dog.