MD, PhD

Dr. Natalia Wagemans is the Global Head of the Purina Institute with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Dr. Wagemans graduated in pediatrics with postgraduate certification in neonatology. Her academic career was related to pediatric healthcare and nutrition in the State Medical University in Russia. Her PhD scientific research was performed in the field of iodine deficiency and the cardiovascular system in children. She has over 100 scientific presentations at different medical and scientific forums and over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Wagemans joined Nestlé in 2002 working in different areas of infant nutrition in Russia and CIS, India, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, and Switzerland. In 2014 she was appointed as the Global Head of the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) in Switzerland, and since 2020, Dr. Wagemans has led the Purina Institute, a global organization dedicated to sharing the latest companion animal nutrition knowledge and breakthrough research with veterinary healthcare professionals worldwide to help pets live longer and better lives.

BVetMed, PhD, DECVIM, MANZCVS, MRCVS

Dr. Andrew Sparkes graduated from the Royal Veterinary College (London) in 1983, and after four years in clinical practice joined the University of Bristol as a resident in feline medicine. After the residency, he completed a PhD, and was then appointed as Lecturer in Feline Medicine at Bristol University. In 2000, he moved to the Animal Health Trust in the UK where in 2008 he took over as Head of the Division of Small Animal Studies. In 2012 he was appointed as Veterinary Director of International Cat Care and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM). In 2019, Dr. Sparkes left International Cat Care and became an independent veterinary consultant with Simply Feline Veterinary Consultancy. He has published and spoken widely, is a Diplomate of the ECVIM, and is the founding and current co-editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, a journal which he established in 1999.

DVM, MS, PhD, DACVPM, MRCVS

Dr. Audrey Ruple is the Dorothy A. and Richard G. Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. She joined Virginia Tech in 2021 as an associate professor of quantitative epidemiology with tenure, focusing on informatics and its application to veterinary medicine. Dr. Ruple's research encompasses advanced computing, data sciences, and informatics, which are crucial in the work on One Health issues. She is a coprincipal investigator of the Dog Aging Project, the largest animal health research endeavor to date, and is a founding member of Fetch Forward, a pioneering veterinary insurance data analytics initiative. She has published extensively on informatics and veterinary big data, including notable contributions to the journals Nature and Science. She is the lead author on the PetSORT initiative, the first reporting guidelines for clinical trials involving owned cats and dogs. Dr. Ruple is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. She has been inducted into Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, and is a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.

DVM, MSPH, PhD

Dr. Julia Labadie earned her MSPH in Epidemiology at Emory University. She completed the combined DVM/PhD program at Colorado State University, obtaining her PhD in Epidemiology, and subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Throughout her training, her research has centered on understanding genetic and environmental risk factors for both human and canine cancers, with a special interest in lymphoma. Dr. Labadie is now the Scientific Director of the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study at Morris Animal Foundation. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is one of the largest, most comprehensive prospective canine health studies in the world. The goal of the study is to identify genetic, lifestyle, environmental, and nutritional risk factors for cancer and other diseases in golden retrievers. In addition, they maintain an extensive biobank and data repository available to researchers.

DPhil (Zoology)

Dr. Daniel Promislow is a Senior Scientist and Scientific Advisor in the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. In his three decades of research on aging, he has published over 175 scientific papers, including studies on fruit flies, yeast, mice, humans, marmosets, and dogs. His research uses evolutionary genetics and systems biology to understand how genes and environment shape aging and age-related disease. Dr. Promislow is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Gerontological Society of America, and has received numerous other awards for his work, including the Ellison Senior Scholar Award, the Glenn Breakthroughs in Gerontology Award, and the Bennett J. Cohen Award in aging research. Dr. Promislow co-founded the Dog Aging Project, and co-leads a large, interdisciplinary team of researchers and veterinarians at institutions around the United States. Launched with a U19 grant from the National Institute on Aging, the Dog Aging Project is a nationwide study on the biological and environmental determinants of healthy aging in tens of thousands of companion dogs. As an Open Science project, the Dog Aging Project team ensures that Dog Aging Project data are freely available to scientists around the world. 

DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)

Dr. Jenessa Winston is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Biology from University of Florida in 2007. She then received her veterinary degree from the North Carolina State University in 2011. She went on to complete a rotating small animal internship and residency training in small animal internal medicine at NC State achieving board certification, as a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, in 2015. As a Clinical Investigator and NIH T32 fellow at NC State, Dr. Winston completed a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences with an Infectious Disease concentration in 2019. Since starting at OSU, Dr. Winston has launched the Companion Animal Fecal Bank, which currently has two obesity fecal microbiota transplant projects. The first is the canine SLIM study which is an AKC funded clinical trial evaluating the use of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) as an adjunctive therapy for canine obesity and recently the feline SLIM study funded by the Morris Animal Foundation has launched. She is also a founding member of the Companion Animal Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Consortium.

PhD

After receiving a PhD in ecology, evolution, and population biology, Dr. Nicholas Griffin spent 10 years studying the human gut microbiome at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focused on how gut microbial communities establish and change in relation to diet, illness, and their connection to the broader microbial metacommunity across hosts. Dr. Griffin joined Nestlé in 2021, where he has focused on these questions in cats and dogs.

PhD

Dr. Ragen McGowan is the Director of Digital Product Development at Purina. She has over 25 years of experience in animal behavior research, the last 15 of which have been with Nestlé Purina using a holistic approach incorporating behavior, physiology and endocrinology to quantify affective states in dogs and cats. She aims to develop products that cater to different behavioral needs of pets, including focus on the impact of nutrition on behavior via the gut-brain axis, new insights into the emotional lives of pets and understanding the human-animal bond from the pet’s perspective. Dr. McGowan earned a BS in Zoology, a BA in Foreign Language & Literature and a PhD in Applied Ethology from Washington State University. Her PhD research focused on contrafreeloading in grizzly bears, laying hens and mice. Prior to joining Nestlé Purina, Ragen held a post-doctoral research position at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, where her research focused on the study of emotionality in dogs. This included exploring cognitive bias and the "eureka effect" in dogs. She is now bringing her knowledge of animal behavior and emotions into the digital space to better connect owners with their pets. Dr. McGowan has a passion for sharing her vast knowledge, speaking at a variety of events and contributing as a scientific expert for congresses, roundtables and podcasts.

DVM, PhD, DACVIM

Dr. Jessica Quimby received her veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a small animal rotating internship in Sacramento, CA. She subsequently spent two years in feline practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan before moving on to Colorado State University for a combined small animal internal medicine residency and PhD program. She completed a PhD focusing on feline CKD in 2012 and was faculty at Colorado State until 2017. Dr. Quimby is now a faculty member at The Ohio State University. Her research continues to focus on chronic kidney disease in cats. Current research areas include the study of renal aging, telomere length and cellular senescence, novel treatment strategies and evidence-based supportive care strategies. She has an interest in clinical trials and feline clinical pharmacology which is aimed at improving supportive care and quality of life in cats with chronic kidney disease. Dr. Quimby has received the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Award and the AVMF/Winn Feline Foundation Research Award for her contributions to nephrology and feline medicine. In 2021 she was selected to serve on the IRIS board.

DVM, DABVP (Feline) 

Dr. Ashlie Saffire is a graduate of The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine and is board certified in feline practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She is a published author, serves as president of the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FelineVMA), formerly known as the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and is a tutor for the University of Sydney's Feline Distance Education Program. She is both Cat Friendly and Fear Free Certified and owner of the Cat Specialty Center at Faithful Friends Veterinary Clinic, an AAHA accredited and Gold Level Cat Friendly Practice in Dublin, Ohio. As an invited speaker, Dr. Saffire hopes to share her clinical experience and expertise in feline medicine with the veterinary profession.

MD, PhD

Dr. Natalia Wagemans is the Global Head of the Purina Institute with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Dr. Wagemans graduated in pediatrics with postgraduate certification in neonatology. Her academic career was related to pediatric healthcare and nutrition in the State Medical University in Russia. Her PhD scientific research was performed in the field of iodine deficiency and the cardiovascular system in children. She has over 100 scientific presentations at different medical and scientific forums and over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Wagemans joined Nestlé in 2002 working in different areas of infant nutrition in Russia and CIS, India, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, and Switzerland. In 2014 she was appointed as the Global Head of the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) in Switzerland, and since 2020, Dr. Wagemans has led the Purina Institute, a global organization dedicated to sharing the latest companion animal nutrition knowledge and breakthrough research with veterinary healthcare professionals worldwide to help pets live longer and better lives.

BSc, BVMS, MVM, PhD, MANZCVS, DECVIM-CA

Dr. Caroline Mansfield graduated from Murdoch University prior to starting work as a mixed animal practitioner in country Australia, followed by locum work in the UK and a small animal medicine residency at University College Dublin. She completed her specialist boards (European College) and returned to Australia where she worked first at Murdoch University and then moved to the University of Melbourne as Head of Small Animal Medicine. She completed her PhD in the field of canine pancreatitis and became Director of Clinical Research at Melbourne before finishing there in 2021. After a short time working in tropical far northern Australia, she accepted a position at Michigan State University in 2024. Her current research interests are focused on global assessment of the function of the GI microbiome in health and disease of dogs and cats. She is currently a member of the Purina Institute Advisory Board, Editor of the Australian Veterinary Practitioner and a frequently invited international speaker.

DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition) 

Dr. Jennifer Larsen holds a PhD in Nutritional Biology and a DVM from UC Davis. She attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (which is now the 6th specialty under the ACVIM umbrella). She provides clinical nutritional consulting through the Nutrition Support Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She also mentors residents and students, and teaches in the veterinary curriculum as well as for the Graduate Group of Nutritional Biology.

PhD

Dr. Michael Snyder is the Stanford W. Ascherman Professor and the Director of the Center of Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University. He received his PhD training at the California Institute of Technology and carried out postdoctoral training at Stanford University. Dr. Snyder has led groundbreaking research in the areas of genomics, biotechnology, and personalized health. His extensive research focuses on how genetic variation affects individual health and disease, heralding a new and more effective approach to healthcare. Dr. Snyder’s innovative work utilizes big data generated through high-throughput technologies, including genomics, proteomics, and wearable devices, to monitor disease onset and progression in real time. He is known for his pioneering study where he was both a subject and researcher, which opened new pathways in the understanding of personalized medicine and laid the groundwork for precision health. Professor Snyder's contributions to science have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also co-founded 17 biotechnology companies and serves on the board of numerous organizations that aim to revolutionize healthcare through genomics and personalized health strategies.

PhD

Dr. Xu Wang is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Pathobiology at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, and an Adjunct Faculty Investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. He also holds appointments at Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and Scott-Ritchey Research Center. He completed his PhD in Genetics and Genomics at Cornell University in 2011 and subsequently worked as a Research Associate at the Cornell Center for Comparative and Population Genomics until he joined Auburn University in 2017. Dr. Wang’s primary research focuses on multi-omics analysis of health, performance, production, welfare, and disease in companion and food animals, bridging fundamental science with veterinary and agricultural applications. His research has received support from several funding agencies, including the NSF, USDA, AAES, DHS, and ECHF. Dr. Wang has published 72 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and he was honored with the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence in 2023.

MS, PhD

Dr. Johnny Li is a Senior Principal Scientist and Expert in Systems Biology at Nestlé Research in St. Louis, Missouri. He is an Affiliate Professor at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Xiamen University in China, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Columbia University in the City of New York, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Texas at Austin. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D, Dr. Li joined Nestlé Research in 2004. In his research, he utilizes the multi-omics approach to understand molecular and metabolic pathways in dogs and cats with unmet health needs. He has published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the American Society of Nephrology.

PhD

Dr. Ebenezer Satyaraj earned his PhD in Immunology from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India and completed a Fellowship in Molecular Immunology at the University of Chicago, Illinois.  Dr. Satyaraj subsequently accepted an Instructor’s position at the Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, where he taught Immunology and conducted research in the area of autoimmunity.  In 2001 he joined Molecular Staging Inc., New Haven, Connecticut, a biotech company started with technology from Yale University, working in the area of cytokines and disease biomarkers, where he led research collaborations with universities and industry resulting in two seminal publications: predictive biomarkers for cerebral palsy and biomarkers for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Dr. Satyaraj joined Nestlé Purina in 2003, establishing a nutritional immunology research program. He implemented models for evaluating nutritional impact on the immune system and pioneered the development of the first multiplex assay panels capable of measuring canine and feline cytokines.  He currently serves as Director of Molecular Nutrition. Dr. Satyaraj has authored numerous scientific papers in the areas of cellular / molecular immunology and cytokine biology, including a recent publication in the journal Science that explains size variations in dogs and a book chapter describing the interplay of nutrition and the immune system in infectious diseases.

PhD

Dr. Changwoon Jang is a Senior Bioinformatics and Data Scientist at Nestlé Purina, with a diverse background in Physics, Engineering, and Biology. His primary responsibilities at Nestlé Purina include developing computational algorithms, machine learning models, and high-throughput screening pipelines for biological systems. He has developed multiple machine learning models to identify key biomarkers in pets using various omics data, including proteomics, metabolomics, and genomics. His academic journey began with a background in Physics. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University, specializing in computational materials science. Dr. Jang’s postdoctoral research was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center and Drexel University in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department. Using his 17 years of experience in computational materials and biology research, he has developed integrated numerical methods for generating and investigating polymer and polymeric systems at the molecular level. His work involves examining the microscopic details of physical and chemical processes through multiscale simulations. He created a generalized computational model to predict and analyze complex material phenomena across various length scales, from quantum to coarse-grained levels.

PhD

Dr. Omar Ramos-Lopez graduated in Nutrition, with a PhD in Molecular Biology in Medicine, and a postdoctoral in Precision Nutrition. At the national level, Dr. Ramos-Lopez is member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico (level 2), member of the Mexican Society of Nutrition and Endocrinology, member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and member of the Baja California Academy of Sciences. At the international level, Dr. Ramos-Lopez is member of the American Society for Nutrition and member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. Dr. Ramos-Lopez is currently a full-time research professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California. His scientific production consists of 81 scientific publications in indexed journals, 4 book chapters from highly prestigious publishers, and about 1400 citations, with an H-index of 22 (Scopus). He has also served as guest editor of journals such as Nutrients, Frontiers in Endocrinology, Frontiers in Nutrition, Lifestyle Genomics, and Healthcare. His research focuses on nutrition and precision medicine through a holistic approach for the prevention and effective management of chronic degenerative diseases, integrating areas such as genetics, epigenetics, metagenomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, glycomics, lifestyle and other environmental factors.

DVM, MSc, PhD, ABVT Diplomate Candidate

Dr. Amanda Nascimento is the R&D Clinical Research Manager at IDEXX. She focuses on advancing diagnostics to improve pet health and quality of life through innovative research and development. Dr. Nascimento earned her DVM in 2010 and a master’s in veterinary sciences in 2012 at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. In 2015, she moved to Canada to complete a PhD in experimental pathology at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by postdoctoral training in immunology and a clinical residency specializing in pharmacology/toxicology (One Health). Her career highlights include serving as Head of Integrative Veterinary Medicine in the private sector in Canada, where she explored natural pet products, supplements, and nutrition. She later worked as a Scientific Evaluator at Health Canada's Veterinary Drug Directorate, where she regulated veterinary drugs, vaccines, and natural products and collaborated with international organizations like the US-FDA and EMA. In 2023, Dr. Nascimento pursued clinical nutrition training at Kansas State University, while she was teaching veterinary students and conducting research on obesity in pets. Dr. Nascimento combines her expertise in science, diagnostics, and nutrition to help pets live healthier and longer lives.

MD, MPH

Dr. Matthew Lungren is Chief Scientific Officer for Microsoft Health & Life Sciences, where he drives innovation by translating cutting-edge technologies—such as generative AI and cloud services—into healthcare solutions. He is also an adjunct professor at Stanford University, maintaining active research and teaching roles. Previously, Dr. Lungren was a clinical interventional radiologist and led the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI). He later served as Principal for Clinical AI/ML at Amazon Web Services, focusing on AI adoption in healthcare. With over 200 publications, his research spans AI applications in medical imaging, natural language processing, and public health. He advises startups and Fortune 500 companies on AI strategy and regularly speaks at global conferences. His work has been featured in NPR, Vice News, and Scientific American. Dr. Lungren also teaches top-rated AI in Healthcare courses for non-technical learners on platforms like Stanford Online, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning.

DVM, MSc

Dr. Timokleia Kousi is a veterinary surgeon and innovator at the forefront of veterinary medicine and emerging technologies. Currently based at the University of Bern, she provides clinical care, ensures animal welfare, and contributes to advanced research in the Central Animal Facilities. Previously, she worked in the Mathis Lab at EPFL, where she contributed to the development and application of DeepLabCut, a widely adopted open-source software leveraging AI for precise pose estimation in animal behavior research. As the founder of VetFuturist.com, she engages veterinary professionals globally in exploring the transformative impact of emerging technologies on veterinary practice. Dr. Kousi’s work embodies a forward-thinking approach to advancing animal welfare, improving veterinary accessibility, and embracing the future of the profession.

DVM, DACVR

Dr. Eli Cohen is founder and radiologist of Dragonfly Imaging, a teleradiology and mobile sonography company, Adjunct Professor (formerly Clinical Professor) at NC State University, and consultant for DaisyAI. Prior to NC State he was a senior lecturer in diagnostic imaging at Massey University in New Zealand, and did his residency training at the University of Georgia. Dr. Cohen interprets all diagnostic imaging modalities, with special interest in exotic animal and cross-sectional imaging (CT/MRI). He is particularly interested in how our human biology affects learning and predisposes us to medical errors, and the methods we can employ to reduce those errors to better help our patients. He has become a voice in regards to artificial intelligence, and how it can be ethically deployed in veterinary medicine. Some of his research and conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands have recently been featured on the PBS series Evolution Earth and the German series TerraX.

DVM, PhD, DACVP

Dr. Candice Chu is a board-certified veterinary clinical pathologist and an assistant professor at Texas A&M University. She earned her DVM degree from National Taiwan University, followed by a PhD in veterinary pathology and residency training at Texas A&M University. Before her current role, she served as an assistant professor of clinical pathology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research centers on the integration of bioinformatics, artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine, and digital cytology. She is the author of a recently published review paper “ChatGPT in veterinary medicine: a practical guidance of generative artificial intelligence in clinics, education, and research.”

DVM, MS

Dr. Patrick Flynn received his veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and practiced companion animal medicine and surgery for 13 years before joining Pfizer (now Zoetis). His passion and curiosity for the scientific study of the role other animals play in our life (and vice versa) led him to Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. where, in 2019, he completed a Master of Science in Anthrozoology (the study of human/animal interactions), one of very few veterinarians with this qualification. Additionally, he is the President of the Human Animal Bond Association, human-animal bond (HAB) certified through NAVC Institute (as well as a content contributor) and a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional. He has also completed graduate work in the One Health Program offered by the Department of Environmental & Global Health in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida. In 2024, his short story about meeting Dr. Jane Goodall for the first time was published in a book produced for her 90th birthday.

MD, PhD

Dr. Natalia Wagemans is the Global Head of the Purina Institute with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Dr. Wagemans graduated in pediatrics with postgraduate certification in neonatology. Her academic career was related to pediatric healthcare and nutrition in the State Medical University in Russia. Her PhD scientific research was performed in the field of iodine deficiency and the cardiovascular system in children. She has over 100 scientific presentations at different medical and scientific forums and over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Wagemans joined Nestlé in 2002 working in different areas of infant nutrition in Russia and CIS, India, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, and Switzerland. In 2014 she was appointed as the Global Head of the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) in Switzerland, and since 2020, Dr. Wagemans has led the Purina Institute, a global organization dedicated to sharing the latest companion animal nutrition knowledge and breakthrough research with veterinary healthcare professionals worldwide to help pets live longer and better lives.

BSc, BVMS, MVM, PhD, MANZCVS, DECVIM-CA

Dr. Caroline Mansfield graduated from Murdoch University prior to starting work as a mixed animal practitioner in country Australia, followed by locum work in the UK and a small animal medicine residency at University College Dublin. She completed her specialist boards (European College) and returned to Australia where she worked first at Murdoch University and then moved to the University of Melbourne as Head of Small Animal Medicine. She completed her PhD in the field of canine pancreatitis and became Director of Clinical Research at Melbourne before finishing there in 2021. After a short time working in tropical far northern Australia, she accepted a position at Michigan State University in 2024. Her current research interests are focused on global assessment of the function of the GI microbiome in health and disease of dogs and cats. She is currently a member of the Purina Institute Advisory Board, Editor of the Australian Veterinary Practitioner and a frequently invited international speaker.

DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition) 

Dr. Jennifer Larsen holds a PhD in Nutritional Biology and a DVM from UC Davis. She attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (which is now the 6th specialty under the ACVIM umbrella). She provides clinical nutritional consulting through the Nutrition Support Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She also mentors residents and students, and teaches in the veterinary curriculum as well as for the Graduate Group of Nutritional Biology.