Hayley R. Adams, DVM, PhD, DACVPM, DACVM
Dr. Adams has over 20 years of experience in wildlife veterinary medicine, conservation, and issues related to One Health in Africa. She has worked with a variety of domestic and wild animals, and has a particular interest in endangered species conservation and infectious disease at the human/domestic animal/wildlife interface. She is the Founder & Director of Operations of the Silent Heroes Foundation, a charity devoted to wildlife conservation & one health in Africa.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology/Anthropology, and went on to receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She completed a clinical internship in small animal and emergency medicine, and worked briefly in small animal private practice, before returning to her alma mater to work on her PhD in the veterinary sciences. In 2007 she received her PhD from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s Comparative Medicine Program, with a concentration in epidemiology and virology. Her PhD research focused on the molecular epidemiology and diagnosis of lentiviruses of free-ranging lions in southern Africa.
She is a board certified Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (specialties include environmental health, infectious & parasitic diseases, food safety, epidemiology & biostatistics, & public health administration & education) and the American College of Veterinary Microbiology (specialties include virology, bacteriology/mycology, & immunology). She serves as a board member for several charitable organizations focused on issues related to wildlife conservation & one health. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at the University of Florida, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
Megan Boyd
Bio coming soon.
Adrienne Bautista, DVM, PhD, DABVT
Originally from North Carolina, Dr. Bautista moved to California to pursue her doctoral degree in physiology. After completing her PhD, she went on to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis. Following her DVM, Dr. Bautista practiced small animal general and emergency medicine in the Sacramento area and served as the campus veterinarian for a local veterinary technology program. She returned to the University of California, Davis to complete a dairy food safety and security fellowship and a residency in clinical veterinary toxicology at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. Dr. Bautista worked briefly as an associate toxicologist for the California Environmental Protection Agency before returning to general practice for several years. A Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology, she has authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, and lay articles. Her experience in research, clinical practice, and toxicology brings a unique perspective to her current role as a Scientific Communications Veterinarian for Royal Canin.
Julie Brinker, DVM
Julie Brinker earned her DVM in 2000 from the University of Missouri, her Master of Science with a concentration in Veterinary Forensic Sciences from the University of Florida in 2015, and a graduate certificate in shelter medicine, also from the University of Florida, in 2016. She has practiced clinical, shelter and forensic medicine at the Humane Society of Missouri since 2001 where she was responsible for the care of over 500 dogs confiscated in the largest dog fighting raid in the United States in 2009 (“The Missouri 500”). She has special interests in forensic medicine and investigation, behavior and welfare of shelter animals, and zoonotic disease. She received an Award for Distinguished Service by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri in 2009 for her work with “The Missouri 500” and was named “Veterinarian of the Year” in 2012 by the Missouri Animal Control Association. Currently, she is one of two full-time shelter veterinarians at the Humane Society of Missouri who are responsible for the health and welfare of shelter animals and oversee the University of Missouri’s shelter medicine elective clinical rotation. She is a charter member of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and the Veterinary Information Network. She has testified in numerous cases of animal neglect and abuse and has lectured at many regional and national conferences in the United States and Canada on animal abuse, humane investigation, veterinary forensics, behavior of fighting dogs, disaster animal sheltering and other topics.
Adrienne Brundage, Ph.D.
Dr. Brundage is a forensic entomologist currently residing in Texas. She received her PhD in entomology from Texas A&M University, and has worked as a forensic entomologist in both California and Texas since 1999. In addition to case work, Dr. Brundage works as a professor of entomology, and has taught various entomological and forensic courses at San Jose State University, Texas A&M University, and Baylor University. She is also a prolific public speaker, giving talks and leading training seminars for all ages in forensic entomology across the country. Her current research involves the colonization of human remains by Dipteran species, and the interactions among larvae and bacteria.
Dr. Jason H. Byrd, Ph.D., D-ABFE
Dr. Byrd is the Associate Director of the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine. At the University of Florida, he instructs courses in forensic science at the University of Florida’s nationally recognized Hume Honors College. He is a Board Certified Forensic Entomologist and Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Entomology. He was twice elected President of the American Board of Forensic Entomology, and is a Past-President of the North American Forensic Entomology Association. He is the first person to be elected President of both professional North American Forensic Entomology Associations. He served for over a decade as a faculty member of the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine.
Outside of academics Dr. Byrd serves a within the National Disaster Medical System, Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, Region IV. He also serves as the Logistics Chief for the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System. Currently he serves as a subject editor for the Journal of Medical Entomology. He has published numerous scientific articles on the use and application of entomological evidence in legal investigations. Dr. Byrd has combined his formal academic training in Entomology and Forensic Science to serve as a consultant and educator in both criminal and civil legal investigations throughout the United States and Internationally. Dr. Byrd specializes in the education of law enforcement officials, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, and other death investigators on the use and applicability of arthropods in legal investigations. His research efforts have focused on the development and behavior of insects that have forensic importance, and he has over 15 years experience in the collection and analysis of entomological evidence. Dr. Byrd is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and serves as the Director of Education for the Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program at the University of Florida.
Ann Cavender, DVM M.S.
Graduated with an AAS (preveterinary) Schoolcraft College (now Schoolcraft University), BvS from Michigan State University, DVM Michigan State University, MS University of Florida. Attended CE forensic workshops including Bugs, Bones and Botany, Collection of Forensic Evidence, Animal Crime Scenes, Forensic Photography, Collecting and Documenting Forensic Evidence, Bitemark, Osteology and others.
Charter member of IVFSA, member of AASRP, AVMA, AAFP.
Private mixed animal practice in SE Michigan since 1980, establishing Salem Veterinary Services in July 1981. Consulted with local attorneys on animal related cases, testified in court in animal neglect cases, conducted forensic necropsies for local law enforcement and the DNR.
AnnMarie Clark, M.S.
AnnMarie Clark spent 18 years with the University of Florida managing a wildlife genetics laboratory that focused on population and conservation genetics, as well as training graduate students in the fine arts of non-lethal sample collection, how to process their own samples in the laboratory, and data collection and analysis. As an extension of the popgen focus of the laboratory, she began developing testing for poaching issues for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in the mid-1990s and handled most of the poaching cases that involved DNA analysis.
Clark has been working with the Maples Center for Forensic Medicine handling a wide variety of forensic cases that require DNA analysis of wildlife or companion animals including dog fighting, domestic violence, predator identification, and canine paternity/ownership cases.
She has taught numerous workshops designed to train law enforcement and attorneys to understand the questions that could be asked of DNA, how to collect evidence, and how to interpret data from the laboratory reports.
Joshua Fisher, DHA, MS, CAWA
Dr. Fisher has a diverse educational background spanning population management/medicine, public health, veterinary sciences, informatics, and healthcare administration. With over 20 years of experience in the veterinary medical and animal welfare field, he has held management roles in private practices, corporate practices, and the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Fisher serves as the Animal Services Director for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
As a passionate advocate for professional development and growth within the animal welfare industry, Dr. Fisher actively engages in providing continued education and training opportunities. His commitment extends to cutting-edge industry research. His professional interests are multifaceted, including keeping pets and people together, public health and safety, advanced marketing and placement strategies, intake reduction tactics, strategic planning, and industry career development.
Beyond his local work in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Dr. Fisher holds key leadership roles as President of the National Animal Care & Control Association, Member of the Managing Executive Committee for the Human Animal Support Services Project, and Secretary/Treasurer of the North Carolina Public Health Association – Academic & Practice-based Research Section. A few of Dr. Fisher’s achievements include being a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator, a graduate of the Best Friends Executive Leadership Certification Program, a Certified Customer Experience Executive, and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Maya Gupta
Dr. Maya Gupta earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia, with a predoctoral internship in the Psychology Service at the United States Penitentiary – Atlanta. Her interests center on connections between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, particularly domestic violence, and on using this knowledge to improve community response to violence in all forms. She also has a strong interest in assessment/intervention with juvenile and adult cruelty offenders, with a particular focus on identifying perpetrator subtypes and developing empirically supported interventions.
Dr. Gupta’s work in the field of human-animal relationships includes previous roles as Executive Director of the Animals & Society Institute and as Executive Director of the Ahimsa House domestic violence safe haven program for animals. She now contracts for animal welfare organizations on program development and evaluation, serves as a consultant for research projects on human-animal interaction, and provides expert witness services for animal cruelty cases. In addition to teaching for the Veterinary Forensic Sciences program, she is an adjunct faculty member with the Master’s Program in Anthrozoology at Canisius College. Her current professional service includes the Senior Director of Applied Research, ASPCA, the Steering Committee of the National Link Coalition, the Animal Cruelty Advisory Council of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the Board of Directors of Mojave Animal Protection, the Advisory Team of Pets for Vets, the Governing Body of the Section on Human-Animal Interaction in the American Psychological Association, and serving as an Action Editor for the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin.
Dr. Maranda A. Kles, Ph.D.
Dr. Kles is a physical anthropologist, specializing in forensic anthropology. She currently lives in Louisiana with her husband, daughter, and dog, Charley. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida in 2013. Dr. Kles is currently an assistant professor of anthropology at a university in Louisiana. In addition, she continues to consult on forensic anthropology cases.
Dr. Kles’ interest in veterinary osteology developed from the need to identify non-human skeletal remains during the course of forensic anthropology investigations. Her research includes skeletal trauma analysis and identifying skeletal morphology that allows a finer distinction of species.
Beverly McEwen DVM, MSc, Ph.D., DACVP
Beverly graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada, and has been a diagnostic pathologist for over 30 years. After a year in practice, she returned to OVC and completed a Master’s degree and PhD in veterinary pathology and became board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1986. She is a full member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and has been a member of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association since its inception and completed 2 terms on the IVFSA Board of Directors. She is an invited speaker on veterinary forensic pathology at national and international conferences and has authored or co-authored journal articles on topics in veterinary forensic pathology in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Medicine, Science, and Pathology and Veterinary Pathology. She was guest associate editor for the September 2016 issue of Veterinary Pathology, entirely devoted to veterinary forensic pathology, a first for any veterinary journal. Several chapters she has written on the pathology of asphyxia and drowning have been accepted for publication in an upcoming textbook on veterinary forensic pathology.
Pamela Reid, Ph.D.
Dr. Pamela Reid is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (C.A.A.B.), and currently serves as Vice President of the ASPCA’s Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team (ACBT) and the Anti-Cruelty Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, which provides behavior assessments, enrichment and rehabilitation for animal victims of cruelty, most notably from dog fighting, puppy mill and hoarding cases. At the Rehab Center, Dr. Reid’s team implements treatments designed to reduce fear and anxiety, with the goals of improving the well-being of neglected, undersocialized dogs and helping them become suitable for adoption.
Dr. Reid has been involved in many high-profile operations, including evaluating the dogs from the two largest dogfighting raids in US history: the “Missouri 500” and the “Alabama 367.” In 2008 she received a Public Service Award from the United States Attorney’s Office for her assistance with the Michael Vick dogfighting case. She has testified as an expert witness in several dangerous dog attack and dogfighting cases.
Dr. Reid received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in animal learning and behavior from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the ASPCA in 2001, she established a successful pet behavior consulting practice in Toronto, Canada. As a member of the faculties of the University of Guelph and the University of Illinois, Dr. Reid taught veterinary students and supervised graduate students working toward theses in applied animal behavior.
Ngaio Richards, Ph.D.
Ngaio Richards is a wildlife biologist and detection dog handler who has had the privilege of fielding in such far-flung places as the Alaskan arctic, the outer islands of west Scotland and the jungles of Cameroon. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science and an MSc in Natural Resource Sciences, for examining the risks that pesticide exposure poses to Eastern Screech owls in apple orchards of southern Québec, Canada. Inspired by the ‘Asian Vulture Crisis’, in which exposure to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac nearly brought three species of Gyps vultures to extinction, her PhD research sought to identify carcass parts – from highly decomposed animals – in which NSAIDs could be detected, to maximize the amount and breadth of information that could be collected after a mortality event.
Much of her work involves bridging the gap between those who specialize either in the repercussions of pesticides, or of veterinary agents, on wildlife as well as those who work in field and analytical settings. She has enjoyed a longstanding collaboration with a wildlife forensics network in Andalucía, Spain that has pioneered many innovative techniques – from training their field officers to impeccably process and gather evidence, to laboratory methods developed to squeeze out every possible bit of information to aid in the prosecution of crimes against wildlife and our environment.
Ngaio is also the Forensics & Field Specialist for Working Dogs for Conservation, a nonprofit in Montana that employs high-drive dogs – most adopted from shelters – to collect otherwise hard to gather information that is integral to conserving wildlife and their habitats. She is managed by a fastidious border collie named Orbee, who is also her primary working partner.
Jessica Rock, J.D.
Frequent speaker on the link between animal abuse, interpersonal violence (domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse) and other collateral crimes (organized crime, gangs, drugs, illegal weapons, dangerous dogs, dog fighting, child pornography, bestiality, human trafficking and more), animal law, animal cruelty and animal fighting for law enforcement, animal control officers, prosecutors and veterinarians.
Jessica is the Director of Legal Advocacy & Law Enforcement Support with the Atlanta Humane Society’s Animal Cruelty Unit. She provides expertise to law enforcement, animal control officers and prosecutors from the crime scene to the courtroom for animal abuse cases, including animal cruelty and dog fighting anywhere in Georgia. She also provides free POST, CLE and LEAP credited training on animal abuse investigations and prosecutions and the link between animal abuse and other crimes for law enforcement, animal control officers, prosecutors, judges and veterinarians.
Former Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit for DeKalb County, Jessica graduated with Honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology. Jessica received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Emory University School of Law in 2003. After clerking for a superior court judge and the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, in 2004, she became Georgia’s first dedicated animal cruelty prosecutor, creating Georgia’s first animal cruelty task force with law enforcement.
For over a decade, Jessica successfully prosecuted thousands of special victims cases involving homicide, RICO, gangs, domestic violence, elder abuse, child victim cases, animal cruelty and dog fighting. In 2014, she co-founded an organization that served as a resource and conducted trainings for animal law professionals. Training judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, animal control officers and veterinarians for over 15 years, she continues teaching nationally and throughout Georgia on the link between animal abuse and other crimes, animal law, animal cruelty, neglect, animal fighting, abandonment, animal hoarding, puppy mills, large impound cases, equine cruelty and case preparation and courtroom presentation in animal abuse cases.
In addition to her speaking engagements, she also works diligently drafting laws related to animals in Georgia on both the state and local levels. She is the immediate past Chair of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and on the executive board of the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals.
Adam Stern, DVM
Dr. Adam W. Stern is a board-certified veterinary pathologist practicing veterinary medicine in Gainesville, Florida as an Associate Professor of Forensic Pathology in the department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. He is a member of the International Veterinary Forensics Science Association.
Dr. Stern has been qualified multiple times as an expert witness in veterinary medicine and veterinary pathology. He has consulted on cases of various types of animal abuse, neglect, human crimes involving animals, and food forensics. Currently Dr. Stern is involved with veterinary forensic research, outreach, lecturing and manages all veterinary forensic pathology cases for the University of Florida. Dr. Stern has lectured at local, national, and international professional conferences on topics such as anesthetic related-deaths in animals, the forensic necropsy/autopsy, thermal injuries, sexual abuse of animals, and non-accidental trauma. He has also published extensively in peer reviewed literature on subjects of natural disease and veterinary forensic pathology as well as published a book on veterinary forensic investigations, evidence collection, and expert testimony.
Dr. Stern is using mapping techniques to track the deaths of stray animals in his “A Dog Has No Name” and “A Cat Has No Name” projects.
Susan Underkoffler, MFS, holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Scientific Illustration from Arcadia University and a Master of Forensic Science degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. She has developed an animal forensic science track at Drexel University College of Medicine, offered as part of their graduate forensics program. She spent many years as Forensics Manager for the Pennsylvania SPCA, where she developed the first Forensics Unit and handled all forensic responsibilities associated with humane law enforcement animal cruelty cases including crime scene documentation, evidence collection and processing, animal forensic exams, necropsies and courtroom preparation, along with assuming veterinary technician responsibilities and management of a court case animal fostering program. She developed and participates in community advocacy initiatives including the establishment of a Philadelphia Hoarding Task Force. She also previously worked as an analyst and researcher in the toxicology and criminalistics departments at NMS Laboratories and Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology and was an environmental scientist performing wetland delineations, Phase I site assessments, and wildlife monitoring in both Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Susan has traveled nationally as a professional consultant and educator for animal cruelty investigations. She has conducted international research in several African countries, including primate behavior and habitat conservation in Equatorial Guinea, Africa, and elephant tracking, censusing and behavior monitoring in Namibia, Africa. She also studied elephant social behavior at the Philadelphia Zoo. She has published scientific articles and biological and scientific illustrations in numerous publications. Susan is active in many professional organizations including the Society for Conservation Biology, Animal Behavior Society, Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Association of Women in Forensic Science, American Academy of Forensic Science, and the International Association for Identification, and she currently serves on the Board of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association. She also serves on the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Animal Response Teams.
Elizabeth Watson DVM, M.S.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
Dr. Elizabeth Watson is an American College of Veterinary Radiology board-certified veterinary radiologist with advanced training in veterinary forensic radiology and imaging. She holds a MS degree in Anatomy and Radiology from the University of Georgia and a MS degree in Veterinary Forensic Science from the University of Florida. She has completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Virtopsy at the University of Zurich, Switzerland and additional training in medicolegal death investigations at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Dr. Watson has practiced and taught veterinary diagnostic imaging, including forensic radiology and imaging, for over 25 years. Her research interests include post-mortem imaging and radiographic signs and mimics of nonaccidental skeletal trauma. Dr. Watson has served as the President of the American College of Veterinary Radiology, and currently serves as an Associate Editor for Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound. She is a forensic imaging consultant to multiple humane organizations, zoos, wildlife organizations, and veterinary practices.
Jennifer Woolf, DVM, MS
Dr. Jennifer Woolf is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. She was among the first anywhere in the world to complete the UF Veterinary Forensic Sciences Graduate Certificate and subsequently earn her Master of Science degree with a concentration in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. In 2018-2019, Dr. Woolf completed the Donald G. Low-CVMA Practitioner Fellowship at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in the Anatomic Pathology Department. Dr. Woolf has over 20 years experience in the veterinary medicine field including private practice, shelter medicine, and animal abuse investigations. She has seen cases from the crime scene to the courtroom, including testifying, where she has been declared an expert witness in small animal veterinary medicine and in the identification and treatment of abused animals.
Since 2015, Dr. Woolf has been teaching in the UF Veterinary Forensic Sciences program. Additionally, she has spoken internationally on animal abuse issues to veterinarians, attorneys, veterinary technicians and nurses, animal shelter staff, domestic violence shelter staff, and others. Dr. Woolf is on the Board of Directors of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association, and is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and the Veterinary Information Network. She regularly seeks further education in forensics and veterinary medicine.