Feline Forum
FRIDAY, October 17
1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
General Session Meeting Room - Grapevine C
Session organizers: Drs. Ursula Dietrich and Michelle Willis
To (PCR) test or not to test? That is the question: the utility of PCR diagnostics in feline clinical ophthalmology
Please join us Friday at 3 pm, immediately following the podium abstracts, for an interactive panel discussion lead by our esteemed colleagues, Drs. Brian Leonard and Eric Ledbetter. They will discuss their experiences using PCR technology in feline ophthalmology in both the research and clinical realm. Both diplomates have an extensive background in molecular biology and will be ready to field your questions, so come prepared to engage in the discussion of a technology that remains an ongoing, and sometimes frustrating, ‘question mark’ in daily practice with our feline patients.
Brian Leonard
DVM, PhD, DACVO
Dr. Brian Leonard completed his undergraduate degree at Kenyon College (BA in Biochemistry) in Gambier, OH. After graduation, he completed his veterinary (DVM) and graduate (PhD) degrees at UC Davis through the Veterinary Scientist Training Program (VSTP). Dr. Leonard spent one year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a small animal rotating internship and subsequently came back to UC Davis to complete a 4-year residency in comparative ophthalmology. Dr. Leonard is now an Assistant Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis. He has both research and clinical commitments in the Comparative Ophthalmology and Vision Science Laboratory (COSVL) and the Ophthalmology Clinical Section in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, respectively. Dr. Leonard’s research is focused on ophthalmic diseases of the ocular surface, including dry eye disease and microbial keratitis. He mentors post-docs, residents, as well as graduate and undergraduate students in the basic science laboratory and in the animal modeling laboratory of COSVL. During his residency, Dr. Leonard became involved in an exciting project focusing on the multidisciplinary approach to nasolacrimal duct obstructions. As a faculty member, he has continued in this area of specialization, leading the team of experts to re-establish patency of the nasolacrimal duct.
Eric C. Ledbetter
DVM, DACVO
Dr. Eric Ledbetter is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and a James Law Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, he completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and a comparative ophthalmology residency at Cornell University, where he joined the faculty in 2006.
Dr. Ledbetter's research interests include ocular infectious disease, corneal disease, and in vivo corneal imaging techniques. He is a frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences and has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, review articles, and book chapters. In addition to research and teaching endeavors, Dr. Ledbetter provides clinical ophthalmology services within Cornell University’s Companion Animal and Equine & Farm Animal Hospitals.
