Alison is a veterinarian from a dog-breeding background. She has been involved in pedigree dog health work for over thirty years as a veterinarian, grass-roots worker, advisor, writer and educator. Alison spent many years working in primary care practice in South-East England, before obtaining a PhD in the history of breed-related disease in pedigree dogs at King’s College London in 2022. From 2022-24 she ran a charity-funded research project at the Royal Veterinary College, reviewing the not-for-profit UK funding of canine health and welfare research to increase its future effectiveness in improving canine lives. After serving on The Kennel Club’s health committees and working as a veterinarian at Crufts dog show for many years, from January 2025 she will be employed as Veterinary and Research Advisor to The Kennel Club, the UK’s pedigree dog registration body. This role will help to develop The Kennel Club’s services to improve pedigree dog health in the future. Alison lives near London, England, with her husband, three dogs (two home-bred, one rescue) and two cats.

Professor Broeckx graduated as a vet in 2011 and was appointed in 2018 as a professor at the Laboratory of Animal Genetics (Ghent University). He currently is chairholder of both the chair “Assistance Dogs Purpose Dogs” and the “Advice Center of Clinical Genetics” and founder of the dedicated small animal clinical genetics/genetic counselling facility at the faculty.

Dr. Emily Bray is an Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona. She earned her BA in Psychology from Duke University and her PhD in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research, often conducted in collaboration with working dog organizations, focuses on how animals think, behave, and problem solve over their life course. Over the past decade, she has developed and implemented cognitive tasks in over a thousand dogs, forming the basis for projects ranging in scope from early maternal care to cognitive aging to understanding the contribution of genetics to behavioral traits. By building a comprehensive understanding of dog behavior and cognition, she aims to enhance both canine health and welfare and our human-animal interactions.

Frances is an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, a member of Elinor Karlsson’s Vertebrate Genomics research group at the Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, and an affiliate scientist with the nonprofit Darwin’s Ark, where she leverages community science initiatives with pet owners and working dog organizations to power comparative genomics discovery and accelerate the development of genetic tools for improving companion animal health. Frances completed her combined DVM/PhD training at Cornell with a focus in genetics under an NIH F30 fellowship at Cornell University. Having raised 15 guide and service dog puppies and led volunteer initiatives for three major working dog organizations, Frances has a particular passion for engaging in community science with the working dog field. Recruited by the International Working Dog Registry (IWDR) to establish a Working Dog Research Consortium, Frances is currently working with IWDR to develop research collaborations and genomic tools that will not only elucidate molecular pathways relevant to behavior and disease, but that will also serve to directly improve canine health, performance, and the human-canine bond. Frances currently shares her life with released yellow Labrador and Canine Companions “Noodles,” and “Pandan” the Doberman.

Jen has over thirty years of combined professional experience with marine mammal, zoo, equine, assistance dogs training and therapeutic programs. She is the Founding Director of PAALS, the only Assistance Dog International (ADI) and Animal Assisted Interventions International (AAII) accredited based program (founding board member of AAII) in the state of South Carolina. She has a BS in Biology from Rutgers University, a Med: Neuroscience and Trauma Response from Tabor College and is a graduate of the National Education of Assistance Dog programs and American Zoological Association’s (AZA) Management of Enrichment and Training programs. Jen was certified in Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, EAGALA, as an equine specialist, and currently practices the principles of Natural Lifemanship, using the neuroscience of relationships with horses to help humans heal and learn. She has created and implemented animal assisted intervention programs for children in summer camps, afterschool programs, at-risk youth, soldiers and first responders with PTSD, and incarcerated individuals and has presented internationally on standards for these programs. Jen has also served on the ADI North American board of directors, leading and/or working on the international committees regarding education, training, diversity/equity/inclusion/accessibility, conference planning, and served as the ADI liaison to the International Guide Dog Special Interest Group for Welfare and Wellbeing for Working Dogs. As part of AAII, Jen has participated in the development of standards, education forums, competencies and accreditation processes. She is also the owner of Synapsis, which offers training and education on animal assisted services and trauma responsive care. Her dog Harley is a certified team member with Jen to serve in crisis response to natural and manmade disasters, as well as to serve in resiliency support to the military and first responders. She is also a member of the SC marine mammal stranding network.

Jessica Perry Hekman DVM, PhD, is a behavioral geneticist. After eleven years working as a computer programmer, she decided to go back to school to research the causes of behavior problems in dogs. She received her veterinary degree from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, where she also received a master’s degree for her work on stress behaviors in hospitalized dogs. After graduation, she completed a yearlong Internship specializing in shelter medicine at the University of Florida Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program. Perry has a PhD program in genetics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her lab studied a group of foxes (often known as the “Siberian silver foxes”) which have been bred over many generations to be friendly to humans. Perry is one of the founders of the Functional Dog Collaborative, a non-profit which seeks to change the conversation around dog breeding in the dog loving community. She also teaches behavioral biology at the Virginia Tech online master’s program for Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare and offers webinars online and consults with breeders about genetic testing and breeding choices. Perry lives in Raymond, NH with her husband and her dogs.

Julie Cecere grew up in southwest Virginia eventing horses and training dogs in agility. She graduated from Hollins University, a small liberal arts school in Virginia, before heading to Virginia Tech to pursue an MS focused on select agents in bacteriology. Partway through the MS program, she discovered her passion lay elsewhere and transitioned to veterinary school. During her fourth year, she met her husband and chose to stay in Blacksburg, first practicing ER medicine before beginning a residency in theriogenology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. She achieved board certification in 2013 and is now a Clinical Associate Professor in Theriogenology, where she enjoys the comparative aspects of the field. Her research interests include companion animal andrology, Brucella, advancing clinical knowledge of canine reproduction, and teaching. Julie currently lives on a farm with her husband and two children and is on faculty at the VMCVM. Her personal interests include horseback riding, upland bird sports, and all things music and dancing.

Mary Peaslee is a medical doctor with an additional master’s degree in public health, specializing in preventive medicine. The effective use of screening tests to promote population health has been a particular interest of hers over the years and informs her approach to canine hip dysplasia and other health issues in dogs. Mary has owned and bred English Shepherds for 30 years, with a focus on growing and sustaining a healthy breed population. She currently live with 5 English Shepherds, representing 4 generations of her line, ranging in age from 1 - 16 1/2 years. In addition to breeding English Shepherds, she also enjoy working with my dogs and has earned multiple herding trial championships through the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA). Mary has served on the board of directors for the English Shepherd Breed Conservancy, English Shepherd Club, and the American Herding Breed Association, and currently volunteer for FDC. Mary is also licensed as a herding trial judge, and has taught puppy and companion dog training classes at our local shelter and other facilities and completed dog training certifications with Karen Pryor Academy (CTP) and APDT (CPDT-KA).

Dr. Nalla grew up in Worthington, MN, and knew from an early age that she wanted to work with animals. Inspired by the idea of becoming a veterinarian, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Carleton College, where her interest in psychology led her to discover the field of veterinary behavior. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota in 2019 and spent four years in general practice in the Twin Cities. During this time, she developed a strong interest in addressing her patients' mental health, prompting her to further her education in animal behavior. Dr. Nalla has obtained her Fear Free Certification, Low Stress Handling Silver Certification, and Human-Animal Bond Certification. Currently, Dr. Nalla is working toward board certification as a veterinary behaviorist under the supervision of Dr. Pike and Dr. Learn. She is passionate about helping pet owners understand their pets’ emotional needs and creating individualized treatment plans to improve quality of life and strengthen human-animal bonds. Dr. Nalla lives in Charlottesville, VA, with her two cats and dog. She enjoys hiking, exploring Shenandoah National Park, and discovering local restaurants and wineries.

Dr. Sophie Liu (she/her) first fell in love with dog behavior when she found herself with a challenging and aggressive Doberman mix. That experience pushed Dr. Liu to dive deeply into animal behavior, dog training, and eventually to veterinary medicine. After graduating from Cornell University College of Veterinary medicine, she entered private practice and later attended a behavior medicine residency. After realizing how severe health issues had become for many dog breeds, especially Dobermans, Dr. Liu co-founded The Doberman Diversity Project to address the genetic underpinnings of health and disease. The project has generated a first analysis of the breed’s genetic structure and is continuing to support research into specific diseases, which has applications for all dogs and population-specific issues.