Q: Reflecting on your career thus far, what achievements or milestones are you most proud of and why?

A: Even though I am a fairly high-powered speaker and researcher, what I'm most proud of is a seemingly small achievement: doing what I've always wanted and continue to do. I truly feel proud, that I've managed to treat a lot of patients and teach a lot of students. For me, teaching and providing clinical service are always the most important things, and my job has allowed me to do that since the moment I graduated.

Q: Are you excited about being the keynote speaker at the upcoming LVS and why do you think it’s must-attend event in the veterinary industry?

A: I’ve actually worked and lived in the United Kingdom many, many years ago and I loved taking the opportunity to go back and do something new, that I've never done before. I've never really had the opportunity to headline an event like the London Vet Show. I always find that veterinarians in the United Kingdom are very advanced practitioners. They're very enjoyable to speak to, pay attention, take notes and learn as I speak. Therefore, it's always great to go back, and share what you're doing with the right kind of audience. Another thing, that I've always found about veterinary events in the UK is that they gather a great group of practitioners that are not afraid to ask questions. They usually attract quite large crowds and I’m always amazed how many people are in the room. Even though my visit will be focused on the event, I'm also excited about visiting London. It's one of the world's greatest cities, so the location of the event definitely adds up to the experience.

Q: Could you please provide an overview of the topics you'll be covering during your presentation at LVS 2024?

A: Most of my area of interest and expertise is in the areas of haematology and immune mediated diseases. Most of the topics I'll be speaking about are under that broad umbrella. They're all related, but the main thing that they all share is that they're all diseases or conditions that veterinarians encounter in their practices. Also, I like to mix a bit of science and a bit of more advanced knowledge with a lot of practical stuff in my sessions. I’ll be talking about conditions that I see daily in my practice, and I speak to veterinarians daily about their struggles with these particular conditions, so really, I want to take something that's a little bit of science and make it as practical as possible for the veterinarians.

Q: Are there any specific challenges or advancements in veterinary medicine that you'll be addressing in your lectures?

A: A lot of people get excited by very advanced techniques and very advanced therapies. But that's not what most practitioners do, and what most of their clients want them to do, or what they can afford. So I care far, far more about taking what we know and using our knowledge and advances in knowledge to their best abilities. That means, being able to use those advancements in your practice with the simple tools that you have available and understanding diseases at a high level. I think there's always a better way of doing the simple and inexpensive things, about doing things for owners with a lower budget - and let's face it, that's most of our patients. I think the main advancement is that we're starting to recognise that it's just as important to serve the pet owner with very little budgets as it is to serve the pet owner with a lot of money. Therefore, the emphasis of my lectures lies on what you can do simply and what you can implement in practice.

Q: What key takeaways do you hope attendees will gain from your sessions at LVS 2024?

A: It's a very simple takeaway. Which is ‘you can do it!’. Nothing that someone like me does can't be done by a good practitioner in practice. You can do it.