Speakers, Theme Leaders, Contributing Experts: IPFD Virtual Dog Health Forum - June 2025

Richard Casey, MBA
Executive Director, World Small Animal Association

Prior to joining the veterinary world in 2011 Richard’s career was focussed in human resources for a variety of household names. Today, he is the Executive Director of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, and, Senior Vice President of VMG, the UK’s leading veterinary leadership and management association. 

He holds an Executive MBA, Post Graduate Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management and an Associate of the CIPD. He is currently researching his Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus on strategic thinking. He believes anyone can achieve success in their careers regardless of their background, and that the key to this is having courage and kindness.

Edmund Dziuk, MBA
Chief Operating Officer, Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

Eddie Dziuk has been actively involved in the sport of purebred dogs for forty-five years. He obtained his first Beagle in 1977 and finished its championship as a junior owner handler. He’s never been without the breed since. He has bred or owned more than 75 Beagle champions, including 5 National BOB Winners, and 11 BIS Winners. His 3 best known dogs remain “Judy” Ch. Lanbur Miss Fleetwood, the top winning 13” Beagle of all time, and the two Westminster BIS winners, “Uno” Ch. K-Run’s Park Me In First, and “Miss P” Ch. Tashtins Lookin For Trouble. In addition to Beagles, Eddie has also bred Miniature Pinschers and Norfolk Terriers, and has bred and owned BIS and National Specialty Winners in both these breeds as well.

Eddie began judging in 2009, and is currently licensed for the Sporting and Hound Groups, several Toy and Non-Sporting breeds, Coonhound Bench Shows, and Junior Showmanship. He has judged specialties in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the UK.

Professionally, Eddie holds a BS in Economics, and an MBA from University of Missouri.  For the last 20+ years, he has been the Chief Operating Officer of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) where he has the unique opportunity to combine his business and management experience with his love of dogs and passion and interest in canine health.  He has been an AKC Delegate for nearly 20 years, and has served on the AKC Delegates Health Committee for almost as long.  Through his position at the OFA along with his service on the Health Committee, Eddie has been instrumental in the development and implementation of several well known programs including the CHIC program, and many veterinary student outreach programs.

He is a full time advocate for the purebred dog, and canine health & welfare promoting responsible dog ownership and breeding practices.

Dr. Paul Eckford
Member of the board of the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformation in Dogs (ICECDogs)

Paul holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Guelph and is a scientist studying Cystic Fibrosis, the most common genetic disease in humans. Paul is also a breeder and past member of the board of Directors of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). In addition to his role on the executive of ICECDogs, Paul currently serves as a member of the CKC Genetics & Medical Committee. 

Kari Ekenstedt, DVM, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University

Dr. Kari Ekenstedt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her PhD in Comparative and Molecular Biosciences and her DVM, both from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Ekenstedt is the director of the Purdue Canine Genetics Laboratory, where her research group investigates naturally occurring genetic diseases in dogs (and occasionally cats) and develops genetic tests to help guide breeders. These tests are offered through Purdue's Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, a non-profit entity. Dr. Ekenstedt's other "hat" is to teach comparative gross anatomy to the first-year veterinary students at Purdue.

When Dr. Ekenstedt is not in the lab or teaching, she is usually deep into a book, feeding her bibliophilic addiction. She shares her home with one chunky cat and zero dogs (this allows her to be Switzerland when it comes to any dog breed). Dr. Ekenstedt is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and even owns a [very small] part of the team!

Dr. Jo Gale, BVetMed CertLAS MRCVS
Head of Science Advocacy, Mars Science & Diagnostics

Dr. Jo Gale qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2002. After several years in veterinary practice and the pharmaceutical industry, she joined Mars Petcare, the parent company of Royal Canin, in 2012. Jo’s recent work has focused on science advocacy, working with experts and organisations to engage and educate audiences on various topics relating to pet health and well-being.

Dr. Åke Hedhammar, DVM, M Sc, PhD

Dr. Hedhammar is senior Professor in Internal Medicine – Small Animals and Dipl. in Internal Medicine –CA (passive). His research is on the epidemiology and genomics of spontaneously occurring complex traits in dogs (diseases and behavior) and their use as models for human medicine.

He is senior scientific advisor and veterinary consultant to the Swedish Kennel Club and member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Hereditary Disease Committee, Dr. Hedhammar was the initiator of 1st International Dog Health Workshop in Stockholm 2012.

Aimée Llewellyn-Zaidi
HGTD Project Director, International Partnership for Dogs

Aimée is responsible for maintaining and developing Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs database, as well as resources for genetic and health education and support. This includes updating the generic phenes (test) information, Breed Relevance Rating, and communication with our Collaborating Experts. In addition, Aimée fields queries from our DogWellNet.com members and breeders on issues related to genetics and genetic counselling.

Formerly Head of Health and Research at the (Royal) Kennel Club, Aimée provided bespoke advice to Kennel Club clients, and developed evidence-based canine health resources and engagement programs for the public and professional. Aimée's experience includes development of health teams and collaboration building, active engagement and involvement with committees such as the Kennel Club and British Veterinary Association (Canine Health Schemes); direct collaboration with international universities, and the former Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, and engagement with projects such as Vet Compass (RVC). She is an experience presenter, with engagements ranging from BSAVA Congress to virtual genetic education meetings, as well as numerous publications and media engagements. Aimée was also involved in the initial development of the journal “Canine Genetics and Epidemiology,” and remains active as an editorial board member.

When not working on the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs, Aimée spends her time walking her Pembroke Welsh Corgis, McDuff and Poppy.

Laureline Malineau
Global Corporate Communication Manager at Royal Canin

For the past 20 years working at Royal Canin, Laureline has built relationships with feline and canine institutions, NGOs, vet associations and authorities, and has recently been one of the instigators of the CHOOSE HEALTH initiative. CHOOSE HEALTH focuses on driving responsible pet ownership and responsible breeding, working together with partners – veterinarians, vet associations, breeders, canine and feline federations and clubs – along with key stakeholders – governments, non-governmental organizations, and pet owners – for a world that puts pet health first.

Laureline also co-leads the FEDIAF Animal Welfare Taskforce and is a member of the ICECDogs Working Group.

Monique Megens, DVM
Chair, ICECDogs

Monique dedicates much of her time to help raise awareness, to liaise between stakeholders and to help ensure companion animal health and welfare is high on the international agenda.

Graduated from Utrecht University The Netherlands (1998), Monique started her career as a companion animal veterinary practitioner. In 2008 she sold her clinic to work as an independent project manager, consultant and executive.

Monique has been involved in veterinary politics in Europe for many years, serving amongst others as the President of the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA). She was as member of the joint Union of European Veterinary Practitioners (UEVP) & Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) Animal Welfare Working Group responsible for the European veterinary position paper on stray dogs, the position paper on (il)legal dog trade and the position paper on responsible breeding of dogs.

Dr. Dan O’Neill
Associate Professor Companion Animal Epidemiology, RVC
MVB BSc(hons) GPCert(SAP) GPCert(FelP) GPCert(Derm) GPCert(B&PS) PGCertVetEd FHEA MSc(VetEpi) PhD FRCVS

Following 22 years in general practice, Dan is now Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC where he co-leads the VetCompass™ Programme. As well as over 160 papers covering the epidemiology of companion animals with a specific focus on extreme conformations in dogs, he has also authored the books ‘Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats’ and ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’. He chairs the UK Brachycephalic Working Group and is a founding and board member of the UK Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs and the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformation in Dogs.

Dan was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018, the BSAVA Blaine Award for Advancement of Small Animal Science in 2019, the International Canine Health Award from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in 2021, and the RCVS Impact Award in 2025.

Rowena Packer, PhD
Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science, Royal Veterinary College, London 

Rowena leads a research group exploring diverse topics in this area, including the impact of chronic and inherited disorders on dog behaviour and welfare, and the impact of owner knowledge, attitudes and behaviour on canine welfare.

She has received ~£2.1million of research funding to date, of which >£800,0000 has been held as Principal Investigator. She held an independent BBSRC Future Leader Research Fellowship from 2017-2021.

Rowena has co-authored >90 peer reviewed papers and book chapters since 2012 and co-edited the textbook ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’ (2021).

Rowena holds a PhD from the Royal Veterinary College (2013) which explored the impact of extreme conformation on canine health, a 1st Class BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Bristol (2009), and a PGCert in Veterinary Education from the Royal Veterinary College (2021).

Rowena is an Editorial Board Member for the journal Scientific Reports, a Coordinating Group Member for the Animal Welfare Research Network, a Canine Scientific Advisory Committee Member for Guide Dogs, and a founding member of Brachycephalic Working Group and the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs.

Marc Ralsky
CEO, International Partnership for Dogs

Marc joined IPFD as CEO on October 3, 2022. He has broad experience as a not-for-profit leader and has worked extensively with fundraising and corporate sponsorship with various organizations.

Marc is a board member of the Canadian Kennel Club. He owns and breeds Siberian Huskies, and co-owns Toy Manchesters, and Samoyeds and shows them in conformation shows worldwide. Marc is also an experienced writer on dog-related topics.

 

Dr. Alison Skipper
Veterinary and Research Advisor, The Kennel Club

Alison has been involved in pedigree dog health work for over thirty years as a veterinary surgeon, grass-roots worker, advisor, writer and educator. She has a dual background in first opinion veterinary practice and in research: she has a PhD in the history of breed-related disease in pedigree dogs and has previously worked as a researcher at the Royal Veterinary College.

Alison has served for many years on The Kennel Club’s health committees, as one of the veterinary team at Crufts, and on multi-stakeholder canine health groups, such as the Brachycephalic Working Group.

From January 2025 she has been employed as The Kennel Club's Veterinary and Research Advisor, where she is providing in-house support and helping to develop The Kennel Club’s future provision to support pedigree dog health.

Claire Wiley, VMD, DACVIM (SAIM)
Executive Director, AKC DNA Program

Upon completion of her undergraduate work at Yale University, Dr. Wiley entered the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2013 as a VMD.  Dr. Wiley was most recently a Clinician Investigator in a combined board-certified small animal internal medicine residency and PhD program at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During that time, she also served as a scientific consultant for the AKC DNA Program.

In her studies at NC State, she was also able to investigate the genomic profile of canine bladder and prostate cancer, as well as using molecular diagnostics as screening tools for early diagnosis. Dr. Wiley provided expertise in clinical trials and citizen scientist engagement.

Aside from her impressive career, Dr. Wiley also has over thirty years of experience breeding, showing, and training Portuguese Water Dogs.