Speaker Bios
Ricardo de Matos, LMV, Diplomate ABVP (Avian), Diplomate ECZM (Avian)
Talk topic: Backyard Chicken Medicine; Ultrasound Examination of the Reproductive Tract of the Domestic Chickens
Current position: Lecturer, Zoological Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
Graduated first in class from the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria, Lisbon, Portugal in 2002
Internship in Zoo, Wildlife and Exotic Animal Medicine at Cornell University Hospital for Animals completed in 2004, followed by residency in Avian Medicine and Surgery at the same institution, completed in 2006. Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Avian specialty since 2006; Diplomate of the European College of Zoological Medicine- Avian since 2010. Following residency, Postdoc in medical oncology in the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University 2006-2007; since 2008, lecturer in same department.
Special interest: medical oncology, backyard poultry medicine and surgery.
David Guzman, LV, MS, Dipl ECZM (Avian), Dipl ACZM
Talk topic: Reptile Soft Tissue Surgery
Dr. Guzman received his veterinary degree from the University of Leon, Spain, in 2002. He practiced exotic and small animal medicine in Spain and UK until 2004. Dr. Guzman completed an Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship at Tufts University in 2005, a Zoological Medicine Residency combined with a Masters in Veterinary Medical Sciences at Louisiana State University in 2008. He served as a Clinical Instructor in Zoological Medicine at the University of Wisconsin until 2010, when he joined the Companion Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine Program at the UC Davis. Dr. Guzman has a special research interest in avian therapeutics and infectious diseases, and a strong clinical interest in soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, and oncology in exotic animals.
Michelle Hawkins, VMD, DABVP (Avian Practice)
Talk topic: Small Mammal Analgesia
Dr. Hawkins received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 and completed a residency and fellowship in Companion Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of California, Davis in 2001. She became board-certified in Avian Practice by the the American Board of Veterinary Practice in 2002. After 2 years in private practice working with avian, reptile, and exotic small mammal patients, she joined the faculty of the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. She is currently an Associate Professor in Companion Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Univ. of CA, Davis and Co-Director of the California Raptor Center. Her research focuses on anesthesia, analgesia and critical patient care for companion exotic animals.
Linda Lowenstine, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Talk topic: What do I do with a Dead Reptile? ; What do I do with a Dead Bird?
Linda J. Lowenstine, Professor of Veterinary Pathology, University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, received her undergraduate degree from Stanford and DVM from UC Davis. This was followed by a small animal internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital and a pathology residency in the Harvard Medical School/ Angell comparative pathology program with an emphasis on primate, pet bird and zoo animal pathology (New England NPRC and National Zoo). A PhD in comparative pathology from UC Davis was followed by appointment to the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 1981 where she has been major professor or mentor for 31 PhD or MS students, most of whom are also DVMs, and trained scores of pathology residents. Early research efforts identified and characterized primate models of AIDS, identified diseases affecting raptors presented to the California Raptor Center and established the UC Davis Marine Mammal Pathology Program in cooperation with The Marine Mammal Center for which she still serve as a scientific advisor. In 1988 she became histopathologist and advisor for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) and served 10 years on the Wildlife Scientific Advisory Committee for Morris Animal Foundation. She left UC Davis and AIDS research in 1994 to concentrate on zoo and wild animal pathology and was Director of Pathology for the Zoological Society of San Diego for 2 years before returning to UCD. Since then her research has defined several important diseases of marine mammals (notably pathology and pathogenesis studies on urogenital cancer and domoic acid intoxication in California sea lions). She also serves the zoo and wildlife health communities as the pathology advisor for the MGVP, the gorilla, orangutan and bonobo SSPs, and the ape TAG, and though diagnostic pathology. Current research on causes of morbidity and mortality in zoo-house and free-ranging primates focuses on the apes with pathology and pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease a special interest. She has authored or co-authored over 150 refereed papers, numerous books chapters and other publications. Dr. Lowenstine was elected a Fellow of the Zoological Society of San Diego in 1997, received the 2008 Duane Ullrey Achievement Award and a 2012 Presidential Service Award from the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, and the 2009 Alumni Achievement Award from the University of California, School of Veterinary Medicine.
Christopher Sanders, DVM
Talk topic (tentative): Inclusion Body Disease in Snakes: New Research and the Role of a Private Practioner
Dr. Sanders received his veterinary degree from Texas A&M in 1996, and started working at an exotic animal practice in California. In 1998, he opened Wildwood Veterinary Hospital in Portola Valley which sees primarily birds and reptiles. He also works with the Palo Alto Junior Museum in Zoo, the reptile collection at San Jose State University, and on public and private research and conservation projects. He is active with the local bird and reptile rescue organizations, wildlife rescue, local and state exotic animal welfare issues, and he has received multiple awards for his community service.
Lisa Tell, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), DACZM
Talk topic: Considerations for Medication Use in Poultry: Avoiding Drug Residue in Eggs
Lisa Tell, DVM is the Director of the Minor Use Animal Drug Program (Western Region) and the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (Western Region). She has been a full-time faculty member with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine since 1997, and currently has an appointment as a Professor of Veterinary Medicine with the Medicine and Epidemiology Office. Dr Tell received her BS and DVM degrees from UC Davis. She did her internship and residency at the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. From 1997-2006, Dr. Tell was the Chief of Service for the Companion Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine Service at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis.
During Dr. Tell’s academic career her research has focused on diagnosing and treating infectious avian diseases; specifically avian aspergillosis. She is board certified with the American College of Zoological Medicine and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Avian Specialty). She has co-authored two radiological texts (Radiology or Rodents, Rabbits and Ferrets and Radiology of Birds: An Atlas of Normal Anatomy and Positioning). She is currently the director of two programs that focus on pharmacokinetics and drug residues.
Sara M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO
Talk topic: Small Mammal Ophthalmology: Diagnostic Techniques and Commonly Encountered Diseases
Dr. Thomasy received her B.S. in Biology from The Ohio State University in 2000 and her DVM from the University of California - Davis in 2005. She then completed a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from UC Davis in 2006. Following a 1-year small animal rotating internship at North Carolina State University, she completed a comparative ophthalmology residency at UC Davis in 2010. Dr. Thomasy is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology and served as a reviewer for several journals including Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Veterinary Ophthalmology. She is currently a Vision Researcher in the Murphy-Russell Laboratory and her research interests include corneal wound healing, glaucoma, ocular pharmacology, and antiviral therapy for the management of feline herpesvirus.
Jim Wellehan Jr., DVM, PhD
Talk topic: Infectious Disease Diagnostics in Reptiles; Virology of Non-Avian Reptiles; Select Bacterial/Fungal/Parasitic Diseases in Non-Avian Reptiles
Jim Wellehan Jr., DVM, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. He is a diplomate of both the American College of Zoological Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists. In addition to clinical work with the Zoological Medicine Service, he is service chief for the UF Veterinary Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, and Codirector of the Marine Animal Disease Laboratory. He has published 84 peer-reviewed publications and 8 book chapters/invited reviews. His research interests focus on evolution and ecology of pathogens of nondomestic animals, with an emphasis on molecular diagnostics. He is happily married to Karen Schaedel and they are the proud parents of Xavier and Elseya.
