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Our Guest Speakers

Guest Speakers’ Biographies

Dr. Laura Cuddy MVB MS DACVS-SA DECVS DACVSMR DECVSMR MRCVS
American, EBVS, RCVS and VCI Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
American and EBVS Specialist in Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Laura graduated from University College Dublin in 2008 with a first class honours degree in Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery, followed by a Masters of Science and residency in small animal surgery at the University of Florida (UF). In 2013, Laura joined University College Dublin as Assistant Professor in Small Animal Surgery. She was welcomed as a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons in 2014, and as a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Laura is actively involved in teaching and regularly delivers lectures and practical workshops nationally and internationally. Her research interests include orthopaedic biomechanics, specifically relating to medial coronoid disease in dogs, as well as teaching and proficiency assessment in minimally-invasive procedures. Laura maintains a strong interest in all aspects of orthopaedic, soft tissue, neurologic and oncologic surgery, however, her main clinical interests reflect her advanced training at UF in minimally-invasive techniques, traumatology and rehabilitation of the postoperative patient.

Dr. Orla Doherty MVB MSc PhD MRCVS

Orla qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon from UCD in 1992 and completed a Master’s Degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Edinburgh University in 1993. She subsequently carried out further research and study into animal behaviour and learning at Edinburgh University and also at Cornell University, New York and Auburn University, Alabama in the US. Orla founded the Animal Behaviour Clinic in1994, while initially also continuing to work in general veterinary practice. Since 1994, she has been treating behaviour problems in animals throughout the country. Orla is an Associate Lecturer in Animal Behaviour in the Veterinary College at University College Dublin and lectured in the University of Limerick until 2016.

She delivers regular presentations to groups of Veterinary Surgeons on the treatment of behaviour problems and on the latest research findings within this area. In addition, a core part of Orla’s work involves consultations with individual pet owners on a one-to-one basis. She has worked with horse owners and riders at clinics in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada, and has organised equine behaviour and performance workshops and clinics in Ireland with visiting international experts for the past 10 years. Orla continues to research and study animal behaviour, and completed an Australian Diploma in Equitation Science through the Australian Equine Behavior Center (2017).  She completed her PhD through the University of Limerick in 2016, studying horse – rider interactions, training methods and the impact of equipment used in training horses.

Internationally, Orla has presented her work to advisory groups for the British Horse society, the Equine Behaviour Forum (UK), the Swiss Society of Veterinary Behaviourists (Switzerland), the Progressive equine behaviour and training forum (USA) and been a participant of the Havermeyer Horse Welfare Workshop (Canada). Orla is currently the Hon President of the International Society for Equitation Science.

Dr. Séamus Hoey MVB DipECVDI DipACVR-DI DipACVR-EDI MRCVS

Séamus is board certified by the ECVDI and ACVR in radiology and equine diagnostic imaging. He is a consultant with VetCT and an assistant professor at the Veterinary School in Dublin.
Séamus graduated from Dublin, did his joint American and European residency at the University of Wisconsin- Madison before taking a lecturer position at the University of Zúrich. Since 2016 he has been at the Dublin Veterinary School and VetCT. He enjoys imaging of all species from horses to lizards and all in between, particularly musculoskeletal imaging and neuroimaging.

Dr. Darryl Millis, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR

Darryl is a Diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. He is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Director of the CARES Center for Veterinary Sports Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, where he has taught veterinary orthopedics for over 25 years. 

Darryl is a co-editor of the Textbook of Small Animal Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation; Essential Facts of Physiotherapy in Dogs and Cats; Small Animal Physical Rehabilitation: Veterinary Clinics of North America-Small Animal Practice; and Multimodal Management of Canine Osteoarthritis. He is co-founder of the award winning UT Certificate Program in Canine Rehabilitation, now taught on six continents. He is also the Past President of the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy.  Darryl has received numerous awards, including the AVMA Career Achievement Award in Canine Research and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Iams Paatsama Orthopedic Surgery Award. His primary areas of research interests include osteoarthritis, physical rehabilitation, regenerative medicine, and fracture healing.   

Elly Russell BA VetMB CertAVP(GSAS) MRCVS

Elly qualified in 2002 and has worked in a variety of small animal settings.  After completing a surgery certificate in 2019, she started a PhD at the University of Lincoln, supported and funded by the VDS, researching communication and patient safety in the veterinary profession. Elly is particularly interested in team and organisational communication and is passionate about helping veterinary teams deliver safe care through improved communication. Elly is part of the VDS training team where she heads up the communication training provision. She is passionate about helping veterinary professionals, teams and practices communicate well, achieve great patient outcomes, and to thrive.

Matthew Rendle RVN

Matt started his veterinary nursing career at The Park Veterinary Centre, Watford in September 1989, a busy mixed and exotics 13-vet practice, where he completed his veterinary nursing qualification.
In 1994 he was made Senior Theatre Nurse. He left in 2003 to pursue his interest in zoo and wildlife nursing at the Zoological Society of London. Matthew left the Zoo in April 2017 to look for new challenges within exotic and wildlife nursing.
Matt has experience in the nursing care for many species from ants to elephants (and most things in-between) and has been fortunate to travel as part of his roles.
He lectures to veterinary nursing and veterinary surgeon undergraduates at the RVC as part of their core modules on topics such as herpetological husbandry, and some areas of zoo and wildlife diagnostic imaging and anaesthesia. He also lectures extensively on herpetology throughout Europe and America.
Matt has completed a three-year term on the British Veterinary Nursing Association Council, which allowed him to help promote and raise the profile of veterinary nursing in the UK.
Matt is the chair of AZEVN which he helped set up in 2016 to provide CPD for nurses working with Zoo, exotics and wildlife species.

Dr Stephanie Cousins BVSc MRCVS

Stephanie graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2014. She spent 7 years in small animal practice before setting up Home Vet NI in March 2021. Home Vet NI is a peaceful home euthanasia service for cats and dogs, providing owners with support before and after euthanasia. Stephanie takes pride in helping families through a very emotional time and giving animals a humane and dignified death without pain or anxiety. She has completed the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy programme and the Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support Training.