Updates on Urothelial Carcinoma

Christine Mullin, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology)
Medical Oncologist, BluePearl Malvern

 Dr. Mullin is a medical oncologist at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Malvern, PA. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey, then a 3-year residency in Medical Oncology at The Oncology Service in Washington, DC. Dr. Mullin conducted bench top research on osteosarcoma within the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute during her residency, has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, provides continuing education webinars for VIN.com, and gives lectures for veterinarians and support staff both regionally and nationally. Dr. Mullin has a strong interest in clinical research and has served as co-investigator for several clinical trials. She also served on the Veterinary Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group planning committee and the ACVIM General Exam Rating Committee. 

Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Medical Director, VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic

 Dr. Wright received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Notre Dame and his veterinary medical degree and Medical Oncology Residency from Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Oncology in 2008. In 2012, Dr. Wright joined the VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic in Dallas, TX where he now serves as the hospital Medical Director and chair of the Mars Veterinary Health Oncology Advisory Board. Dr. Wright has published a collection of scientific articles and book chapters in small animal oncology. He also lectures to veterinarians across the United States and internationally. He believes in giving back to his profession and has served in multiple roles within his regulatory college, the American College of Veterinary Medicine, including positions on the Board of Regents. 

Audrey Cook, BVM&S, FRCVS, MSc Vet Ed, DACVIM (SAIM), DECVIM-CA, DABVP (Feline Practice)
Professor, Texas A&M University

 Dr. Cook is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She completed her internship at NC State and her residency in small animal internal medicine at UC Davis. Dr. Cook is a Diplomate of both the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and is also recognized as a specialist in Feline Practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.  After a decade in private referral practice, Dr. Cook joined the faculty at Texas A&M. She is now Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine and is primarily assigned to the Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy Service. 

William Culp, VMD, DACVS
Professor, University of California Davis

 Dr. Culp graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation from veterinary school, he remained at the University of Pennsylvania to complete a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery followed by a surgical residency. Dr. Culp is board-certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and he has pursued additional training in cancer surgery at the Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center, during which he completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship. Additionally, he has completed an Interventional Radiology/Endoscopy Fellowship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Culp was selected as an ACVS Founding Fellow of Surgical Oncology in 2012, an ACVS Founding Fellow of Minimally Invasive Surgery in 2017 and an ACVS Founding Fellow of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2021. Dr. Culp is currently a member of the Soft Tissue Surgery service at the University of California - Davis. He is interested in many areas of soft tissue surgery, but his major focuses are surgical oncology and interventional radiology. 

Nikki Harris Wiezbiski, DVM
Commercial Medical Lead, Nutramax Laboratories

 Dr. Harris Wiezbiski graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a focus on food animal medicine. She practiced rural mixed animal medicine in the Northeast before moving back home to North Carolina to focus on small animal medicine and surgery along with some equine ambulatory practice. Preventative medicine is her passion and was the focus of her clinical experience over 6 years. With the goal of making a more global impact on veterinary medicine, Dr. Harris Wiezbiski then transitioned into a Professional Services Veterinarian role at Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. within the Innovation team and has been with the company for over the past 4 years. Here she learned the intricacies of veterinary industry roles, focusing on new product development, regulatory components in the pet nutraceutical industry, and cross functional teamwork with the marketing and sales team to educate on veterinary science as applied to Nutramax products. One of her favorite projects during her initial time at Nutramax was supporting the launch of Avmaquin® Sulforaphane Producing supplement for dogs. She recently transitioned into the role of Commercial Medical Lead where she is working closely with the marketing and commercial business aspects of Nutramax. Dr. Harris Wiezbiski loves to spend time with her family and is a self-proclaimed cat lady. She and her husband have a young son and another little one on the way. They are all animal lovers and especially fond of their 2 cats and Dr. Harris Wiezbiski’s family dog (her first spay surgery in veterinary school) that lives with her brother. They enjoy spending time rooting on their favorite sports teams, staying active, listening to live music, and exploring new restaurants together. 

Deborah W. Knapp, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology)
Professor, Purdue University

 Dr. Knapp is the Dolores L. McCall Professor and Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology in the Dept. of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Purdue University. She earned her BS degree from North Carolina State University in 1980, DVM from Auburn University in 1983, and MS/Veterinary Medical Oncology Residency Certificate from Purdue University in 1988. After post-doctoral research in cancer pharmacology and tumor immunology, she joining the Purdue faculty in 1990. Dr. Knapp directs the Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC) in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and is on the senior leadership team in the NCI-Designated Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research. Her work is conducted at the interface of studies at the bench, animal model work, and translation of important findings to humans. Dr. Knapp’s research is strongly focused in invasive urinary bladder cancer in which the naturally-occurring form of the cancer in dogs serves as a highly relevant model for the human condition, and she is nationally and internationally known for work defining and using this model. Her current research in invasive bladder cancer includes work on prevention, gene-environmental interactions, early detection and intervention, targeted therapies, and novel immunotherapies. She also chairs the Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCIs) Integrated Canine Data Commons, and serves on the Steering Committee for the NCI-Funded Pre-medical Cancer Immunotherapy Network for Canine Trials. 

Shingo Maeda, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Tokyo

 Dr. Maeda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathobiology at the University of Tokyo. His research interests include the pathophysiology and immunological biology of spontaneous urological diseases—especially transitional cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, and acute/chronic kidney disease. He works in the field of canine and feline urology (especially urologic tumors) and is also actively involved in both basic research using mouse models and clinical research using spontaneous canine and feline cases. He is actively conducting veterinarian-initiated clinical trials of novel molecularly targeted drugs and immunotherapies for canine urothelial carcinoma. He loves coffee, tennis, and cats.

Mike Nolan, DVM, PhD, DACVR (Radiation Oncology)
Professor, North Carolina State University

Dr. Nolan is a Professor at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Through his clinical appointment in the Veterinary Hospital, he oversees the division of radiation oncology. He is also principal investigator for several clinical trials aimed at developing both novel cancer therapies and radiosensitizers. His laboratory research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cancer treatment induced peripheral neuropathy and pain, with an aim of identifying novel strategies to target and reduce risk of severe cancer treatment-associated toxicity.

Jonathan Rosenberg, MD
Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Rosenberg is the Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Attending Physician at Memorial Hospital at MSKCC, and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He holds the Enno W. Ercklentz Chair in Genitourinary Oncology.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University and his medical degree from Harvard. Dr. Rosenberg completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at UCSF. He previously served on the faculty at UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute prior to coming to MSKCC in 2012. Dr. Rosenberg became Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service in 2018. Dr. Rosenberg’s research focuses on understanding bladder cancer biology with the goal of developing new therapeutic approaches in bladder cancer. He works closely with laboratory investigators to correlate novel genetic biomarkers with clinical outcomes in bladder cancer. He led the clinical trials leading to the FDA approval of atezolizumab and enfortumab vedotin in bladder cancer.

Laura Selmic, BVetMed, MPH, DACVS-SA, ACVS, DECVS
Professor, Ohio State University

Dr. Selmic graduated with a bachelor’s in veterinary medicine from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. She is a board-certified small animal surgeon with additional fellowship training in surgical oncology. She joined the Ohio State University in 2018, where she is currently a professor in surgical oncology. Dr. Selmic’s research interests include imaging to enhance surgical planning and assessment of surgical margins, cancer epidemiology, clinical trial and study design.