College welcomes new faculty, administrators
The college has welcomed several new faculty members to the UF College of Veterinary Medicine community this past year. Additionally, some faculty have transferred into college departments from other UF departments or moved into new administrative roles.
This distinguished group includes:
Dean’s Office and Hospital Administrative:
- Dr. Janet Robishaw, a professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies, joined the administrative faculty in August. She oversees all research-related operations at the college. Her research focus is on the identification of human disease-associated genetic variants contributing to disease risk and treatment response. Her transdisciplinary approach uses genomic analysis of large patient cohorts to identify potential disease variants followed by assessment of their disease-causing mechanisms in relevant human cellular and animal models.
- Dr. Charles Vite, a professor and chair of the department of small animal clinical sciences, joined the administrative faculty in October. A board-certified veterinary neurologist, he oversees all departmental academic activities. His research focus is to improve the characterization and treatment of hereditary neurodegenerative diseases. His laboratory develops and evaluates experimental therapies including gene therapy, cell-based therapy, and pharmacotherapy and develops and validates ante-mortem biochemical and magnetic resonance markers of disease severity and progression.
- Dr. Darcy Adin, a clinical professor, joined the administrative faculty as an assistant dean for clinical services/small animal and is associated with the cardiology service. A board-certified veterinary cardiologist, she also directs the college’s new open heart surgery program for dogs. Her clinical research focuses on enhancing our understanding of neurohormonal imbalances in heart failure and improving treatment of advanced heart disease in pets.
- Dr. Travis Lanaux, a clinical assistant professor, joined the administrative faculty as medical director for the UF Small Animal Hospital in November. A board-certified specialist in veterinary emergency and critical care, he is associated with the small animal emergency and critical care service.
Large Animal Clinical Sciences:
- Dr. Eduardo J. Arroyo, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in September. A board-certified theriogenologist, he is associated with the theriogenology service. He is interested in reproductive assisted biotechnologies, not only applied to the equine specie, but to small and wild animals as well. His research centralizes around male reproduction with a focus on reproductive biotechnologies.
- Dr. Maria E. Cadario, a clinical professor, joined the faculty in October. A board-certified theriogenologist, she is associated with the theriogenology service. Her special areas of focus are the infertile mare, with emphasis on endometritis, endocrinopathies and reproduction in the mare, breeding management and embryo transfer.
- Dr. Shannon Darby, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in February and is associated with the internal medicine service. She is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine. She is interested in all aspects of large animal medicine and has a specific interest in equine gastrointestinal disease and small ruminant medicine.
- Dr. Brittany N. Diehl, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July as the small ruminant extension specialist. She is involved in production-based ram and buck performance testing primarily related to parasite resistance and growth parameters. She is the co-coordinator of the annual UF Ram Test & Sale, established in 2021, and UF Buck Test & Sale, established in 2024. She also chairs the UF Small Ruminant Short Course. Her clinically applied research focuses on small ruminant parasitology and reproduction.
- Dr. Lisa A. Edwards, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in November and is associated with the internal medicine service. She is a board-certified specialist in both internal medicine and large animal emergency and critical care. She is interested in all aspects of large animal medicine and critical care with a specific focus on neonatology, renal disease, and equine neurologic disorders.
- Dr. Sofia Kovacsy Ispizua, a clinical lecturer, joined the faculty in December. She is associated with the theriogenology service. Her interest and research are centralized in mare reproduction with a particular focus on artificial reproduction technologies, or ART, embryo vitrification, and endometritis.
- Dr. Lawrence I. Kadic, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in January and is associated with the large animal surgery service. He is interested in all aspects of large animal surgery, but has a particular interest in the innovation of orthopaedic surgery in equine patients. Kadic is intrigued by translational medicine/surgery. He hopes to advance veterinary care and patient outcomes by introducing techniques out of small animal and human medicine/surgery.
- Dr. Heather A. Roe, a clinical lecturer, joined the faculty in September and is associated with the large animal surgery service. Her interests include soft tissue surgery, including ureogenital and abdominal surgeries in horses and ruminants.
- Dr. Tatiana Weisbrod, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July and has a joint clinical role serving as a veterinarian at SeaWorld Orlando. Board-certified in zoological medicine, she is associated with the Aquatic Animal Health program. She serves as a co-mentor to residents in the aquatic animal medicine program and has a strong interest in aquatic clinical education. Her main clinical and research interests are improving diagnostic and treatment options in marine mammals focusing on the Florida manatee.
- Dr. Luis H. de Aguiar, a clinical associate professor, joined the faculty in November and is associated with the theriogenology program. His interests are all aspects of assisted reproductive techniques and domestic and endangered species. He hopes to develop and optimize technologies that can increase the reproductive efficiency of domestic animals both in the field and in the laboratory. In addition, he aims to use domestic species as a model to help endangered species through cryopreservation of gametes, in vitro fertilization and related techniques.
- Dr. Jonathan R. Cowart, a research assistant professor, joined the faculty in July. His research centralizes around marine mammal reproduction with particular focuses on reproductive anatomy/microanatomy, sperm form and function, and genital evolution.
Small Animal Clinical Sciences:
- Dr. Melissa C. Bucknoff, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in January and is associated with the emergency and critical care service. A board-certified criticalist, her interest is in point-of-care diagnostics in the ER and ICU, as well as patient safety optimization. Collaborative medicine and training house officers and students are why she loves working in the teaching hospital.
- Dr. Bruna Del Nera, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in September. A board-certified veterinary cardiologist, she is associated with the cardiology service. Although she is interested in many aspects of her specialty, she is particularly passionate about minimally invasive and hybrid cardiac interventions.
- Dr. Kelly E. Dulli, a clinical lecturer, joined the faculty in September and is associated with the shelter medicine service. She coordinates the Alachua County Animal Resources clerkship for clinical-year veterinary students.
- Dr. Jishnu R. Gutti, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in October and is associated with the radiation oncology service. His interests include exploring innovative techniques such as image-guided radiation therapy, or IGRT, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, and stereotactic radiation therapy, or SRT, to optimize treatment outcomes while minimizing side effects. He is also exploring the intersection of radiotherapy with other therapeutic strategies.
- Dr. Wan-Chu Ellan Hung, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in September and is associated with the emergency and critical care service. She is a board-certified small animal emergency and critical care specialist, and her clinical interests include sepsis, respiratory emergencies, and electrolyte abnormalities.
- Dr. Paoul S. Martinez, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July and is associated with the ophthalmology service. His interests include dry eye disease, ocular immunology, corneal wound healing and ocular microbiology.
- Dr. Katsuhiro Matsuura, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July and is associated with the cardiology service. He is an open heart surgeon and his hiring facilitated the launch of the college’s new open heart surgery program for dogs this past year.
- Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell, an assistant professor, assumed her new position on the faculty in July and is associated with the surgical oncology service. Her research interests include pain management and novel therapies for the treatment of cancer.
- Dr. Chi-Yen Wu, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July and is associated with the dermatology service. A board-certified dermatologist, his interests include all aspects of dermatology, particularly topical therapy, the use of brainstem auditory evoked response testing in otic disease, and carbon dioxide laser in the management of dermatological disease.
- Dr. Rebecca Nance, an assistant scientist, joined the faculty in December. Her research interests, primarily focused on osteosarcoma, include elucidation of tumoral heterogeneity, mechanisms of metastases and acquired drug resistance, and the interaction between immune and malignant cells within tumors.
Infectious Diseases and Immunology:
- Dr. Danmeng Li joined the faculty in December as a research assistant professor. Her research has been dedicated to unraveling the complexities of the immune system, with a particular focus on the Human Leukocyte Antigen, or HLA, system and the application of crystallography as a powerful tool to understand immune-related molecular interactions.
Physiological Sciences:
- Dr. Carl Hansen, a master lecturer, joined the faculty in September. He has a long teaching history in systems and comparative physiology. His research interests have focused on G-protein signaling pathways within the cardiovascular system.
- Dr. Emma Schachner, an assistant professor, joined the faculty in May. Her research is on the evolution and non-ventilatory behaviors of the respiratory system in reptiles in birds, including their extinct relatives. She also specializes in 3D anatomical modeling and CT-based imaging.
Comparative, Diagnostic and Population Medicine:
- Dr. Richard J. Dulli, a clinical assistant professor, joined the faculty in July and is associated with the clinical pathology service. His research interests focus on quality assurance and quality control. His past work has included the validation of an automated hematology analyzer and the investigation of normal caprine respiratory wash analysis. He also has a clinical interest in the microscopic evaluation of bone marrow.
- Dr. Jeffrey Gruntmeir, an assistant scientist, joined the faculty in August. His specialty is veterinary parasitology, and his research interests focus on surveillance for zoonotic emerging pathogens, parasites, and vector borne diseases in domestic and wild animals as well as arthropod vectors. This interest includes improving current diagnostic tools and developing diagnostic strategies for surveillance of imported disease agents and those which have been otherwise neglected in both humans and animals in the United States.