MVMA Great Lakes Veterinary Conference

Mark Your Calendar for the 2019 Great Lakes Veterinary Conference
July 21-23, 2019 at Park Place Hotel & Conference Center in Traverse City, MI

Would you like to attend a fun CE event that’s worth driving across the state or flying in from far away? Then join us in Traverse City for great speakers and awesome social events! We’ve added more CE than ever before so you won’t want to miss it!

Registration Starts Spring 2019
View the 2018 Conference Brochure
 

Meet the 2019 Conference Speakers . . .

Christian D. Weder, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Dr. Weder was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended and graduated from New York University where he majored in finance with a minor in economics. During his senior year at NYU he discovered his passion for veterinary medicine while working part-time at an emergency and referral clinic in Brooklyn. Following graduation, Dr. Weder moved to Chicago to complete a post-baccalaureate program at Loyola University to attain the necessary pre-requisites for veterinary school. Dr. Weder then began veterinary school at Michigan State University in 2008. While Dr. Weder’s studies occupied most of his time, he also cofounded his own charity while in veterinary school. The IRONDOG fund is a charitable organization that provides financial support for the medical and surgical management of animals at MSU whose owners cannot afford their care. IRONDOG fund members raise money through participation in endurance sports as well as at the annual 5k run/walk in East Lansing, an event in its 6th year of existence. Following veterinary school, Dr. Weder completed a rotating internship at The Ohio State University followed by a residency in cardiology at Colorado State University.

While his experiences around the country have helped shaped the person he is today, Dr. Weder has always maintained a strong desire to return to the Midwest. While at VCC, Dr. Weder is very much looking forward to continuing to expand the field of veterinary cardiology in the state of Michigan. He has an interest in the emergency management of congestive heart failure in dogs and cats as well as the prevention of thromboembolic disease in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In his free time Dr. Weder enjoys training for and participation in endurance sports. His most recent adventure was a rim-to- rim-to- rim run across the Grand Canyon. He also loves spending time with his dog (Floyd). Dr. Weder is looking forward to spending more time with his family in the Midwest and exploring northern Michigan.

Dr. Weder is fully sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.

Wendy Myers
Wendy S. Myers owns Communication Solutions for Veterinarians Inc., in Denver, Colorado. Her consulting firm helps veterinary teams and owners improve communication skills, compliance, client service, and hospital management. She is a certified veterinary journalist. Founded in 2000, Communication Solutions for Veterinarians has provided phone skills training to more than 5,000 veterinary team members nationwide. Wendy is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association and has been an instructor for the AAHA Veterinary Management School. Known for seminars and webinars packed with practical business ideas that can be immediately implemented, Wendy speaks at conventions internationally. She is the author of five books and five videos and frequently writes for veterinary journals.

Before starting her consulting firm in 2000, Wendy was editor-in-chief of Veterinary Economics, America’s top business journal serving 60,000 veterinarians and 40,000 veterinary team members. She served as national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in 1998–1999.

Wendy shares her home with her husband, Doug, and two cats, Alex and Caymus. Seeking adventures in great food and wine, Wendy and her husband have favorite travel destinations of Italy, Napa, and New Orleans. She’s made pasta with a Tuscan chef, cooked gumbo at the New Orleans School of Cooking, and sipped cabernet with Napa Valley winemakers. Wendy has a passion for cooking and sharing wine with new friends.

Ms. Myers is fully sponsored by IDEXX.

Matt Beal, DVM, DACVECC
Dr. Matthew W. Beal is the Director of the IR Service at MSU. Dr. Beal earned his DVM degree from MSU in 1996 and completed a rotating internship followed by a residency in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania from 1996-2000. Dr. Beal is a Diplomate (specialist) of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Beal returned to MSU in 2000 where he has worked to develop the Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Service into one of the premier programs in the country. Between 2006-2007, Dr. Beal was accepted into the Fellowship in Interventional Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania. The IR Fellowship is the only training program of its kind in the world and Dr. Beal is one of only a few veterinarians in the world with advanced training in this sub-specialty. Dr. Beal’s professional interests are focused on developing new IR techniques to replace standard surgical and medical treatments for veterinary patients. He has focused interests on vascular and gastrointestinal interventions especially as they apply to the critically-ill patient.

Sarah L. Babcock, DVM, JD
Dr. Babcock, a licensed veterinarian and attorney, has served as the President of Animal & Veterinary Legal Services, PLLC since 2005.

Dr. Babcock was selected to serve as a 2006-2007 American Veterinary Medical Association and American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Executive Branch. After her fellowship, she served as the principal Science Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2008-2016). She was a 2011 Brookings Institution Congressional Fellow on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance focusing on agriculture, trade, and non-profit organizations.

She is active in professional associations such as serving on the American Veterinary Medical Association Judicial Council and as a former board member on the American Veterinary Medical Law Association. Dr. Babcock enjoys the opportunity to practice veterinary medical relief work in Washington, D.C. and serve as an Adjunct Professor of One Health at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Babcock earned both her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Juris Doctor with a Concentration in Health Care Law from Michigan State University. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Babcock is fully sponsored by Animal & Veterinary Legal Services, PLLC

This 2019 event is generously sponsored by . . .