2021 ASEC Symposium

Todd Cohen, DVM, DACVIM

 A graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Cohen then went on to complete his internship at University of Pennsylvania College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing an internal medicine residency at UC Davis, he successfully completed the ACVIM exam to become a Diplomate (Board Certified Internist) of the ACVIM. He has published articles on evaluation of glucometers in dogs and evaluation of anesthesia on urinary function in cats. His professional interests include endocrinology and minimally invasive procedures. 

Alexander Werner Resnick, VMD, DACVD 

Following working at California Animal Hospital since the age of 13, Alexander attended college at Iowa State University and graduated from the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania.  He returned to California Animal Hospital for a rotating internship and then residency in dermatology at the University of California, Davis.  Dr. Werner currently sees patients at the Animal Dermatology Center in Studio City and Westlake Village, CA. 

Kristin Barncord, DVM, DACVIM Cardiology

After graduating with her DVM from Purdue University, Dr. Barncord then completed a one-year rotating internship at Iowa State University, followed by a cardiology internship and cardiology fellowship at VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center. She then completed a cardiology residency at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Barncord successfully completed the ACVIM exams and the Cardiology specialty boards to become a Diplomate (Board Certified Cardiologist) of the ACVIM in the specialty of Cardiology. Dr. Barncord’s clinical interests include: diagnosis and medical/interventional treatment of congenital heart disease (i.e., PDA and pulmonic stenosis) and management of chronic congestive heart failure. 

Nicole Spurlock, DVM, DACVECC

 After graduating from Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Spurlock moved to New York City to pursue advanced training at the Animal Medical Center (AMC). During her 4 years at AMC, she completed both a rotating small animal internship and a residency in Emergency and Critical Care. Post-residency, Dr. Spurlock successfully completed the ACVECC exam to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (Board Certified Criticalist). Dr. Spurlock practiced as the Chief of Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) and Intern Director at the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island for two years before moving to Australia to expand the ECC department of the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in Sydney. She has published articles on human immunoglobulin transfusion in animals and has authored a chapter in the textbook Manual of Veterinary Transfusion and Blood Banking. Dr. Spurlock has lectured at several conferences, locally and internationally. Professional interests include trauma, peri-operative care, and transfusion medicine.

Mary Somerville, DVM, DACVS

 A graduate of the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Somerville then served as Director of the Emergency Pet Clinic of South Bay, performing emergency medical and critical care for three years. After completing her internship and surgical residency , she successfully completed the ACVS exam to become a Diplomate (Board Certified Surgeon) of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). She has published articles on disc disease and paraphimosis, as well as authored several chapters in the textbook "Clinical Veterinary Advisor". She currently serves on the House of Delegates for the California Veterinary Medical Association(CVMA) in addition to CVMA sub-committees. Currently, she is the managing editor and author of surgery articles in PULSE magazine. Her professional interests include soft tissue , oncologic and reconstructive surgery,  orthopedic, and neurologic surgery. 

Jean Reichle, MS, DVM, DACVR

 A graduate of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Reichle then completed her internship at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital. After completing a radiology residency and Master of Science degree at Colorado State University, she successfully completed the ACVR exam to become a Diplomate (Board Certified Radiologist) of the ACVR. Following certification, she was a faculty member at the Ohio State University and then Medical Director of Animal Imaging in Los Angeles. Dr. Rechile has published numerous articles on elbow dysplasia in dogs, thoracic ultrasound in small animals, CT/ultrasound appearance of kidney disease in cats, and ureteral polyps in dogs. Additional publications include frequent articles for PULSE magazine. Her professional interests include elbow dysplasia and non-invasive interventional radiology. 

Veronique Sammut, MS, DVM, DACVIM Neurology

Dr. Sammut received her DVM degree from the University of Montreal in 1997. She completed an internship after which she was hired as a clinician in anesthesiology in small animal at the University of Montreal. She then pursued a residency and a masters degree in Neurology and became Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology) in 2002. She has been working in private practice since 2002, first in the suburb of Chicago and in Southern California since 2004. Her main interests are encephalitis and meningitis, seizure disorders, brain tumors and syringomyelia. Dr. Sammut is married to Dr. Ben Charette and they have 3 sons, Matt, Alex and Andy, a dog named Syrah and Davis, an old cat who traveled with them from Montreal to Los Angeles