2019 Presenters - FOUR CORNERS VETERINARY SYMPOSIUM AUGUST 24TH & 25TH!
Dr. James Giles is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who spent 18 years as a military veterinarian serving across the globe, including a year in Afghanistan. His final position with the military was as Chief of Surgery for the Military Working Dog Veterinary Service. Dr. Giles grew up raising and training German shepherd dogs, and it was his experience with their medical conditions and an overall love for animals that drew him to veterinary medicine.
Dr. Giles is experienced in a variety of surgical procedures. He enjoys arthroscopy and laparoscopy and is particularly interested in orthopedic and neurologic conditions in working dogs, especially surgical management of degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. While serving as a military veterinary surgeon, he became experienced in performing endodontic repairs and advanced dentistry. He also introduced the use of negative pressure wound therapy for use in military working dogs and treated the first dogs in combat with this modality. As a surgical resident, his research involved biomechanical analysis of suture anchors and suture materials.
Dr. Giles' wife is also a veterinarian, and they have two children. The family volunteers with local church activities, overseas missions and the Fisher House Foundation. Other favorite pastimes include outdoor activities, endurance fitness events and traveling. The furry members of the Giles household are Lucy, a golden doodle, and Mia, a poodle.
Dr. Deb Zoran is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University and founding member of the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET). She is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, she entered private clinical practice in the Phoenix, Arizona area until returning in 1987 to Iowa State University for her small animal internal medicine residency. She completed a Master's degree and became a Diplomate of the ACVIM – Small Animal Internal Medicine during her time there. In 1992, she moved to Texas A&M University and completed a PhD in Nutrition in the laboratory of Dr. Joanne Lupton. Since 1996, Dr. Zoran has been a member of the faculty in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University where she is actively involved with clinical, teaching, and research activities in small animal nutrition, disaster preparedness, gastroenterology and feline medicine. As a member of the VET, she has been on 15 deployments to multiple types of disasters in Texas and beyond. In addition, she is member of Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team, as their veterinary medical specialist for their 22 working canines.
Dr. Gallivan comes to VCA VetCare with nearly 20 years of specialty surgical experience. He spent his first nine years as Chief Surgeon at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in Buffalo, New York. He left the snow behind in 2008 and has been a surgeon at Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Charlotte, NC for the past ten years Dr. Gallivan earned his veterinary degree from the University of California Davis in 1995. He was awarded the Top Surgical Student and was a member of the Phi Zeta Honor Society. He then completed a one-year internship at Kansas State University. He continued to move East and went on to complete a 3 year surgical residency at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (Virginia Tech) where he also earned his Masters degree. He has been a board certified veterinary surgeon since 2001. While he enjoys all aspects of veterinary surgery, he is most passionate about cruciate ligament disease, complex fracture repair, hepato-biliary surgery, and pain management.
In his free time he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, cooking and spending time with his wife Mary and their rescue dog Jake.
Dr. Barbara E. Kitchell graduated from Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1979. Dr. Kitchell completed an internship at the University of Minnesota, then residencies in Small Animal Medicine and Oncology at UC Davis from 1981-1985. She started an Oncology referral practice at Special Veterinary Services, Berkeley, California in 1985, and continued to manage that practice on a full time basis until 1989, when she embarked upon her graduate studies while continuing to work part time as a clinical oncologist. She received her Ph.D. degree (emphasis in Cancer Biology) from the Department of Comparative Pathology at UC Davis in 1994. In addition, Dr. Kitchell completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford Medical School from 1990-1994. She returned to academic medicine in 1994 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine, where she rose to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Kitchell joined the faculty of Michigan State University in 2004 as Full Professor and Director of the Center for Comparative Oncology, and held this post until joining VCA Vet Care in August, 2013. Dr. Kitchell is an ACVIM Diplomate in the specialties of Internal Medicine and Oncology. She has received numerous awards including the National Cancer Institute Physician Scientist Award, the Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship Award at Stanford, and the Gaines Cycle "Golden Fido" award for Veterinarian of the Year at the American Animal Hospital Association Annual Conference in 1993. Dr. Kitchell has served veterinary and comparative medicine in many capacities, including committee membership on the Morris Animal Foundation Scientific Advisory Board, the Nestle Purina Nutrition Council, NCI-F Manpower and Training Study Section of NCI, the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium, and is a consultant and key opinion leader for several veterinary pharmaceutical companies. She is past president of the Veterinary Cancer Society and was elected Vice-President and Member of the Board of Regent of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2013. Dr. Kitchell is the author of over 100 scientific publications, abstracts, proceedings, book chapters, handbooks in her field of veterinary and comparative oncology. Like most veterinarians, she has a menagerie of dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles. Dr. Kitchell also keeps busy as a single mom of 5 wonderful young people, and has been active in adoption, foster care and Transition to Independence for foster adolescents in Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Christa Bernhard graduated from Xavier University in 2005 with a major in biology. She then worked as a veterinary technician in the critical care unit at Colorado State University prior to attending veterinary school. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 2012. After graduation, Dr. Bernhard completed a small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa, FL. In 2016, Dr. Bernhard completed a three-year residency in emergency and critical care at the University of Missouri, where she also earned her Master's degree in biomedical sciences. Dr. Bernhard enjoys all aspects of critical care medicine and is dedicated to training veterinary staff and interns. She has a particular interest in respiratory disease, mechanical ventilation and management of shock. Her research experience includes the use of ventilator-acquired pulmonary mechanics and computed tomography in the assessment of respiratory disease.
Dr. Paige graduated from University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science (1996). He received a Master of Science in Epidemiology & Community Health (1998), and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (2003) from Louisiana State University. In 2007, he completed a combined Master/Cardiology Residency from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. His residency project determined the prevalence of cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy cats. Dr. Paige is board-certified in Cardiology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). After his residency, he joined two large veterinary specialty hospitals in Mesa and Phoenix, AZ. In 2012, Dr. Paige was recruited into cardiovascular research at a world-renowned human medical device company W.L. Gore & Associates and collaborated with physicians in pre-clinical FDA research. In 2014, he founded Veterinary Specialists of Northern Arizona to provide veterinary cardiology services to Flagstaff and Sedona. He opened Valley Veterinary Cardiology in August 2016 to offer Phoenix's first cardiology specific practice dedicated to patient, client, and primary care veterinarian support. Since May 2017, Dr. Paige has been working with VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital & Referral Center to provide cardiology services to Albuquerque, NM and surrounding areas.
Kris Bannon, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC received her veterinary medical degree from Texas A&M University in 1998. She worked in a small animal hospital in Santa Fe, NM for ten years before starting the first veterinary practice in New Mexico dedicated to the oral health needs of our companion animals.
In 2008, she was the first veterinarian in the state of New Mexico to earn the title Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry (FAVD). She became a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (DAVDC) in 2010. As a Diplomate of the AVDC, Dr. Bannon became the first and only board-certified veterinary dentist in the state of New Mexico!
She is the Past-President of the American Veterinary Dental Society, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry. In her free time, Dr. Bannon enjoys volunteering with the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation, using her advanced dental skills to benefit disadvantaged and captive wildlife in sanctuaries across the country. Dr. Bannon enjoys teaching other veterinarians about quality dental care, and offers classes and training presentations frequently within New Mexico and nationwide.
Dr. Bannon is very enthusiastic about dentistry, and wants to share with everyone the positive effects that good dental health and oral hygiene can have on the quality of life for our beloved furry friends.
Dr. Rebecca Mount was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of New Mexico in 2005 and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in 2009. Following graduation, Dr. Mount completed a challenging internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Garden State Veterinary Specialist in New Jersey.
Throughout veterinary school Dr. Mount worked closely with the dermatology department on various studies and projects which helped develop her passion for the diagnosis and treatment of dermatological cases. She was also drawn to the long-term relationships that are formed between animals and their owners during management of chronic dermatologic diseases.
Dr. Mount began her residency with Dermatology for Animals in 2010 and primarily practices out of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M., and El Paso, Texas. Outside of veterinary medicine her interests include running, snowboarding and traveling. She is also an avid sports fan.
A sucker for special needs animals, Dr. Mount has a pit bull named Petey with heart disease and a cat named Clarence with a neurological condition. She also has one normal cat named Cagney.
Dr. Padrid graduated from veterinary school at Cornell University in 1985. He completed a Residency in Small Animal Medicine at UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, and continued as a Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine at UC-Davis School of Medicine in 1990. From 1990-2000 Dr. Padrid served as an Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Since 2000 Phil has additionally been Associate Professor of Small Animal Medicine (adj) at the Ohio State University.
Dr. Padrid moved in 2007 to New Mexico to become the Regional Medical Director for the VCA hospitals in the southwest. He is currently the Medical Director for Specialty Services at VCA VCAHRC and he is the Regional Medical Director and Regional Vice President for VCA Specialty Hospitals in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and San Diego. He lives in Corrales with his wife Roxi, their three pugs, a mastiff, a Siamese cat, and a horse.
Heather Prendergast has spent over 25 years in the veterinary industry, with 20 years in small animal practice. She has taught several years for both veterinary technology and assistance programs and has authored the book "Front Office Management for the Veterinary Team", now in it's 2nd edition.
Heather is well known and lectures nationally and internationally, and has authored several articles and participated in published roundtable discussions with the goal of increasing team communication and client compliance within the veterinary practice.
Currently, Heather is an Education Development Specialist for Patterson Veterinary University. Heather serves on several advisory boards, including the Western Veterinary Conference Board of Directors, Pet Nutrition Alliance, and the Fear Free Advisory Board. Heather also serves as Co-Chair for the NAVTA Veterinary Nurse Initiative and is the Editor in Chief of the NAVTA Journal. In addition, Heather was named the 2014 Veterinary Technician of the Year, and Western Veterinary Conference 2016 and 2017 Speaker of the Year. Most recently, Heather obtained her SHPR (Senior Professional Human Resources) Certification.