Holly Brown, DVM, PhD, DACVP (Clinical Pathology)

Holly Brown received her DVM from the University of Georgia and worked in private practice before returning to UGA for a residency and PhD in clinical pathology. Dr. Brown remained on as a faculty member where she served as a diagnostic clinical pathologist, instructor, and collaborative researcher. She then joined VCA Metzger Animal Hospital’s general, referral, and emergency practice in State College, PA as an on-staff clinical pathologist. There she sees a wide variety of diagnostic submissions and enjoys playing an important role at the interface of diagnostic testing and patient care and providing continuing education on maximizing laboratory diagnostics. Dr. Brown has always been passionate about and actively involved in delivering continuing education around maximizing laboratory testing,  She currently serves as Chief Veterinary Educator for Antech Diagnostics.

Kirstin Bubeck, MedVet, DACVS (LA), DACVSMR

Dr. Kirstin Bubeck earned her veterinary degree from the University of Hannover, Germany in 1997. Following, she worked at the university’s Equine Hospital as a staff veterinarian and completed a postgraduate degree in 2001 with the title: Pulmonary Wedge Pressure in Healthy Warmblooded Horses and Warmbloods with Mitral Valve Insufficiency During Standardized Treadmill Exercise. She came to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to pursue further training in large animal surgery and successfully completed her large animal surgery residency in 2009.

Dr. Bubeck worked at the Tufts Hospital for Large Animals as an emergency clinician and surgeon, and as a clinical instructor for equine surgery and lameness at the University of Montreal. In addition, she worked as a staff surgeon at the Equine Clinic in Kaufungen, Germany. She returned to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor for Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery in June 2014. She has a strong interest in orthopedic and respiratory surgery as well as lameness evaluation and diagnostic ultrasound. Dr. Bubeck is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons 2011, and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation 2013.

Amanda Donnelly, DVM, MBA 

Dr. Amanda Donnelly is a speaker, consultant, and author with over 30 years’ experience in the veterinary profession. She is a second-generation veterinarian who combines her practice experience and business expertise to help veterinarians communicate better with their teams and clients. Dr. Donnelly is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri. She has an MBA from Baker University in Overland Park, Kansas and holds a certificate in Veterinary Practice Administration from the AAHA Veterinary Management Institute (VMI) at Purdue University. Dr. Donnelly is the author of Leading and Managing Veterinary Teams: The Definitive Guide to Veterinary Practice Management, a contributing author for Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Practice Management Consult and Pet-Specific Care for Veterinary Teams. She also writes the Talk the Talk communication column for Today’s Veterinary Business journal. Well known as a dynamic speaker, Dr. Donnelly has twice been named Practice Management Speaker of the Year for the VMX Conference and was the 2023 Practice Management Educator of the Year for the Western Veterinary Conference.

Robert Dwyer, BVMS CertAVP (ESM), MRCVS

Dr. Dwyer was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Ambulatory Medicine and Theriogenology at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in December 2022. A native of the United Kingdon, he earned his BVM in from the University of Glasgow in 2016. Dr. Dwyer completed an internship in Australia and has worked in private, mixed, and equine practices during his career, most recently in the northwest of England.

Tabitha Kucera, CVT, VTS (Behavior)

Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She owns Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training and is the animal behavior technician at The Gentle Vet in Ohio. Tabitha lectures at both regional and national levels, enjoying the opportunity to help people better understand and connect with animals. Additionally, Tabitha is a Fear Free certified speaker and coach, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, and the host of the podcast, Tails from a Vet Tech. She has contributed to the development of training and behavior programs for various veterinary hospitals and shelters and works as a consultant for shelters and veterinary practices.

Lauren Marini, DVM

Dr. Marini was born in Southern NJ and graduated from Cornell Vet School in 2006. Following, she did a rotating internship at Washington State University and then a neurology residency at the Veterinary Neurological Center in Phoenix, AZ. She moved to Rhode Island soon after and has been working at Ocean State Vet Specialists since. At OSVS she primarily practices medical neurology and enjoys managing challenging epileptics and treating meningoencephalitis. Outside of work she enjoys traveling and enjoying new restaurants with her sommelier husband, hiking around New England and competing in various dog sports like agility, barnhunt and scentwork with her Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Wally. 

Robert O’Brien, DVM, MS, DACVR

Dr. O’Brien obtained his DVM from Ohio State University and his residency in radiology from the University of Pennsylvania. He was on faculty at the universities of Wisconsin, Kansas State and Illinois throughout an active academic career. His areas of expertise include contrast ultrasound and advanced CT imaging. He is currently working from his home in Maine as Director of Imaging for Epica Medical Innovations and enjoying the northern New England lifestyle.

Darci Palmer, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia, Analgesia)

Darci has been a credentialed veterinary technician for 24 years and a VTS in Anesthesia and Analgesia for 18 years. She currently works at Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, providing both didactic lectures and clinical anesthesia case management for small animals. She is the executive secretary for the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia and serves as an administrator for the Facebook group Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds.

Elizabeth Parsley, DVM

Dr. Parsley graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. Thereafter, she completed a rotating internship followed by a neurology residency from 2014-2018 at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Following residency, Dr. Parsley worked at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in East Greenwich, RI for several years. While she enjoyed private practice and particularly enjoyed working at OSVS, she accepted a job as an assistant professor at Tufts to enhance her role in clinical teaching of students, interns, and residents.  

Dr. Parsley holds a certificate in advanced techniques in neurosurgery through ACVIM and is pursuing certification in canine rehabilitation through the University of Tennessee. She enjoys all aspects of medical and surgical neurology but has a particular interest in pain management, canine cognitive dysfunction, and tethered cord syndrome. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Parsley is an avid tennis fan, enjoys trying new restaurants and breweries, and spends a lot of time slowly renovating her 1800s farmhouse she shares with her husband Jake.

Carlos Pinto, MedVet, PhD, DACT

Dr. Carlos Pinto earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at State University of São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy at Louisiana State University in Louisiana. Dr. Pinto started at Tufts University in August of 2023 as the Chair of Ambulatory Medicine and Theriogenology and is the inaugural Dorrance H. Hamilton Professor in Applied Reproductive Medicine. He completed a residency in comparative theriogenology at Louisiana State University and achieved certification by the American College of Theriogenologists. Dr. Pinto spent six years as an assistant professor at North Carolina State University before moving to The Ohio State University. After five years as an associate professor at Ohio, he returned to Louisiana as a Professor of Comparative Theriogenology.

Dr. Pinto has been an active researcher, clinician, and teacher throughout his academic career, including acting as service chief and departmental graduate advisor Dr. Pinto is internationally recognized for his theriogenology research, which includes work with horses, cattle, and small animals. He has published 52 peer-reviewed articles, 86 abstracts, and 74 book chapters.

Charine Tabbah Ahmed, DVM

Dr. Charine Tabbah Ahmed is the Senior Professional Services Veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health in the Boston district. Dr. Tabbah is a graduate of Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has worked in both private and corporately owned practice settings in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Before attending veterinary school, Dr. Tabbah graduated suma cum laude from Emory University and conducted her honors thesis in the field of non-human primate behavior. Her professional interests include the prevention of tick-borne disease as a result of years of diagnosing and treating it in practice, improving and implementing new practice management strategies, and educating the next generation of veterinarians. In her personal time, Dr. Tabbah is kept busy with her young daughter and husband, and can be found walking their two rescue dogs, listening to a murder mystery audiobook or squeezing in a Peloton class.