Speakers - Digital event

Sue Ettinger

Speaker

Biography under update.

Rodolfo Oliveira Leal

Speaker

Master’s and PhD holder in Veterinary Medicine, European Specialist in Internal Medicine, professor, and head of Internal Medicine at Lisbon Vet Specialists.

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Rodolfo Oliveira Leal

Speaker

Holds a Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine (2008) and a PhD in Veterinary Sciences (2014) from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon (ULisboa). Completed an internship (2008–2009) and residency (2014–2016) in Internal Medicine at Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire Fregis (France). Has been a European Specialist in Internal Medicine (ECVIM-CA) since 2017. He is currently an invited assistant professor and supervises the ongoing Internal Medicine residency program at FMV-ULisboa. At the same time, he serves as head of the Internal Medicine department at the Veterinary Specialty Center “Lisbon Vet Specialists.” He is also an internal medicine consultant for VIN (Veterinary Information Network) and vice-president of the European Society of Veterinary Endocrinology (ESVE). He is the author of several publications and a speaker at national and international lectures in the field of internal medicine. His main areas of interest are Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/Hepatology, and Leishmaniasis, where he develops clinical research.

Alain Fontbonne

Speaker

A leading authority in small animal reproduction, Prof. Alain Fontbonne combines academic leadership, clinical innovation, and international scientific influence in canine and feline fertility and assisted reproduction.

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Alain Fontbonne

Speaker

Prof. Alain Fontbonne, DVM, MSc, PhD, Habilitation, Dip. ECAR. Alain Fontbonne is a diplomate of the European College of Animal Reproduction (ECAR) and Full Professor of Small Animal Reproduction at the Veterinary Faculty of Alfort (Paris, France). He has founded two specialized clinical centers for dog and cat reproduction in Lyon and Alfort. He has also been one of the founding members and former President of the European Veterinary Society for Small Animal Reproduction (EVSSAR) and was elected an Honorary Member of EVSSAR. He is also Vice-President of a French NGO involved in assisted reproduction in wild felids. His topics of interest are fertility control in dogs and cats, assisted reproduction, and infectious diseases affecting reproduction. He has published more than 100 publications for veterinarians and breeders and has been invited to lecture at more than 80 international congresses. He has been asked to deliver the opening keynote lecture at the European Congress on Canine and Feline Reproduction in Porto in July 2025.

Luis Feo

Speaker

A highly experienced veterinary internist and leader, Luis combines advanced clinical expertise, academic activity, and medical management with strong interests in climbing, nature, and reading.

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Luis Feo

Speaker

Luis is a European Diplomate in Internal Medicine of Dogs and Cats (ECVIM-CA) since 2018. He has trained and worked at reference hospitals at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Ohio State University (USA), and AniCura Ars Veterinaria (Barcelona). He regularly publishes in national and international journals and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. He is also co-director of a postgraduate program in veterinary internal medicine (Ifevet) and co-head of the Internal Medicine and Oncology Department at AniCura Ars Veterinaria. Since August 2023, he has served as Medical Director of AniCura Ars Veterinaria, and since January 2025, as General Director of AniCura Ars Veterinaria. He is also passionate about climbing, nature, and reading.

Inês Guerra

Speaker

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL) and a Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, with advanced training and certifications in feline medicine and behaviour...

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Inês Guerra

Speaker

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL) and a Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon. Completed an internship at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the field of Behavioural Medicine and Cat Colony Ecology, and also holds a postgraduate qualification in Behavioral Disease Intervention in Companion Animals from the Centro para o Conhecimento Animal and the Instituto Português de Psicologia (INSPSIC). Holds certifications in feline behaviour and Cat Friendly practice awarded by several leading international organizations, including: ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour (ISFM AdvCertFB) Fear Free Certified Professional American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) – Cat Friendly Practice Training in Feline Internal Medicine and Feline Behaviour provided by the University of Sydney She is an invited speaker at several national congresses in the fields of Feline Medicine and Animal Behaviour. She serves as Clinical Subdirector of Hospital do Gato in Lisbon and, since 2016, has been responsible for the Feline Behaviour Department of the Hospital do Gato Group. She is a member of the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and of GIEFEL (APMVEAC), and chairs the Special Interest Group on Animal Behaviour and Welfare of APMVEAC. She is Vice President of the Portuguese Veterinary Order.

Ricardo Lopes

Speaker

Clinical Pathologist, MSc in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Évora (2015), and PhD in Veterinary/Biomedical Sciences, specialized in Infectious Diseases...

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Ricardo Lopes

Speaker

Clinical Pathologist, MSc in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Évora (2015), and PhD in Veterinary/Biomedical Sciences, with a specialization in Infectious Diseases, from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) (2026). Over more than a decade, he has built a professional career at the intersection of Clinical Pathology, Internal Medicine, Emergency and Critical Care, integrating advanced laboratory diagnostics, flow cytometry, and molecular biology into clinical decision-making. He is part of Cedivet (Unilabs Portugal) and serves as an Invited Assistant Professor at the University Institute of Health Sciences (CESPU), where he teaches Clinical Pathology, Medical Pathology, and Medical Semiology, following consolidated experience at the INNO Laboratory and the Emergency and Critical Care Service of AniCura Santa Marinha Veterinary Hospital. With extensive experience in laboratory diagnostics and thousands of clinical cases managed in a hospital setting, he combines analytical precision, clinical expertise, and medical reasoning to translate laboratory data into objective clinical decisions. He is the author of 19 scientific articles and 2 book chapters, a guest editor, and a scientific reviewer with over 90 reviews across more than 12 international specialty journals. He is also an invited speaker at national and international scientific forums. His work focuses on diagnostic innovation and the application of laboratory technology to real-world clinical practice, notably the development and validation of the FIP Effusion Index, an approach based on ΔTNC analysis by flow cytometry using the Sysmex XN-1000V®, applied to the diagnosis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis in effusions. CiênciaVitae: 8719-529C-0AEC

Sérgio Gomes

Speaker

An accomplished veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon, Sérgio combines advanced clinical training, research activity, and international teaching experience.

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Sérgio Gomes

Speaker

Sérgio graduated from ICBAS-UP in 2011. In addition to working as a general veterinary practitioner, he completed rotating internships at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of Cambridge, as well as a neurology internship at the University of Cambridge. He completed his residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at Dovecote Veterinary Hospital in the United Kingdom, which he finished in 2020, and also earned a master’s degree on Degenerative Lumbosacral Disease in Dogs from the University of Nottingham. He has been a Diplomate of the European College of Neurology (DipECVN) since 2021. He remains deeply interested in this field, with a particular focus on neurosurgery, neuroimaging, and clinical research. He is also very active in scientific research, with more than 30 publications in international journals, and is a frequent speaker at various international congresses and courses.

Lénio Ribeiro

Speaker

An experienced veterinary anesthesiologist and academic, Lénio Ribeiro combines clinical practice, teaching, and research with a strong focus on anesthetic monitoring and veterinary anesthesia training.

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Lénio Ribeiro

Speaker

Lénio Ribeiro is an Invited Assistant Professor at Universidade Lusófona, where he teaches Surgical Pathology II. He currently heads the Anesthesia service at AniCura Hospital Veterinário do Atlântico. He earned his PhD from the University of León, Spain, where his research focused on monitoring anesthetic depth in dogs, and he has published articles in leading international journals in veterinary anesthesiology. A Veterinary Medicine graduate from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) since 1999, he has extensive clinical and academic experience. In addition to hospital practice and university teaching, he regularly provides training in the field of anesthesia.