A Comprehensive Approach to Enteral Feeding: Why, When and How

Jennifer Larsen, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of California Davis

 Dr. Larsen holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Animal Science and a DVM from UC Davis. She was in private practice before accomplishing a clinical nutrition residency at UC Davis. She attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and completed a PhD in Nutritional Biology. In her current role, Dr. Larsen provides clinical nutritional consulting through the Nutrition Support Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She also provides mentorship to residents and students, and teaches in the veterinary curriculum as well as for the Graduate Group of Nutritional Biology.

Lindsey E. Bullen, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Clinical Nutritionist, Friendship Hospital for Animals

Dr. Bullen obtained her post-baccalaureate training at NC State where she received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2012, completed a medical and surgical internship in 2013, a residency in 2016, and a fellowship in 2017.  Following board-certification, in 2017 Lindsey created the Clinical Nutrition Service at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas.  In 2022 Dr. Bullen, in partnership with Dr. Emily Luisana, created the Clinical Nutrition Service at Friendship Hospital for Animals in the DC area; and she has been working there happily since.  Dr. Bullen is particularly interested in clinical nutrition application, specifically: critical care, multi-disease state, and assisted feeding.  Though she is no longer in academia, Dr. Bullen brings experience and a strong passion for teaching.  And when she is not actively working in clinics or speaking at conferences, Dr. Bullen acts as an industry advisor and consultant through her company, Bullen Veterinary Consulting, PLLC.

Marge Chandler, DVM, MS, MANZCVS, DACVIM (SAIM and Nutrition), MRCVS
Clinical Nutritionist, Vets-Now Referrals

Dr. Chandler is an independent consultant in small animal nutrition and internal medicine, Clinical Nutritionist for Vets-Now Referrals, Glasgow, and previously an Internal Medicine and Nutrition Specialist for Moorview Referrals in Newcastle and the Universities of Edinburgh and Liverpool. She has a BS from California State University, and a MS (Animal Nutrition) and DVM from Colorado State University (CSU). After several years in mixed practice, she did residencies in small animal medicine and clinical nutrition at CSU and Massey University, NZ. She is a diplomate of ACVIM (Small Animal Medicine and Nutrition), member of the ANZCVS (SAM), Comparative Gastroenterology Society, and American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, Chair of the FEDIAF Scientific Advisory Committee, and Co-Chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee. 

Julie A. Churchill, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of Minnesota

 Dr. Churchill is a professor at the University of Minnesota (Clinical Nutrition) and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Nutrition. She completed two residencies and her PhD at the U of M (internal medicine and clinical nutrition) before taking a faculty position there. She is passionate about all aspects of small animal nutrition including the role of addressing changes in nutritional needs of patients throughout life during health and disease. Dr. Churchill serves on the Boards of Pet Nutrition Alliance and the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and serves as Associate Medical Director at Specialty, Primary and Urgent Care Services. 

Maryanne Murphy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Clinical Associate Professor of Nutrition, University of Tennessee

Dr. Murphy received her dual BS in animal sciences and biological sciences from Rutgers University and her DVM from Iowa State University. She completed a rotating internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City and a clinical nutrition residency and PhD at the University of Tennessee. She worked as a clinical nutritionist at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ and then transitioned back to academia at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Murphy is the recent past President of the Nutrition Specialty of the ACVIM and her major professional interests include obesity prevention and management and veterinary nutrition education.

Megan Shepherd, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Scientific Communications Nutritionist, Royal Canin U.S.

 Dr. Megan Shepherd is a Nutrition Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Before joining Royal Canin in 2023, she served as a faculty member at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine from 2012 to 2022. From 2021-2023 she operated Veterinary Clinical Nutrition, a remote specialty nutrition referral-based practice. Currently, Dr. Shepherd serves as the Scientific Communications Nutritionist at Royal Canin and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of pets' lives through the implementation of nutrition solutions.

Allison Spitz, DVM
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Resident, University of California Davis

Dr. Allison (Ally) Spitz (she/her) is a 2020 graduate of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Spitz pursued a small animal rotating internship at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio following veterinary school. Dr. Spitz began her current small animal clinical nutrition residency at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in July 2022. As a second-year resident, Dr. Spitz will finish her current nutrition residency in July 2024 and her special interests in nutrition include enteral feeding plans, obesity, and home-cooked diet formulations.

Adam Strom, DVM, MS, DACVS
Owner, Head of Surgery, Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital

 Dr. Strom received his veterinary degree at UC Davis, where he first realized his love for surgery. After completing a rotating internship at University of Pennsylvania and a surgical internship at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, he moved to Los Angeles to complete his 3-year surgical residency, achieving diplomate status in the ACVS in 2011. In March of 2017, Dr Strom became one of the founding owners and head of surgery for Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital in Hollywood, CA where is continues to work as a surgeon and Adjunct Professor for Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Cecilia Villaverde Haro, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), DECVCN
Clinical Nutrition Consultant, Expert Pet Nutrition

Dr. Villaverde Haro obtained her veterinary degree in 2000 and her PhD in animal nutrition in 2005 by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. She worked as a post doctoral researcher in feline nutrition at the University of California Davis, where she also completed a residency in small animal clinical nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She is board certified in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and by the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) since 2010 and is currently the past president of ECVCN. After working as the chief of service of the veterinary teaching hospital nutrition service in Barcelona (UAB) for 6 years, she is now a consultant in clinical nutrition for Expert Pet Nutrition (www.expertpetnutrition.com) and Veterinary Information Network (VIN). She is the co-chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and has written several articles and book chapters on the topic of companion animal nutrition. 

Angela Witzel Rollins, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Clinical Professor of Nutrition, University of Tennessee

 Dr. Witzel Rollins is a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist® and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee in 2000. She then attained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and PhD in Comparative and Experimental Medicine from the University of Tennessee in 2004 and 2009, respectively. She also completed her nutrition residency training at Tennessee while earning her PhD. Dr. Rollins is currently a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and Past-president of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. She has authored numerous research publications in the field of animal nutrition with a primary research focus on companion animal obesity physiology, treatment and prevention.