Small Animal III Speakers

Dr. Pike is a native Arizonan and graduated from Colorado State University’s school of veterinary medicine in 2003.  Working as an Army veterinarian after graduation and taking care of the Military Working Dogs returning from deployment spurred her interests in behavior medicine. Dr. Pike completed a Residency program and became board certified in 2015. She is owner of the Animal Behavior Wellness Center and was recently named one of the “Top Veterinarians of Northern Virginia” by NoVa Magazine for the sixth year in a row.

Dr. Pike speaks all over the world about veterinary behavior medicine, she has been published in numerous veterinary journals, she has conducted and published two scientific research studies, and is a contributing author in five clinical text books. She mentors 4 clinical behavior residents and is a clinical instructor for E-training for dogs and the Masters Program in Applied Animal Behavior at Virginia Tech.

Dr. Rebecca L. Stepien is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and has been a Clinical Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine since 1994. She is a past president of the Specialty of Cardiology in the American College of Veterinary Medicine and currently serves as staff cardiologist at UW Veterinary Care in Madison, WI. Dr. Stepien’s research interests include the natural history of myxomatous valve disease in whippets, pulmonary hypertension and systemic hypertension.

Patty Lathan, VMD, MS, DACVIM, is a professor of small animal internal medicine at Mississippi State University. Her primary interest is endocrinology, specifically the management of adrenal disease and diabetes mellitus. She has published articles and book chapters, given lectures throughout the United States and internationally, and is the Past President of the Society for Comparative Endocrinology. Her students also publish educational endocrine music videos as an assignment for her elective, and those can be viewed on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/pattylathan/featured).

Ashley Phelps-Dunn, DVM, works within the Medical Affairs team to educate veterinary professionals and organizations on non-invasive testing solutions for the early detection of cancer in pets. She serves as an expert resource on oncology, genomics, and PetDx products and services.

As a technical consultant, equine and small animal veterinarian, and committed volunteer, Dr. Phelps-Dunn has spent her entire career in the presence of animals, animal health professionals, and advocates.

Hailing from Germantown, Tennessee, the longtime equestrian graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine and served as a dedicated equine veterinarian for a decade, and as an equine technical services representative. Dr. Phelps-Dunn also served as a sales consultant for Companion Animal and as a senior technical consultant with Elanco Animal Health. At Elanco, she built and executed training programs for corporate partners on disease states and the Elanco portfolio, and acted as a veterinarian advocate for numerous corporate partners. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she returned to practice treating small animals, rekindling a passion for providing companion animals with preventive medicine, surgery, and emergency care.

She currently sits on the board of trustees for the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, a Denver-based, nonprofit membership organization that leads the advancement of professional equine-assisted – services.

Dr. Cheryl Greenacre is boarded in both Avian Medicine and Exotic Companion Mammal Medicine through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Prior to joining the University of Tennessee in 2001, she held a similar position at the University of Georgia for 10 years, and has been teaching avian and exotic animal medicine to veterinary students, interns, residents, and private practitioners for over 30 years. Dr. Greenacre’s service includes past Chair of UT IACUC, current Chair of the AVMA Avian Working Group on the Panel of Euthanasia, past Delegate representing the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) on the AVMA’s House of Delegates, and Past-President of the AAV. The second edition of her book titled, “Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery -A Guide for Veterinary Practitioners” is now available.

Dr. Jay Tischendorf is a veterinarian passionate about educating people on the dangers of infectious and zoonotic diseases.  He speaks widely on this subject to a variety of audiences.  He works full-time in the animal health pharmaceutical industry and has side interests in natural resource conservation and science.  Dr. Jay is certified in Fear Free and the Human-Animal Bond, and is also a certified expert animal cruelty investigator.  His career has taken him coast to coast and into Canada and Central America.