2026 ACVIM North American Neuroscience (Brain Camp) Course

Dr. Robert L. Bergman received his DVM from the University of Georgia in 1997.  He then completed a small animal rotating internship at the University of Georgia.  Following internship, he completed a residency in neurology and neurosurgery at Virginia Tech (Diplomate ACVIM Neurology 2001).  Concurrently, he completed a master’s degree with a focus on neuroscience.   He then served as a clinical assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Texas A&M for 2 years.  In 2003 he started the neurology and neurosurgery service at Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He practiced in Charlotte for 20 years in addition to serving in a leadership capacity for a large practice group.  He currently owns Synapse Veterinary Services and provides relief and consulting in both private practice and academia.  He enjoys teaching neurosurgery and is involved in the veterinary neurosurgery teaching platform called The NeuroVets.   He is also actively involved in the development of new neurosurgical procedures and implants.   

Sheila Carrera-Justiz is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Florida.  She completed her DVM at the University of Florida in 2005, a residency in Neurology at Tufts University in 2010, and obtained the Neurosurgery Certificate of Training from the ACVIM in 2013.  She spent a few years in private practice in Los Angeles before returning to UF to teach. She has been Program Director of the Neurology residency at the University of Florida since 2014 and she is the Director of House Officer Programs for the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.  Her professional interests lie in novel neurosurgical approaches, advanced imaging techniques and clinical teaching.  In her free time, she enjoys cooking and traveling. 

Dr. Joan Coates is a Full Professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) of the University of Missouri (MU).  She grew up in Jackson, Missouri.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in general agriculture in 1987 and DVM degree in 1990 from the MU.  In 1990-1991, she then went on to a small animal rotating internship at Texas A&M University and then from 1991-1994 completed a neurology and neurosurgery residency at Auburn University where she also completed a Master of Science degree in neuroscience.  In 1994, she became board-certified in veterinary neurology through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Since, she has served on the faculty at the University of Georgia from 1994 to 1997 and at Texas A&M University from 1997 to 2003 before returning as a faculty member to MU. As a veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon at MU, she currently is Service and Section Leader for the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service.  As a researcher, she is a member of the CVM Comparative Neurology Program, which explores the inherited developmental and degenerative diseases of the nervous system and is involved with translational research for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.  Her main area of research focus involves the study of canine degenerative myelopathy (DM) as a disease model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to bridge current gaps and accelerate the clinical translation of therapeutic approaches.

Gaby Escalante (DVM, DACVAA) is a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist with abundant experience in teaching in both academic & private practice settings, as well as research experience in various scientific journals. Her clinical interests include: respiratory disease & management of difficult airways, integrating locoregional anesthesia into daily practice, oral sedation, improving anesthetic recoveries, and anesthesia for wildlife/exotic animals. Dr. Gaby currently provides mobile anesthesia consultation & training services through her business MACvet (Midwest Anesthesia Consulting Veterinary Services) where she aims to make advanced anesthesia accessible to all animals – no matter the clinical setting or team’s experience with veterinary anesthesia. She has an immense love for teaching and truly believes the mindset of “teaching is learning twice”. She is always eager to share her knowledge about veterinary anesthesia with veterinary professionals and pet parents. When not focused on her sharing her love for veterinary anesthesia, Dr. Gaby enjoys spending time with her partner Jeff and her zoo of animals (dogs, budgies, pigeon, russian tortoise, and multiple freshwater aquariums). She is obsessed with any and all birds, fancy cocktails, karaoke, and most importantly… BIRDS!

Max is an EBVS and RCVS recognised specialist in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery. He qualified with merit from the University of Cambridge Vet School in 2015 with an integrated degree in veterinary pathology and epidemiology. Following graduation, he spent three years working at Wanstead Veterinary Hospital – the main hospital of the Goddard Veterinary Group in London. In 2018, he began a one-year rotating internship at Dick White Referrals, during which time he also was awarded a certificate in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery through the University of Nottingham. He stayed at the same hospital to complete his residency training between 2019-2022 and was awarded the European Diploma in Neurology and Neurosurgery in 2023. Since gaining the diploma, Max has worked at Fitzpatrick Referrals and now is the lead neurologist, director and clinical partner at Granta Veterinary Specialists – a new independent multidisciplinary referral hospital in Cambridgeshire. Max has presented at both national and international conferences, and has authored and co-authored a number of research papers and articles. He is in interested in all the facets of veterinary neurology, but in particular neuromuscular diseases, as well as demystifying neurology to general practice vets. 

Graduated in Veterinary Medicine (1985), he was appointed a tenure-track position teaching anatomy at the Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain) and obtained his PhD (1988), with cum laude, with a thesis on the pineal gland of the chick embryo. After a post-doc research at the Universities of Reading (UK) and Guelph (Canada), and being a visiting professor at the Veterinary School of Glasgow (Scotland), he was appointed as senior lecturer / associate professor of veterinary anatomy (1992) at the Veterinary Faculty of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB). He is a member of the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists (AAVA) and an invited neuroanatomy lecturer in courses and seminars.

He has published several articles and books, being the latest “Neuronatomy of the dog” by Linus Learning, NY (2022 1st ed, 2024 2nd ed, 2025erd ed), and a website that he keeps constantly updated: www.neuroanatomyofthedog.com

Anne Jablinski is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary internal medicine, large animal focus. She is from central Texas and practices in the area. She completed her undergraduate education at Murray State University. She graduated veterinary school in 2019 from Texas A&M University, where she subsequently completed a rotating food animal internship. She then completed her residency and master’s degree in veterinary biomedical sciences at Kansas State University in 2023. She was a clinical assistant professor at Iowa State University and currently teaches classes at Tarleton State University and at Texas A&M University’s VERO campus in Canyon, TX. She has her own mobile mixed practice focusing on livestock consultation, and advises pre-veterinary students in the application process to veterinary school. She loves distance running, drawing, and horseback riding and has two dogs and two cats.

Philippa Johnson is a European Board-Certified Veterinary Radiologist who completed her residency at the Animal Health Trust under Dr. Ruth Dennis, a pioneer in veterinary neuroimaging. She earned a master’s in advanced neuroimaging from King’s College London before beginning her role at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. Her lab at Cornell utilizes advanced MRI techniques to study the animal brain and enhance our ability to monitor and diagnose neurological diseases. Her lab developed the first cortical and white matter MRI brain atlases for the canine brain. 

She is the primary or senior author on over 20 manuscripts in the field of veterinary MRI and neuroimaging and has presented her research at national and international conferences for the ACVR, ECVDI, ECVN, and ACVIM. She serves on the research committees of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and the American Society of Neuroradiology. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and founded Faraday Imaging, where she collaborates with a small team of radiologists to provide high-level MRI reports to neurologists and veterinarians worldwide.

Dr. Talisha Moore is a veterinarian who completed graduate coursework and obtained her DVM at Mississippi State University. Her graduate research investigated schizophrenia using a transgenic mouse model. Dr. Moore continued her clinical training with a small animal medicine and surgery internship at Mississippi State University, followed by a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at Purdue University. Dr. Moore had two faculty positions before joining the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in September 2020 as an Assistant Clinical Professor. Dr. Moore's clinical interest encompasses all aspects of neurology, but especially neurosurgery, management of neuropathic pain, and management of seizures. 

Dr. Vishal Murthy is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology/Neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis. His clinical and research interests include applied neuroanatomy and biomarkers of neural function, exotic animal neurology and neurology education. He also enjoys using his artistic side to educate through medical illustrations. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Dr. Murthy graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College and completed his residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis. In his spare time, he enjoys chasing his toddler around, cooking elaborate meals, and getting lost in a good book.

PD Dr. med. vet. Jasmin N. Nessler, Dipl. ECVN is an EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology and faculty member in Neurology/Neurosurgery at the Clinic for Small Animals, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. She serves as Secretary of the European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN) and is a member of the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists and the Study Group Veterinary Immunology (VIA) of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI).

Alongside the application of artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine, her primary research focus is clinical veterinary neuroimmunology. Her scientific vision for autoimmune-mediated inflammatory CNS is to move the field beyond symptom control by establishing objective disease-monitoring parameters for future studies and broadening therapeutic strategies, with the clear aim of enabling dogs to live better, fuller lives despite chronic neuroinflammatory disease.

Dr. Dennis O’Brien is Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine. After his residency in neurology, he received a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Illinois studying the effects of brain damage on behavior. At MU, he directed the Neurology & Neurosurgery service and the Comparative Neurology Research Program. He received the Dadd Award for teaching from his peers at MU, and he is recipient of the ACVIM Kirk Award for Professional Excellence from ACVIM. 

Dr. Mike Rosser, DVM, MS, Diplomate, ACVP (Clinical Pathology) is a Clinical Assistant Professor in veterinary clinical pathology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Rosser grew up in Chicago’s western suburbs and completed his BA at Augustana College (IL) before earning his DVM degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. He remained at the University of Illinois for his clinical pathology residency and obtained his ACVP board certification in 2018. As a faculty member, he enjoys combining his passions for diagnostic medicine and teaching. Dr. Rosser’s professional interests include hematology, cytology, and clinical pathology of nondomestic species.   

Dr. Sean Sanders is a Veterinary Neurologist and Neurosurgeon in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is a co-founder of The NeuroVets. He received his DVM degree from Washington State University and completed a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery along with a PhD in Neuroscience. Dr. Sanders was a founding partner of Seattle Veterinary Specialists and author of “Seizures in Dogs and Cats” published by Wiley Blackwell. Dr. Sanders lectures nationally and internationally on topics related to Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery. In his spare time, he spends time with his wife and their pets, builds wooden boats and classical guitars, restores  cars and enjoys, flying, mountain biking, hiking and snowboarding. 

Jillian Walz is a radiation and medical oncologist who currently provides locum tenens coverage in a variety of locations. She earned her veterinary degree from Ohio State University and completed a rotating internship at The Animal Medical Center (NYC). After completing a residency in Medical Oncology at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Walz returned to Ohio State to pursue a residency in Radiation Oncology.  She spent 6 years as part of the Integrated Oncology team at Angell Animal Medical Center (Boston) before setting out on her own. Her professional interests include multimodal therapy for brain and spinal cord tumors, and radiation in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. She has extensive experience in advanced radiotherapy techniques such as volumetric arc therapy (VMAT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT/SBRT). Dr. Walz is passionate about providing quality-of-life-centered care, and innovative, evidence-based treatment for her patients. When she’s not working, Dr. Walz loves hiking and outdoor adventure with her wife and daughter, riding horses, and flying trapeze. 

Iris Van Soens is a European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology with extensive experience in both academic and referral clinical settings. She currently divides her time equally between private referral practice and the University of Liège. Her work combines advanced clinical neurology with scientific research, resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications. Her main areas of expertise include epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders and electrophysiology and neuroimaging in dogs and cats. She is also actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary education.