Meet the Speakers

Filippo worked in several institutions, including the Animal Health Trust and The Royal Veterinary College; currently he works in four referral centres in London and south of England. He is also an Honorary Lecturer in Veterinary Dermatology, and Past President of the British Veterinary Dermatology Study Group.

Mike is currently the Head of Service for orthopaedics at Davies Veterinary Specialists and is considered by himself to be the finest veterinary surgeon of all time.

After having worked for 3 years in a large private practice outside Paris, he spent 4 years at the Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire Frégis, near Paris, where he completed an ECVS residency. He became a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2008 and was recognized as a specialist in small animal surgery by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2012. Laurent worked at VRCC Veterinary Referrals in Essex, United Kingdom, where he was one of the full-time soft-tissue surgeons and directors from 2006 to 2014. He moved to the Oncology and Soft Tissue Surgery department of Fitzpatrick Referrals in October 2014. Laurent is a member of several professional boards and committees, regularly contributes to international publications and book chapters, and gives lectures and presentation in many countries. His fields of interest include surgical oncology, reconstructive surgery and general soft tissue surgery.

Working Experience
1992-1998 – Working experience in large and small animal medicine in university (Freie University Berlin) as well as in private practice in Berlin
1998-1999 – Department of Companion Animals and Special Species College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, USA, Internship in Veterinary Neurology
1999-2001 – Department of Veterinary Clinical Scienes, The Ohio State University, USA, Residency in neurology and neurosurgery
Since November 2002 – Department of Small Animal Medicine, University of Leipzig, Germany, Head of the section of neurology and neurosurgery

Veterinary and Academic Qualifications
1994 – Doctor medicinae veterinariae (summa cum laude)
2001 – Master of Veterinary Sciences (The Ohio State University, USA)
2003 – Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
2005 – Diplomate European College of Veterinary Neurology
2008 – European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology
2010 – Dr. med. vet. habilitatus (small animal surgery and small animal neurology)
2012 – Secretary of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
Since 2016 – President of the European College of Veterinary Neurology

From 2017 he is the co-owner of the Jekl & Hauptman Veterinary Clinic Focused on Exotic Companion Mammals. He has lectured extensively thorough the Europe and the USA and he has published more 400 articles in regional and international journals and books, including chapters in BSAVA Manuals and Practical Veterinary Dental Radiography.

He is currently undertaking a doctoral degree on canine Leishmaniosis focusing on the impact of the disease on the respiratory system. He has participated as a co-author in several published manuscripts and has presented parts of his studies in European and Greek congresses. During the last nine years he has been working, alongside with his studies in a small animal veterinary practice in his hometown and later, as an internist in a 24h service veterinary clinic in Thessaloniki. His clinical interests include canine and feline infectious diseases.

In 2000, he joined the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College and currently he is Senior Lecturer in Radiology. Pete is a European and RCVS Recognized Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Pete is a regular author, speaker and CPD tutor on the subjects of small animal radiology, ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

Upon completion of the residency programme in 2012, Ana returned home to the Small Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Faculty in Ljubljana. She passed her board examination and became a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) in 2013 and has also been accepted to the European Veterinary Dental College (EVDC). Ana joined the team at Animal Hospital Postojna, Slovenia in April 2018. She is a guest lecturer at the postgraduate study programme in surgery, anaesthesiology, ophthalmology, and veterinary dentistry at the Veterinary Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia, a member and past-treasurer of the European Veterinary Dental Society, Secretary of the EVDC, Credential Committee member of AVDC, recipient of several national and international awards in veterinary medicine, an Associate Editor of ‘Veterinary Dentistry and Oromaxillofacial Surgery’ journal, a reviewer in several international journals and author of research and professional papers, but her greatest passion remains the teaching of veterinary dentistry.

Elected Lecturer and assigned to the Diagnostic Laboratory of the Department of Clinical Studies in May 1999, promoted to Assistant Professor in June 2003, to Associate Professor in November 2010 and to Full Professor in June 2015. Appointed as Director of the Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences A.U.Th in February 2016. Accepted as Charter Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP) upon the institution of the College in 2001 and recertified in 2008 and 2013. Elected and served as vice president of ECVCP from 2013 to 2016 and currently serving as acting president (2017-2019). Organized the 11th Meeting of the European Society of Clinical Pathology (ESVCP) in 2009 in Thessaloniki, Greece and the 20th Meeting of the ESVCP/ECVCP meeting in 2018 in Athens, Greece. Was actively involved in the scientific meetings and the continuing education programme of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society (HVMS) and elected (2015-present) as Chair of the Companion Animal Section. Appointed as the chair of the scientific committee of the 2012, 2013 and 2016 HVMS congress. Currently involved in the continuing education programme of the School of Veterinary Medicine, A.U.Th. and HVMS, aiming in the training of private practitioners in Greece. Has published over 100 papers, most of them in international peer-reviewed scientific journals with an impact factor and listed in medical databases. Co-authored 2 veterinary medical textbooks that are used as reference teaching material in both Veterinary Faculties of Greece (Aristotle University and University of Thessaly). Attended over 70 veterinary medical conferences, being either a presenter of a scientific abstract or an invited speaker in more than half of them. Member of the FECAVA Vector Borne Diseases Working Group, which produced in 2018 the relevant factsheets for common vector borne diseases, to be used by practicing veterinarians. Main research field is veterinary clinical pathology (mostly clinical biochemistry of companion and farm animals). Special topics of interest include the long term changes of cardiac biomarkers in canine mitral valve disease, the study of selected biomarkers in chronic renal disease, senile cognitive dysfunction of companion animals, epilepsy and degenerative CNS disorders. Other current research projects include the study of acute phase proteins (COST action-Farm Animal Proteomics) and trace elements in farm animals.

I have participated in several advanced postgraduate intensive courses in Veterinary Endoscopy (University of Giessen, ESAVS, Improve International) and hold a GP Certificate in Small animal Internal Medicine (2009), a GP Certificate in Endoscopy and Endosurgery (2010) from the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies and a PgC in Small Animal Medicine (2015) from Harper Adams University. I am a member of the Veterinary Endoscopy Society (VES), the Comparative Gastroenterology Company (CGS) and the European Society of Comparative Gastroenterology (ESCG). My passion is sharing knowledge and I’ve been an invited speaker every year at the annual Greek congress as well as in various seminars, webinars and a trainer in postgraduate endoscopy courses in Greece. I have served as the President of the Organizing Committee of the 8^th Greek forum, and during the last 5 years I have always served as a member of the scientific committee. I was honoured to be a co-author at Dr. Rallis (Professor of Internal Medicine at AUTH University, Greece) book on Pancreatic Diseases and my chapters were focused on endocrine and exocrine pancreatic neoplasms.

He is a member of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery editorial board, the WSAVA Global Pain Council, the WSAVA Dental Guidelines Committee and he has been recently appointed the co-chair of the WSAVA Therapeutic Guidelines group. Dr. Steagall has published more than 80 articles on pain management in small animals. He has recently published the book entitled ‘Feline Anesthesia and Pain Management’.

He is an active member of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and editor of Companion Journal. Simon particularly enjoys critical care and has been instrumental in developing the Interventional Radiology service at DWR, using minimally invasive techniques and bio-materials to treat many conditions which previously required more invasive surgery. He has lectured widely in the UK and Europe on subjects including emergency medicine and interventional radiology. Simon’s current research interests are the prevalence of the multi drug resistance gene within the UK and the implications on disease aetiology.

He is currently Senior Professor and Professor Emeritus of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and specializes in gastroenterology, hepatology, pancreatology and endoscopy (flexible and rigid).  Dr. Willard has extensive experience with protein-losing enteropathies and gastrointestinal problems of racing Alaskan sled dogs.  He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.  Dr. Willard has given over 3,500 hours of invited post-graduate continuing education lectures (nationally and internationally), has over 80 refereed publications, and has over 150 book chapters in print.

Nicola has written for many veterinary publications and textbooks and is the editor for Aspinall’s Complete Textbook of Veterinary Nursing. Nicola is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Advanced veterinary Nursing at Glasgow University.