THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS

D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, is a professor of pathology and genetics at Virginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He is the author of Equine Color Genetics, and his areas of research include genetics of domesticated animals, coat color heredity, conservation of rare livestock breeds, diagnostic pathology and reproductive pathology. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and also serves as the technical programs director of The Livestock Conservancy.

Stephen D. White, DVM, DACVD, is a professor of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California–Davis and has been a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology since 1983. Previously, he had held faculty positions at the veterinary schools at Tufts University and at Colorado State University. He led the clinical investigations of the research team that identified a gene mutation causing hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA), a debilitating skin disease in horses. He earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California–Davis in 1979. Laura Patterson Rosa, DVM, is a PhD candidate at the University of Florida–Brooks Equine Genetics Lab. Her research focus is the genomics of equine health and neurogenetics. She is currently researching genetic factors controlling congenital idiopathic anhidrosis (nonsweating) in horses, rabicano coat color, genomics of metabolites in equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and neurogenetics of equine locomotion patterns in four-beat/gaited breeds.

M. Julia B. Felippe, MedVet, MS, PhD, DACVIM, is a professor at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine with specialty training in internal medicine and immunology. Her academic appointment includes clinical care of large animal patients, teaching and training of DVM students, and research in the area of equine immunology. She also manages a clinical immunology laboratory, which performs research-based immunological testing in blood samples from horses with suspect underlying immunologic disorders. Her research and clinical training focus on developmental immunology and immunodeficiencies. She is the editor of the book Equine Clinical Immunology.