Thomas Bissot
Graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 2003 at the University of Liège (Belgium), Thomas BISSOT first gained practical experience in a private clinic in Brussel followed by a small-animal internship at the Veterinary Faculty of Ghent. In 2005, he joined the ROYAL CANIN Research and Development Department as a Clinical Research Project Manager. His main scientific interests focused on small animal gastroenterology and obesity biology with the development of satiety protocols designed to decrease the feeling of hunger in dogs and cats in station and field conditions, as well as intensive care/convalescence nutrition support and nutrition management for reducing stress-related behavior in dogs and cats. From 2008 to 2015, Thomas was responsible for Scientific Communication across the East and South Region (Eastern Europe, Middle East, Russia, South Africa, South East Asia and French overseas departments) at ROYAL CANIN International Division. From 2016 to 2017, he also achieved an Executive MBA at the Montpellier Business School in France. Since July 2017, Thomas has been strengthening the LEIBER GmbH sales Team as a Global Key Account Manager for Pet Food. For this new assignment, he will take care of the international market leaders and opinion formers in the pet food industry in order to expedite the expansion of LEIBER yeast functionalities and extracts in the pet food segment around the World.
Michael Shields
I went to school for my undergraduate and graduate program at North Carolina State University. I finished in 2013 with a Ph.D. in Animal Science and Nutrition. I then worked for Cape Fear Consulting managing nutrition for several companies. I began working at Cactus Family Farms in 2015. I manage the nutrition program for 35,000 sows from farrow to finish. I currently reside in Raleigh, NC with my wife, Anna.
Michael Kogut
Dr. Kogut is a Research Microbiologist and Lead Scientist within the Food and Feed Safety research Unit at the Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, College Station, TX, USA.
Dr. Kogut’s research is centered on alternatives to antibiotics to control disease and increase production; specifically the development of cost-effective, pre-harvest immunological interventions to improve gut health by studying the role of the microbiota in immunity to infection; the role of dietary metabolites in promoting immune regulation and immune responses to pathogens; tissue specific regulatory responses to infection; characterizing novel molecular targets that mediate the actions of dietary compounds and botanicals in inflammation and immunity; investigating how diet modulates the gut microbiome and mucosal immune responses; and understanding the integration of central metabolic pathways and nutrient sensing with antibacterial immunity and how it alters cellular energy homeostasis and contributes to the prevention or resolution of infectious diseases.
Lisanne Verschuren
Kirsty Gibbs
Kirsty Gibbs holds a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Liverpool and a First class Bsc (hons) in Veterinary Pathogenesis from the University of Bristol.
Her main interests are in the production of sustainable and safe food, the prevention of zoonotic diseases and increasing public awareness to food safety.
She Works closely with Product Management, Innovation and Regional Technical Sales teams to raise awareness around the importance of Gut Health in animal production (with a focus on both Poultry and Swine production).
- Understanding past, current and future challenges of live production along with providing tailored solutions.
- Supporting product development.
- Providing technical support.
- Generation of marketing and sales materials.
Jan Suchodolski
Jan S. Suchodolski graduated with a veterinary degree from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria in 1997. In 2005 Dr. Suchodolski received his PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from Texas A&M University for his work on molecular markers for the assessment of the intestinal microbiota. He is board certified in immunology by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM). He currently serves as Associate Professor and Associate Director of the GI Lab, a leading research and service laboratory for diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease in companion animals. Over the last 10 years, the GI Laboratory has developed and validated several novel biomarkers for diagnosing and assessing severity of disease in gastrointestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis. His research interest focusses on characterization of intestinal microbiota and metabolome in animal models with spontaneously occurring inflammatory bowel diseases and how the perturbations are modulated by various treatments.
Gary Tang
Based in Palo Alto, Gary focuses on growth equity investments across a wide range of sectors at Norwest including consumer, retail, internet and education. Gary’s current investments include Bailey44 and Topo Athletic. Gary was previously involved with Norwest’s investments in PCA Skin (acquired by Colgate-Palmolive), The Learning Experience (acquired by Golden Gate Capital), and Turnitin (acquired by Advance).
Ehsan Khafipour
Amy Biddle
Amy Biddle earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and continued with postdoctoral study with Dr Roderick Mackie at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. Her research focuses on the equine gut microbiome in health and disease. The Biddle Lab launched the Equine Microbiome Project in 2015, the first large-scale survey of the equine gut microbiome. As a growing collection of gut microbe and horse health data, the EMP database is being used to identify patterns between the equine microbiome and factors such as age, diet, exercise, and metabolic state. Related projects in the Biddle Lab include in vitro experiments focusing on equine gut community function, and projects to survey equine gastrointestinal parasites, specifically taxa differences between small strongyles related to dewormer resistance.
