Schedule: Veterinary Business and Economic Forum

2023 schedule

Note: All times are listed in Central Time. Schedule is subject to change.

Meet the presenters

Andrew Busch

Andrew Busch was the first chief market intelligence officer for the U.S. government at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), charged with improving and enhancing the government's understanding of the markets. He provided briefings to White House and congressional staff on a wide range of issues including extreme market volatility, China's influence on the global commodity markets, and the impact of financial technology and virtual currencies on market dynamics.

Busch's job was to provide objective research on the financial markets to the CFTC and other agencies, and he created and directed a new research group, Market Intelligence Branch. Among its areas of research were energy, agriculture, interest rates, and technology (Bitcoin, blockchain, artificial intelligence). Each week, he led the agency on a market and economic roundtable discussion with staff from the White House, U.S. Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Federal Reserve Board.

Prior to joining the CFTC, Busch was CEO and founder of a boutique financial markets and policy research firm, Bering Productions, Inc. Before that, he was the global currency and public policy strategist for Bank of Montreal in Chicago. He is author of the book "World Event Trading," covering large crises like infectious disease outbreaks and their impact on the markets. Today, he's a consultant and keynote speaker with a wide range of clients including financial services, energy, manufacturing, and construction.

Dr. Christopher Doherty

Christopher Doherty, CBV, MBA, is assistant director for strategic business research and outreach at the AVMA. He earned his DVM at the Ontario Veterinary College and his MBA at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, and is a chartered business valuator. In his role with the AVMA, he analyzes data related to new and early-career veterinarians, and works with the rest of the economics team to help translate research findings into tools, resources, and actionable insights for practicing veterinarians.

Dr. Karen Felsted

Dr. Karen E. Felsted, MS, CVPM, CPA, is founder and president of PantheraT (formerly known as Felsted Veterinary Consultants, Inc.). Dr. Felsted graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in marketing and spent 12 years in accounting and business management, including six years with the “Big Eight” accounting firm of Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) before pursuing her veterinary degree. During this time, she also obtained a master's degree in management and administrative science from the University of Texas at Dallas. She earned her veterinary degree at Texas A&M University and graduated in 1996. After returning to Dallas, she practiced both small animal and emergency medicine on a full-time basis while maintaining a veterinary accounting and consulting practice. In 1999 she opened and became manager-in-charge of the Dallas office of Owen E. McCafferty, CPA, Inc., a national public accounting firm specializing in tax, accounting, and practice management services for veterinarians. During this time, she received her certified veterinary practice manager certificate.

In June of 2001, Dr. Felsted opened her own accounting firm specializing in financial services for veterinarians and also joined Brakke Consulting, Inc., where she continued to offer practice management consulting services to veterinarians. In January 2007, she relocated to Los Angeles and joined Gatto McFerson CPAs, a veterinary-focused financial and consulting firm.

In 2008 Dr. Felsted joined the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) as CEO and spent over three years there before returning to business consulting, both with private practices and the animal health industry. Most recently she became a certified valuation analyst. Dr. Felsted is currently a member of the Veterinary Economics' Editorial Advisory Board and has also served on the boards of VetPartners and the CATalyst Council. She has been published in numerous national and international veterinary journals and spoken at many local, national, and international veterinary meetings. In 2011, she was named Western Veterinary Conference Practice Management Continuing Educator of the Year, and in 2014 she received the VetPartners Distinguished Life Member Award.

Sheri Gilmartin

Sheri Gilmartin is a credentialed veterinary technician and vice president of sales and marketing at Vetsource. She began her career in the veterinary profession over 26 years ago at a small animal practice outside of Boston. Since then, she's held various positions in both sales and marketing at Hill's Pet Nutrition, Vetsource, and Patterson Veterinary. She is committed to helping veterinary practices be more successful.

Dr. Dan Markwalder

Dr. Dan Markwalder is the chief veterinary officer of Mission Veterinary Partners. In this role, he leads vision and strategy for training, mentorship, and clinical recruiting. He is a graduate of Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and has been a practicing veterinarian for 26 years. He established Animal Care Clinic in Algonquin, Illinois, in 1994, Dr. Markwalder has a passion to partner with clients in providing the best care for their pets. He attends over 80 hours of continuing education each year; skydived on his 50th birthday, is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, grew up in Indiana, and has an extensive baseball card collection. He is married to his college sweetheart, and they have four sons and a daughter, along with a mini goldendoodle named Maggie, a parakeet, and one bearded dragon.

Anthony Mazzarelli, MD

Anthony Mazzarelli is a doctor, healthcare executive, lawyer, bioethicist, and associate professor. He uses this unique background to engage audiences of all types, including hospital leaders, health system boards, hospital staff, medical groups, physician leaders, and nonmedical groups. His clinical, academic, and leadership experiences shape all of his talks, making them informative as well as entertaining. He is a regular guest on local and national media outlets and a regular fill-in host on CBS radio, where his nonpartisan approach to current events has reached 38 states and Canada. Dr. Mazzarelli is the author of two bestselling books, "Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference" and "Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways that Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself." Along with his responsibilities as an executive in a health system, Dr. Mazzarelli continues to practice emergency medicine at a level 1 academic medical center in Camden, New Jersey—an urban community previously known for its challenges with poverty and crime. This helps him remain close to the practice of medicine and how it impacts patients, staff, and physicians.

Charlotte McKay, MS

Charlotte McKay is a senior economist and associate director of statistical and geospatial analysis at the AVMA. She leads and executes the organization's geospatial activities, and oversees data collection and statistical and data analysis activities. She holds a master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky. Her areas of specialty include veterinary economics, equine economics, and geospatial analysis.

Clint Neill, PhD

Clinton Neill, PhD, is a senior economist and associate director for strategic business research and outreach at the AVMA. His role is to assist in translating the work of the Veterinary Economics Division and others into actionable items for veterinary teams and clinics. He also is an assistant professor in veterinary economics for the Cornell Center of Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship. His research focuses on the broad scope of issues that face the veterinary industry.

Frederic Ouedraogo, PhD

Frederic Ouedraogo, PhD, is a senior economist and associate director of economics at the AVMA. In this role, he analyzes a breadth of data to understand the veterinary workforce and assess the condition and performance of the veterinary industry. He earned his PhD in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University.

Abby ShalekBriski, MS

Abby ShalekBriski is an economist with the American Veterinary Medical Association and the assistant director of statistical and data analysis. Her role is to build and maintain datasets, conduct statistical analysis, and assist with survey methods. She holds a master's degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and is a doctoral candidate in the Oklahoma State University agricultural economics program while also working to complete a master's degree in statistics.

Dr. Peter Weinstein, MBA

Dr. Peter Weinstein is a former chair of the AVMA Veterinary Economic Strategy Committee. He earned his DVM from the University of Illinois and worked as an associate veterinarian for three years before opening his own practice. While running his practice, he identified the need for increased business acumen to make the practice successful, so he earned his MBA from the University of Redlands while continuing to manage his business and practice full time. He then relocated, expanded, and sold his practice to a corporate consolidator.

Dr. Weinstein has provided small business and corporate consulting via his company, PAW Consulting. He also has acted as medical director overseeing the claims department for Veterinary Pet Insurance.

He has served as both president and executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, president of the California Veterinary Medical Association, and president for VetPartners.