HFU Master Classes

Many pet parents have a dog or cat who experiences dermatologic problems, such as skin redness or scratching. While the treatments of such problems are extensive, understanding how common skin conditions occur can help guide us toward effective solutions.

Join us as we learn from board-certified dermatologist Dr. Tina Brown about prevalent skin conditions in pets, what causes these diseases, and what treatments are available to manage them.

A leader in the fields of animal ethics and neurology, Dr. Aysha Akhtar examines the rich human-animal connection and how interspecies empathy enriches our well-being. Deftly combining medicine, social history and personal experience, Dr. Akhtar demonstrates how deeply the well-being of humans and animals are entwined.

Interwoven throughout is Dr. Akhtar’s own story of being a young girl who was bullied in school and sexually abused by her uncle. Feeling abandoned by humanity, it was only when she met Sylvester, a dog who had also been abused, that she found strength for both of them.

Against the backdrop of her inspiring story, Dr. Akhtar asks, what do we gain when we recognize our kinship with animals? She has traveled around the country to tell the stories of a varied cast of characters―including a former mobster, an industrial chicken farmer, a Marine veteran―and has come face to face with a serial killer.

Through storytelling that is entertaining, profound, and touching, Dr. Akhtar reveals what happens when we both break and forge bonds with animals. She demonstrates how humans are neurologically designed to empathize with animals, and how violence against them goes against our nature. In equal measure, the love and friendship we give to other species biologically reverberates back to us.

One Georgia county reported a 50% increase in dog bite calls from March to April 2020. In early April, Minneapolis ordered all dogs to be leashed after an increase in dog bites. According to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, in March 2019, they saw 25 reports of bites or aggression. In March 2020, that rose to 45 incidents, an 80% increase from last year.

Our lives changed rapidly in the short weeks of March 2020 when Covid-19 affected the world. Not only were our normal schedules turned upside down, so were the lives of animals and our pets. One ripple effect has been the uptick in dog bites.

Join us as we learn why these changes have such an impact on our pets, as well as dog bite law and your rights as a victim or dog owner.

After earning bachelor’s degrees in animal science and biology, a master’s degree and doctorate in animal science, and an MBA, Dr. Ryan Yamka started his career at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. His research focused on genomics, weight management, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, fiber utilization, and technologies for alternative testing. He played a critical role in the development of many new and innovative products, was active in the application of new technologies for several of Hill’s weight management products, and developed a urine pH prediction model for felines.

Dr. Yamka served as senior VP of R&D, QA, and nutrition for Blue Buffalo. While at Blue, he built and led a team that successfully developed and launched more than 250 new products in the veterinary, dry, wet, meat roll, treat, and litter categories.

In 2016, Dr. Yamka founded Luna Science and Nutrition. He currently serves as an advisory board member for Bond Pets, KDC Ag, and PetMio. In 2017, he co-founded Guardian Pet Food Company. He is a certified professional animal scientist (PAS), board certified with the American College of Animal Sciences (Dipl. ACAS) in nutrition, and a fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN). He has published numerous manuscripts, abstracts and book chapters, and has 50 patents granted. Lastly, he writes blogs for Petfood Industry Magazine debunking pet food myths and misconceptions and has been featured on numerous podcasts.

Dr. Kathy Mitchener graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. After entering private practice, she returned to UT to do a residency in Oncology/Internal Medicine. In 1989, she began an outpatient oncology referral service in Memphis. She organized and began the clinical oncology department at Memphis Veterinary Specialists and in 2004 began her own private practice, Angel Care Cancer Clinic for Animals.

Outside of practice, Dr. Kathy lectures on care for the cancer patient, acupuncture and the importance of the human-animal bond to the veterinary community and to the public. In 2006, she opened a new practice for patient care, Angel Care Natural Healing and Acupuncture for Pets.

The TVMA recognized her as Tennessee’s Young Practitioner of 1994, and gave her its Distinguished Service Award in 2000. She received the 2000 Veterinarian of the Year Award by the Memphis/Shelby County Veterinary Medical Association. She was awarded the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Bustad Companion Animal Award and in 2005 was recognized by the TVMA with their Human Animal Bond Award. In her free time, Dr. Mitchener is an avid dressage rider and a gardener.

Dr. Joe Bartges received his BS in zoology in 1983 from Marshall University in Huntington, WV, and his DVM from The University of Georgia in 1987. He completed an internship and residencies in small animal internal medicine and nutrition in addition to a PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1993. After a post-doctoral position at the University of Minnesota, he joined the faculty at The University of Georgia in 1994 where he remained until 1997. In 1997, he joined the faculty at The University of Tennessee where he remained until 2015. During this time he achieved Professor of Medicine and Nutrition, held the Acree Endowed Chair of Small Animal Research, and served as interim department head for approximately 2 years. He then joined the staff at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, CT, as an internist and nutritionist and was Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine and Nutrition at Cornell University. Currently, Dr. Bartges is Professor of Medicine and Nutrition in the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.