Board of directors

Dr. Tracy Webb

Chair

Dr. Webb received her DVM degree from The Ohio State University and completed a small animal internship and emergency/critical care residency at Angell Animal Medical Center. Dr. Webb then received a PhD in Immunology/Pathology from Colorado State University where she remained in a Research Scientist role as well as Coordinator of the Clinical Review Board. With over 10 years of research effort in regenerative medicine, Dr. Webb has performed many in vitro studies and clinical trials looking at a variety of disease processes in several animal species. She has recently been involved in efforts to encourage and support quality clinical trials and the use of natural animal models to accelerate translational research.

Dr. Scott Hopper

Treasurer

Dr. Hopper is a 1993 graduate of the University Wisconsin – Madison School of veterinary medicine. Following veterinary school Dr. Hopper completed an internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. The internship was followed by an equine surgical residency at Washington State University where he also obtained his Masters of Science in Veterinary Science. After a year of clinical instructorship Dr. Hopper returned to Rood & Riddle where he is currently a surgeon and partner.

Dr. Laurie Goodrich

Secretary

Dr. Laurie Goodrich is the Interim Director of the Orthopedic Research Center at Colorado State University’s C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute and an Equine Surgeon specializing in orthopedic surgery and lameness with a focus on musculoskeletal injuries and trauma. She is an American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) Founding Fellow in Minimally Invasive Surgery in Arthroscopy, Tenoscopy, and Fracture Repair. She received her DVM from the University of Illinois, completed an internship at Virginia Tech Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and an equine surgical residency at the Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Northern Virginia. During that time, she also completed a Master of Science in Pharmacology at Virginia Tech. She joined the faculty at Cornell University as an Equine Surgeon in 1996 and also completed a PhD in cartilage repair in 2005 while at Cornell. She joined the faculty at CSU in 2005 as an Assistant Professor of Equine Surgery and is currently a Professor of Surgery and a principle investigator in the Orthopedic Research Center. She is a translational scientist whose research focuses on regenerative medicine, gene therapies and biologics to improve joint and bone repair in both animals and people. She has received the Elastikon Award in Research Excellence from the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation, the Cabaud Award in Research from AOSSM and CSU’s AAEP Clinician of the Year Award for teaching excellence. She is currently president of ACVS, on the Board of Directors for North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association, and is the chair-elect for the Preclinical Models Section of the Orthopedic Research Society.

Dr. Thomas G. Koch

Immediate Past Chair

Dr. Koch is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada. He received his Veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark. He completed a rotational internship in large animal medicine and surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College followed a residency in large animal medicine. He obtained his PhD from the University of Guelph in the area of equine stem cells. Dr. Koch’s current research focus is on stem cell and tissue engineering-based therapies with joint cartilage repair being the main area of investigation. Studies on equine and canine stem cells, joint cartilage and synovial joint health are pursued in parallel. Within this applied research approach basic mechanistic insights of joint homeostasis and the chondrogenic cell fate is sought including studies in the area of cell mechanobiology. Emerging research areas of interest include tendon and ligament repair and the regulatory roles of microRNA. Novel therapies applied in horses and dogs with natural spontaneous disease serve as important translational pre-clinical animal models of similar human diseases. He currently holds two research awards; Special Recognition Research Excellence Award, University of Guelph; Early Researcher Award, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Dr. Susan W. Volk

Dr. Volk, VMD, PhD, Diplomate ACVS, is a board-certified veterinary surgeon, seeing clinical surgical appointments, performing surgery at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and teaching small animal surgery to veterinary students. Her clinical interest focuses on cutaneous wounds and reconstruction with specific expertise in regenerative medicical therapies. She has a specific interest in cell-based therapies and hopes that her research focus in this field will lead to the development of novel approaches to improve healing of various organs/tissues in veterinary patients as well as humans.

Dr. Dean Betts

Dr. Betts is internationally recognized for his contributions in embryo development, telomere biology and for deriving some of the first stem cell populations from dogs and horses. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Western Ontario and his PhD from the University of Guelph. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Genetics at Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Betts joined the Ontario Veterinary College as an Assistant Professor in 2001. He moved his research lab to Western in 2008. He is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and a Scientist at Children’s Health Research Institute and at the Ontario Institute of Regenerative Medicine. He is the current Director of Western’s Collaborative Graduate Program in Developmental Biology. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed publications and his research is currently supported by CIHR and NSERC operating grants along with other institute, foundation and industry supported research funds.

Dr. Boaz Arzi

Dr. Boaz Arzi is a professor of dentistry and oral surgery at the department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Arzi completed the residency-training program in dentistry and oral surgery at the school and two years fellowship in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) and the European Veterinary Dental College. Dr. Arzi is also a Founding Fellow of the AVDC in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Arzi’s clinical and research focus is on oral maxillofacial disorders and regenerative solutions in dogs and cats. His lab also investigates TMJ disorders and treatments across species. He is a co-principal investigator on the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for feline gingivostomatitis and also a co-principal investigator on the use of rhBMP-2 for mandibular reconstruction. Furthermore, Dr. Arzi works in collaboration with the biomedical engineering group at UC Davis for the development of biological solutions to TMJ disorders in humans. Dr. Arzi is the director of the school’s Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures (VIRC). Ultimately, Dr. Arzi’s work is translational with the aim of One Health treatment modalities for both human and animal health.

Dr. Ashlee Watts

Dr. Watts is director of the Comparative Orthopedics and Regenerative Medicine Lab and an equine orthopedic surgeon in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her clinical interest in the performance horse is a focus point for the dedicated study of orthopedic diseases and the development of innovative targeted therapeutic measures. Dr. Watts works with board certified faculty members on the Equine Orthopedics, Equine Sports Medicine & Imaging and Diagnostic Imaging services at Texas A&M and collaborates with basic scientists and veterinarians throughout the world to advance the field of equine orthopedics and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Michael Kallos

Dr. Michael Kallos is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, an Adjunct in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy in the Cumming School of Medicine, and Associate Director of the Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF), all at the University of Calgary. He is the Director of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Calgary Initiative and Associate Director of the Center for Bioengineering Research and Education (CBRE), as well as a member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. The Biomedical Engineering Calgary Initiative at the University of Calgary, brings together over 300 researchers from multiple faculties across campus to tackle problems in human and animal health and wellness. He is a Professional Engineer registered with APEGA. His research interests lie in the area of stem cell bioprocess engineering, including working with ESCs, iPSCs, MSCs and NSCs. He bases his research on a strong foundation in mass transfer, reactor design, reaction kinetics, fluid dynamics and experience in both experimental and modeling approaches. These fundamentals are key to the industrial/clinical scale-up and production of cell and biomaterial therapies.

Dr. Amir Kol

Dr. Amir Kol is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and the University of California, Davis. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and a Ph.D in Integrative Pathobiology. Dr. Kol has graduate from the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel in 2006. Amir’s research interests is in stem cell biology and its application to translational veterinary regenerative medicine and disease modeling. On going project at the Kol lab include 1) immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells in the context of inflammatory and viral diseases, 2) canine stem cell pluripotency mechanisms and regulators and 3) intestinal stem cells-derived organoids as a disease in vitro model system. Amir is also interested in the potential key role that naturally occurring diseases in companion animals may play to inform human clinical trials in the process of novel drug/medical device development.