Equine Lecture Series 2023
The 2023 Equine Continuing Education Lecture Series was held on
January 20, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg, VA and the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, VA co-hosted this series. Attendance options included virtual and in-person at both EMC and VMCVM.
The series was free and 6 hours of CE credit was provided to live participants.
No CE credit will be provided for viewing the recorded lectures.
Transcripts available upon request.
Krista E. Estell, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM)
Clinical Associate Professor, Equine Medicine
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center
"Updates in Equine Neurologic Disease"
Dr. Krista Estell graduated magna cum laude with her Bachelor of Science in biology from Frostburg State University in Maryland before earning her doctor of veterinary medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. She then completed an internship at the Equine Medical Center of Ocala in Florida and a residency in large animal internal medicine at University of California at Davis.
Before joining the EMC, Dr. Estell worked as an equine internal medicine clinical faculty member at University of California at Davis. She served as primary investigator and collaborator in multiple research projects in addition to a high clinical commitment, and worked closely with the small animal oncology department to provide cutting-edge chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments to equine oncology cases. She earned her Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2014.
When she is not working, Dr. Estell enjoys local music and craft IPAs, hiking, wake boarding, camping, and riding hunter jumpers.
Clinical Interests
- Emerging therapies in oncology
- Neurologic disease
- Clinically applicable research
- Collaboration between disciplines to deliver the best patient care
Virginia Buechner-Maxwell, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Professor, Large Animal Internal Medicine
Veterinary Teaching Hospital - Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
"Case Puzzlers from the Past Year"
Dr. Buechner-Maxwell earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Goucher College and completed a master’s degree in cell and molecular biology in 1987 from University of Pennsylvania while simultaneously completing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. She earned a second master’s degree in veterinary clinical medicine from the veterinary college in 1991 while concurrently completing residency training in equine internal medicine residency at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia. She has been a faculty clinician in the Large Animal Hospital at Virginia Maryland since 1995. She has spent the last 27 years studying causes and treatments of equine recurrent airway obstruction (also known as equine heaves), and the characteristics that RAO-affected horses share with human asthmatics. Her clinical interests also include diseases of the newborn foal, treatment of skin diseases (including tumors) and care of the aging horse.
In 2016, Dr. Buechner-Maxwell was appointed director of the Center for Animal Human Relationships (CENTAUR). Prior to appointment, she served as a member of the center's advisory board starting in 2012 and earned an advanced certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy Activities and Learning from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work in 2014. Since becoming CENTAUR’s director, she has developed courses that further veterinary students’ understanding of the animal human relationship, including aspects of shelter medicine, animal law and forensics, wildlife conservation, and animal cognition, behavior, and welfare. In 2020 Dr. Buechner-Maxwell also completed advanced training in Shelter Medicine, and is currently co-teaching a course on companion animal behavior and socialization with Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, who is nationally recognized for her research in shelter welfare. This course was offered for the first time in the fall of 2022, and is the first interdisciplinary course available to veterinary students and graduate students in the college of agriculture and life sciences.
Research Interests
- Equine asthma (COPD, RAO)
- Equine neonatal medicine
- Animal-human relationships
Jennifer Barrett, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR - Theodora Ayer Randolph Professor of Equine Surgery
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center
"Regenerative Medicine in Equine Practice"
Dr. Jennifer Barrett is the Theodora Ayer Randolph Professor of Equine Surgery. She received a bachelor of arts in biology from Dartmouth College in 1991 before earning a master of science and philosophy in biology at Yale University. In 1999, she received her doctorate in molecular cellular and developmental biology from Yale University and in 2002, she earned her doctor of veterinary medicine from Cornell University.
Additionally, Dr. Barrett completed an internship in equine medicine and surgery at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, a residency in equine surgery at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and a postdoctoral orthopedic research position at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Barrett joined the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center’s faculty in August 2007.
Clinical Interests
- Tendon, ligament, and cartilage healing
- Stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapies
- Tissue regeneration
Amy Santonastaso, VMD, MS, DABVP (Equine)
Clinical Assistant Professor, Equine Field Service
Veterinary Teaching Hospital - Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
"Infections involving the foot: Subsolar abscesses to deeper concerns"
Bio coming soon.
Julia Borgens Castela, DVM
Resident, Equine Medicine
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center
"Inflammatory bowel disease: Update and literature review"
Julia Borgens Castela, DVM graduated from the University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain, in 2017. After graduation, she completed several externships in Spain, the USA, Belgium and Ireland before joining the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center as an Intern in 2021.
In 2022, Julia was promoted to a resident of equine medicine and will stay at the Equine Medical Center for an additional three years. Her areas of special interest are neonatology, neurology and emergency and critical care.
Professional Interests
- Neonatology
- Neurology
- Emergency and critical care
Elaine Claffey, (DVM '14), DACVS-LA
Clinical Instructor
Veterinary Teaching Hospital - Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
"Updates on diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis"
Dr. Elaine F. Claffey is a 2014 graduate of the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a private practice equine internship in Vermont before going on to a large animal surgical residency at Cornell University. Upon completion of her residency, Dr. Claffey worked at Cornell in Ithaca as a Clinical Instructor and then as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists hospital on Long Island adjacent to the Belmont racetrack. Most recently her family has returned to Virginia and is enjoying life back in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Clinical Interests
- Upper airway diagnostics and surgery
- Large animal gastrointestinal surgery
- Poor performance evaluation of the sport horse