Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Education Conference (VetECCEd)

Peter E. Doolittle, M.S.Ed, Ph.D.

Professor, School of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech

Peter Doolittle is currently a professor of educational psychology in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. He is also the former Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, Director of the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research (CIDER), and Director of the School of Education (SOE). His academic background includes 30 years teaching undergraduate and graduate students, using traditional, blended, and online formats. In 2013, he provided a TED talk at TED Global in Edinburgh, Scotland (How Working Memory Makes Sense of the World). His current research foci include the theoretical foundations and practical implications of active learning in the college classroom, and the impact of working memory capacity on college student learning in digital learning environments.

Bobbi Conner, DVM, DACVECC

Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at VMCVM

Dr. Conner obtained her DVM from Michigan State University in 2007, followed by a rotating internship at University of Illinois in 2008. She became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care (ACVECC) after completing her residency at North Carolina State University in 2011. She worked at the University of Pretoria in South Africa from 2011-2012, then joined the faculty at University of Florida from 2012-2020. Since 2020, she has been a Clinical Associate Professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and she is pursuing a Master’s in Educational Psychology at Virginia Tech. She is an active member of ACVECC, having served on the Residency Training Committee and Exam Committee; she chaired the Exam Committee from 2019-2021 and is currently the ACVECC president. Dr. Conner is also an active member of the Southeast Veterinary Education Consortium (SEVEC) where she chairs the subcommittee for Peer Evaluation of Teaching.

Alex Lynch, BVSc(Hons) DACVECC, MRCVS

Associate Professor and Assistant Department Head of Internal Medicine and Emergency Critical Care at NC State University

Alex Lynch graduated from the University of Bristol veterinary school, England in 2009 with honors. After a period in general and specialty practice in the UK, he moved to Tufts University in North Grafton, MA, to undertake further clinical training in emergency and critical care. He became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2015. Following his residency, he joined the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida as a Clinical Faculty member in ECC. He joined NCSU in July 2017. In addition to his clinical duties, he undertakes research with a particular interest in coagulation and transfusion medicine.

Daron Williams, MS, PhD

Director of Instructional Design at Virginia Tech

Daron Williams is the Director of Instructional Design for Technology-enhanced Learning & Online Strategies (TLOS). In this role, he works with faculty and administration to plan, design, and build engaging technology-enhanced courses and programs. He and his team also consult with faculty about effective teaching with technology, and facilitate faculty professional development around topics in the same realm.

Daron comes from a professional background originally in broadcasting and journalism. He has earned a master's degree in Communication from Virginia Tech, and is currently a PhD candidate in Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education. His undergraduate degree is from beautiful Roanoke College in Salem, VA.

Originally from the Nashville area, Daron has lived in the Blacksburg area for the better part of two decades now with his wife, children, and small petting zoo of furry animals (plus one scaly one!). He is a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, and enjoys traveling and spending hot Summer days at the pool with family and friends.

Daniel Fletcher, Ph.D., DVM, ACVECC

Professor of Emergency and Critical Care at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Fletcher is a Professor of Emergency and Critical Care at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he has been a faculty member since 2006. After receiving a BS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of California Berkeley/San Francisco, he obtained his DVM from the University of California at Davis. He then completed a rotating internship and emergency and critical care residency at the University of Pennsylvania. He has received multiple awards, including the ACVECC Jack Mara Scientific Award in 2019, the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award in 2020, and the VECCS Presidential Award in 2024. He is co-chair of the RECOVER Initiative, which publishes the international standard, evidence-based veterinary CPR guidelines. He served as president of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care from 2017-2019. His research interests include approaches to chest compressions in CPR, disorders of fibrinolysis, and the use of immersive simulation in teaching. He has been building simulators for veterinary education since 2009 and is the primary designer of Open VetSim, an open-source veterinary simulation software and hardware platform. He is the director of the Tetlow and Roy Park Veterinary Innovation Lab, an immersive simulation center at Cornell, which opened in the fall of 2015.

Armi Pigott, DVM, DACVECC

Lecturer of Emergency and Critical Care at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Pigott was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and grew up in South Texas. He completed his veterinary degree at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA; rotating internship at Pet Emergency Clinics in Ventura, CA; and Emergency and Critical Care residency at Animal Emergency Center (now Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists) in Milwaukee, WI. Professional interests include emergency resuscitation, extracorporeal therapies, and trauma/wound management. He is passionate about teaching. He is a certified RECOVER CPR instructor, chairs the IVECCS Resident Focus program, and currently works as a Criticalist and training program supervisor at Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists in Milwaukee, WI. In his spare time, he watches rugby and enjoys the great outdoors with his wife Carol, three noisy beagles (Sam, Penny, and Howie), and Labrador retriever Madeline.