Show-Me Exotics Symposium

University of Missouri

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Speakers

Dr. Sathya Chinnaduri

        Dr. Sathya Chinnadurai is a native of St. Louis and completed his DVM, internship and a Master’s in Wildlife Biology at the University of Missouri.  He then moved to North Carolina State University for residencies in zoological medicine and anesthesia, leading to board certification in the American College of Zoological Medicine, the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, and, recently, the American College of Animal Welfare.  His interests include clinical teaching, anesthesia and analgesia of all species.  Dr. Chinnadurai served as a Clinical Instructor in Zoological Medicine at the University of California at Davis and a Staff Veterinarian at the Sacramento Zoo.  He is currently a senior staff veterinarian at the Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo, which merely serves to finance his expensive passions for amateur woodworking and raising two amazing daughters.

 

Dr. Jessie Sanders

        Jessie Sanders, DVM, CertAqV is the owner and chief veterinarian of Aquatic Veterinary Services. The all-aquatic mobile veterinary practice covers all of California and offers a broad range of services. Dr. Sanders received her B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island and DVM from Tufts University. Dr. Sanders is a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, a board member of the American Association of Fish Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee.
Dr. Samantha Gerb
        Sammy is originally from New Jersey, and completed her undergraduate degree in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania at Delaware Valley University. She then traveled to St. Kitts to pursue her veterinary degree at Ross University, and completed her clinical year at the University of Missouri. After completing clinics, she moved to Mississippi to pursue a comparative medicine internship working with primarily primates, pigs and rodents. She is now a Comparative Medicine Resident at the University of Missouri, hoping to become boarded in the field.
Dr. David Scarfe

Dr. Scarfe is CEO of Aquatic Veterinary Associates International (AVAI) LLC, and has 40+ years of experience as a University Professor, in private practice, and working with veterinary organizations and governmental agencies in numerous countries. Dr. Scarfe is the current President of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, and is an Extraordinary Professor and theDirector of the Center of Excellence for Aquatic Veterinary Education, Diagnostics and Biosecurity Training at the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science (Onderstepoort, S. Africa).  In addition, as a USDA-APHIS Veterinary Medical Officer with the U.S. National Animal Health Response Corps he assists with responses to outbreaks of important foreign animal disease outbreaks in the U.S.

 

Dr. Ryan Dashek

        Ryan Dashek graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2017 with his DVM. He joined on as a resident with the University of Missouri’s Comparative Medicine Program in July of 2017. While his interest in rabbit medicine first started in vet school, it developed further as a laboratory animal medicine resident working with the New Zealand Whites that are commonly used in research. He has also consulted on several cases involving both farm-raised and pet rabbits as well. His current research interests include studying the rabbit gut microbiome and its response to oral antibiotic therapies.

 

Dr. Pamela Adkins

        A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (BS) and The Ohio State University (DVM, MS), Pamela Adkins completed an internship at The Ohio State University and a residency at the University of Missouri. She is a large animal internal medicine specialist with clinical interest in all farm animal species, including the exotic ones. She joined the MU faculty in 2015.

 

Dr. Cathleen Kovarik

        Dr. Kovarik is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri.  She teaches anatomy, including reptile anatomy, to first year veterinary students. She also is a neuroscientist, and loves teaching Neuroscience to first year veterinary students.
Dr. Gabi Hofmann
        Gabi Hofmann is a second-year resident in the Comparative Medicine Program at the University of Missouri. She completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Wittenberg University, and graduated with her DVM from the University of Illinois in 2017. Her professional interests include neuroscience research, laboratory animal medicine, and teaching. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and gardening, and she lives with her fiance Brandon and their cat, hamster, two rats, and four snakes.
Tracy Swanson
        Tracy Swanson is a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a primary clinical student and student co-leader for the Raptor Rehabilitation Project at the University of Missouri. She is originally from Moores Hill, Indiana and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and Biology from the University of Findlay (Findlay, OH). Prior to veterinary school, Tracy was a manager Red Wolf Sanctuary (Rising Sun, IN), an undergraduate intern at World Bird Sanctuary (St. Louis, MO), and an undergraduate student researcher studying avian and amphibian interactions. While in veterinary school she was a president of the Zoo, Exotics, and Wildlife (ZEW) Club, has assisted in research investigating human heart failure research models, and has completed numerous externships in raptor rehabilitation centers across the midwest. She is a member of SAVMA, the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) and the Association for Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV). After graduation, she plans to complete internship(s) and a residency with the goal of becoming a zoo/wildlife veterinarian. Her primary areas of interest include avian medicine and captive wild animal husbandry. In her free time, she enjoys travel, hiking, painting, walking her dog Walter, and spending time with her significant other.
Dr. Fred Williams
        Dr. Fred Williams III earned his DVM at Tuskegee University and then went on to become a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. He has a research emphasis on infectious disease, exotic animals, and wildlife. He has had various internship/externship and volunteering experience at the US Southeast Fisheries Department in Virginia Key, FL; Miami Seaquarium; Zoo Miami, Zoo Atlanta, and the Montgomery Zoo. During his residency he performed necropsies on elephants for the St. Louis Zoo, Kansas City zoo, and the Dickerson Park Zoo. He has also participated in numerous exotics cases at the veterinary medical diagnostic lab including frogs, snakes, tigers, wallabies, emus, fish, and more. He is also vital in assisting students with finding exotic animal externships during their clinical years at the University of Missouri.
Dr. Elizabeth Guiliano

        Dr. Giuliano received a Bachelor of Science with honors from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1991 and her DVM degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996. Following graduation from veterinary school, she completed a small animal rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City in 1997 and remained in private practice in midtown Manhattan the following year.  In 1998, she returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to complete a Comparative Ocular Pathology Fellowship.  Since July 1, 1999, Dr. Giuliano has been a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri where she completed a residency in veterinary ophthalmology and a Masters of Science degree.  She is currently a tenured Professor of the department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the University of Missouri and Section Chief of their comparative ophthalmology service.  She has authored over 80 articles and text book chapters.  Dr. Giuliano is a dynamic, engaging speaker and has lectured extensively in the academic setting and at national and international meetings.  She is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including two Golden Aesculapius Teaching Awards, the Gold Chalk Award, the Dadd Award, and was Western Veterinary Conference’s “Educator of the Year” in 2018.  In 2011, she was elected to the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) Board of Regents and served as the ACVO President from 2015-2016.

 

Dr. Sarah Young

        Sarah Young is a first-year resident in the Comparative Medicine Program at the University of Missouri. She completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Wilmington College, worked as a Research Assistant II at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and graduated with her DVM from The Ohio State University in 2018. Her professional interests include Cystic Fibrosis and pulmonary based research, laboratory animal medicine, pathology, and surgery. In her spare time she enjoys learning new languages, pottery, and painting.

 

Dr. Kirk Suedemeyer

        Dr. Kirk Suedmeyer has been the Director of Animal Health at the Kansas City Zoo since 1992. After graduating from Mizzou in 1987, he briefly worked as a staff veterinarian at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend Indiana from 1989-1992. He is board certified in the American College of Zoological Medicine as well as a being a former president for the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. He also has experience as a field veterinarian for the Brown Hyena Project in Namibia. He has written numerous journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. In his free time, Dr. Suedmeyer is a master falconer, a wildlife artist and enjoys to go fishing.

 

Dr. Krista Keller

        Dr. Krista Keller is an Assistant Professor of Zoological Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois. As a specialist in the American College of Zoological Medicine, Dr Keller enjoys working with a broad range of species, but is passionate about medicine of Zoological Companion Animals. In her current position, she teaches, performs research and provides clinical support for the zoological medicine service.

 

 

Dr. Renata Schneider

Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation Dr. Renata Schneider, DVM, joined SFWC in 2003 and was appointed Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation in 2012. Dr. Schneider performs clinical shifts and oversees all stages of patient care, from the hospital to the treatment ward, nursery to outdoor rehabilitation habitats. Dr. Schneider is a regular speaker at conferences hosted by the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and the Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. She also makes frequent appearances at veterinary schools under the auspices of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and has published papers in several journals on wildlife and exotic animal medicine. Dr. Schneider collaborates with South Florida Audubon Society, Project Perch, the Shorebird Alliance, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. Schneider also runs Exotic Veterinary Services. She is a 2002 graduate of the University of Montreal.