Lionel Sebbag

DVM, PhD, DACVO

Lionel Sebbag obtained his veterinary medical degree (DVM) from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse (France). He then completed a rotating Internship at Kansas State University before pursuing a 4-year Residency in Comparative Ophthalmology at the University of California-Davis. After his residency training, Dr. Sebbag went to Iowa State University to complete a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences focused on pharmacology and ocular disease models. He now works as a faculty member in Ophthalmology at the Koret Veterinary School in Israel. His clinical and research interests include ocular surface diseases, tear film biology and innovations in drug delivery to the eye. 

Brian C. Gilger

DVM, MS, DACVO, DABT

Dr. Brian Gilger is a Professor of Ophthalmology at North Carolina State University and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and American Board of Toxicologists.  He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of The Ohio State University in 2018 and Auburn University in 2020. He was awarded the American Veterinary Medical Association Clinical Research Award in 2018 and the Zoetis Research Award in 2021.  Dr. Gilger’s research is focused on ocular immunology, uveitis, and innovative therapies for equine ocular disease.  He has authored over 180 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and is the editor of seven textbooks, including Equine Ophthalmology, now in its fourth edition.

Brian C 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.

Panelists

Dr. Heidi Featherstone
Dr. David Maggs
Dr. Leandro Teixeira
Dr. Thomas J. Kern

Session Moderator

Dr. Caroline Betbeze

Heidi Featherstone

BVetMed, DVOphthal, DECVO, MRCVS, EBVS®, RCVS

Heidi graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1991. She worked in general practice for seven years before starting her training in ophthalmology at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket. Heidi gained her RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2001, and her European Diploma in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2005. She is both an RCVS Recognised Specialist and an EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology. She is a member of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Panel, past Secretary of the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (BrAVO) and past President of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO). Heidi enjoys teaching undergraduates at two veterinary schools (Nottingham University and St George’s University, Grenada), as well as training post-graduates via the ECVO residency programme. Her clinical interests include corneal disease and the surgical management of cataract. She has published on several aspects of veterinary ophthalmology and is a regular speaker in the UK and overseas.

David Maggs

BVSc (Hons), DACVO, MANZCVSc

Following graduation from the University of Melbourne in 1988, David spent 5 years in mixed practice throughout Australia, England, Scotland, and Wales. He then completed small animal and equine internships at Colorado State University, and a research fellowship and comparative ophthalmology residency at the University of Missouri. He joined the faculty at the University of California-Davis in 2000. He is an author of Slatter’s Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology (soon in its 6th edition) and has served on the ACVO Credentials Committee and as the ABVO Chair.

Leandro Teixeira

DVM, MSc, Dipl. ACVP

Dr. Teixeira received his DVM from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil and completed an anatomical pathology residency followed by a Masters in comparative pathology at the same university. In 2009 he joined COPLOW for the Ocular pathology Fellowship followed by a two-year fellowship in vision science at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the UW-Madison School of Medicine. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine he served as a clinical instructor and later became an assistant professor and the director of the COPLOW laboratory in 2014. He was promoted to associated professor with tenure in 2022.

He is responsible for diagnostic ocular pathology services at the COPLOW lab, collaborative research in the academic setting through UW’s veterinary and medical schools and McPherson Eye Research Institute (MERI) and ocular toxicologic pathology support through the Ocular Services on Demand (OSOD), LLC and the Comparative Ophthalmic Research Laboratory (CORL). His research focus in the morphologic and comparative aspects of spontaneous ocular animal disease, morphological and ultrastructural assessment of animal models of glaucoma and retinal neovascular diseases, ocular immunology in animal models among other topics. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications as well as multiple book chapters.

Thomas J. Kern

DVM, DACVO

Tom completed his DVM at the University of Missouri in 1975 which was followed by an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Georgia and  an instructorship the year afterward  supporting the ophthalmology service there.   After completing a comparative ophthalmology residency at Cornell University he served as an Instructor of Ophthalmology for three years before being recruited to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He returned to Cornell as a faculty member in 1983 and retired as Associate Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology in 2020. He has held every office in the ACVO except Treasurer and chaired the Examination, Ethics, and Maintenance of Certification Committees. Most recently he co-edited the 5th and 6th editions of Veterinary Ophthalmology.