Maj Angarano, DVM, PhD

Dr. Maj Angarano received her DVM degree from Texas A&M in 1992, and a PhD in 2007, after which she joined Hill's Pet Nutrition as a Professional Consulting Veterinarian in 2008.  In her current position, she educates veterinary and technician students, as well as health care teams in practice on advances in small animal dietary technology using a variety of platforms including national webinars.  Dr. Angarano actively assists with internal training and is often invited to speak at local and regional veterinary educational events.  During her career she has enjoyed a decade of practicing small animal medicine, instructing in several veterinary technician programs, and publishing her PhD research in peer reviewed journals.

Stephanie Brantley, DVM

Dr. Brantley joined IDEXX as Professional Services Veterinarian for the South Texas Region in 2022. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder and after a 4 year hiatus she earned credits toward a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University. She traveled across the border to Canada for her veterinary training and received her DVM degree from the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island. Post-graduation, she completed a rotating internship at Michigan Veterinary Specialists which provided a strong foundation to all aspects of small animal medicine and surgery.

With 18 years of clinical experience under her belt, Dr. Brantley has demonstrated significant agility in her ability to succeed in diverse and challenging work environments. These have included feline-only practice, general practice, relief veterinary services, and emergency medicine. Most recently, Dr. Brantley held contract veterinary positions for the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State taking care of service dogs in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Stephanie grew up in Houston, TX, and after several years away, she has returned to the area. She has a passion for world travel and is an avid baseball fan. She currently resides in Kingwood, TX, with her beautiful 12 year old cat, Ivy.

Trent Hightower, JD

Trent Hightower is the General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for TVMA, a role he has held since October of 2021. In that capacity, he advocates for the profession before the Texas legislature and regulatory agencies, and provides legal resources to members of the association on a wide range of topics. Prior to joining TVMA, Trent held a similar role with the Texas Rural Water Association and served as Staff Attorney to a Travis County District Court Judge. He is a 2004 graduate of Texas A&M and a 2007 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law.

Blakely Janacek, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Dr. Janacek graduated from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. She then completed a rotating internship at the University of Missouri, and a cardiology specialty internship at the VCA Animal Specialty and Emergency Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, she returned to College Station for her cardiology residency at Texas A&M. 

She is board-certified in the specialty of Cardiology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), and is especially interested in congenital cardiac disease, arrhythmia management (including pacemakers), and chronic heart failure therapy. She is also passionate about educating clients so that they can work together as a team to help care for their pets. 

In her free time, Dr. Janacek enjoys cooking with her husband, listening to audiobooks, and spending time with their "four-legged" family members.

Chris Jones, DVM, DACVIM

Dr. Chris Jones received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University in 1990. He then joined a private practice in El Paso, Texas where he worked for seven years before deciding to pursue a career in internal medicine. Dr. Jones completed a one-year internship followed by a three-year residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Georgia. Dr. Jones became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2001 and that same year joined the internal medicine department at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, TX. In 2020, Dr. Jones transferred to MissionVet Specialty and Emergency in San Antonio, Texas where he is currently practicing.  

Dr. Jones has a special interest in endocrinology and gastroenterology.  He truly values building relationships with the referring community. He enjoys exploring the hill country, listening to live music, going to the theater, and spending quality time with his kids and fiancée.

Denzel Otokunrin, MPH

Mr. Denzel Otokunrin, MPH serves as the Public Health Administrator and Epidemiologist for the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District. He graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2019 with a master’s degree in public health, specializing in Epidemiology. Prior to this, he graduated from Baylor University in 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry. His passion for public health is driven by the need to understand social determinants of health (SDOHs) across local and national jurisdictions. With over 5 years of experience in public health, he has been published as an author in the CDC MMWR for a travel-related COVID-19 B.1.1.7 “U.K. Variant” case. As a public health administrator, Denzel oversees various departments, including the Laboratory Department (which includes the BSL-3), Immunizations, and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Department, where staff conduct zoonotic case investigations and perform data analyses for zoonotic conditions.

Diane Platts, DVM

Dr. Platts has been a member of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Professional Veterinary Services team since 2017 and brings over 20 years of experience in private and emergency practice and industry. Prior to becoming a veterinarian Dr. Platts worked in animal health research and as a technician in the Texas A&M University Small Animal Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Currently, in addition to working for BIAH, she is a relief Veterinarian for small animal practices in Houston, TX. Dr. Platts’ passion for educating veterinarians and their clients has led her to teach a communication course, FRANK, at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Outside of BI, Dr. Platts has been an active participant in numerous veterinary associations, serving as President of the Galveston County VMA, a leader of the TVMA Power of 10 program for new veterinary graduates, and as an industry veterinarian on the Texas VMA Strategic Planning Task Force. She has spoken regionally on pain management, leptospirosis, heartworm disease, flea and tick biology, and compassion fatigue.

Lance Roasa, DVM, MS, JD

Dr. Roasa is a 2008 graduate of Texas A&M who has bought, operated and sold veterinary practices. He has completed a law degree from the University of Nebraska, and is the past president of the American Veterinary Medical Law Association. 

Dr. Roasa is a consultant on the Veterinary Information Network legal boards and founder of drip.vet, a veterinary continuing education provider that is part of the VIN family. He also lectures in 16 veterinary colleges on the legal aspects of medical recordkeeping, veterinary malpractice and veterinary business as part of the curriculum. He serves as a national co-advisor to the Veterinary Business Management Association and regularly lectures to regional VBMA chapters and to the national association on the topics of growth, business metrics, and technology implementation.

Michael A. Rossi, DVM, MNS, Dip. ACVD

Dr. Michael A. Rossi is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. After this, he went on to perform fellowship research with the Tulane National Primate Research Center working with the simian immunodeficiency virus. This further increased his interest in animal welfare and scientific research. He then went on to complete his Master's degree and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. His Master’s program focused on the role of neuropeptides in equine allergic airway disease. After veterinary school, he finished a one-year rotating internship at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center in the Washington, D.C. area. Thereafter, he completed a specialized veterinary dermatology residency at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU-CVM) in Raleigh, NC and clinical work with the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado (VRCC) in Englewood, CO. He remained on staff at VRCC following his residency before moving back to the Gulf Coast region in 2015 to open Coastal Veterinary Dermatology & Ear Clinic. Dr. Rossi has been board certified by the American College of Veterinary Dermatology since 2014. While not in the clinic, Dr. Rossi donates his time to treat skin conditions of animals in zoos and wildlife centers when possible. He has performed dermatology procedures on several species, including polar bears and antelope. He has authored and coauthored several scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on conditions related to dermatologic diseases. He has a special interest in allergic skin disease, ear disease, dermatohistopathology, and autoimmune skin disease.

Joel Sailor, DVM

Dr. Sailor, a graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, is an Associate Director of Professional Veterinary Services for Merck Animal Health.  His career includes over 30 years as a practicing veterinarian, and 22 years of practice ownership.  Prior to joining Merck Animal Health, Dr. Sailor provided consulting and speaking services to multiple animal health companies.  His practice participated in clinical field trials for many products currently or soon to be on the market, including Bravecto.  Dr. Sailor's primary focus is helping practices be the best at what they love doing.  He currently resides in the high country of North Carolina with wife Susan and their two cats, Jack and Nemo.

Steffen Sum, DVM

Dr. Sum graduated from the Munich, Germany Veterinary School in January of 1997. He then pursued an externship at Noah’s Animal Hospitals in Indianapolis, IN until 1998. Upon completion, he returned to Munich University for a job as research associate within the infectious disease department until the year of 2000. He then completed an internship at Munich University which was followed by a residency in Internal Medicine until 2004. His residency included training at Utrecht University, Netherlands and Purdue University in Indiana.

From 2004 to 2005, he worked as service leader within the infectious disease department of Internal Medicine in Munich before he moved to University of Georgia to work at the College of Veterinary Medicine, first as Clinical Instructor and then as Assistant Professor until 2014. Dr. Sum left academia to work in private practice as the head of Internal Medicine of the Animal Hospital Specialty Center in Highlands Ranch in the South of the Denver metro area in Colorado. This clinic was purchased by VCA in 2015, restructured and then renamed to VCA Highlands Ranch Animal Specialty & Emergency Center where Dr. Sum then served as the Medical Director until 2022. In 2022, Dr. Sum moved to Southern California where he still works as the Head of Internal Medicine at the Desert Veterinary Specialty Center in Palm Desert.

In his spare time, Dr. Sum explores the outdoors with his wife, Jennie, and his two young kids, Rosalie and Serena, as well as his German Shepherd Mix Chief. He also enjoys riding his motorcycles.

Shannon Sura, DVM, MBA

Dr. Shannon Sura is the diagnostic medical education lead for point-of-care platforms with Zoetis.  She earned her DVM from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, MBA from Arizona State University's W.P. Carry School of Business and is currently working to acquire her CVPM.  Dr. Sura has more than 30 years of knowledge and breadth of experience in animal health allowing her to provide essential business, technical, and educational support.  Dr. Sura's passion in practice is education that increases efficiency and proficiency marrying best medicine with best business.

Ronald D. Tyler, Jr., DVM, MS

Dr. Tyler serves the state of Texas as the Region 11 Zoonosis Control veterinarian and has over 15 years' experience in diagnostic pathology and public health.  Dr. Tyler's general interests include application of new technologies to veterinary medical sciences, diagnostic pathology and studying disease trends.

Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Dr. Zachary Wright was raised in the DFW Area (Rockwall). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Notre Dame and his veterinary medical degree from Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. He then completed a one year rotating small animal internship in medicine and surgery at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Wright followed his passion in pursuing a residency in small animal oncology at Texas A&M University and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Oncology in 2008. 

Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Wright joined the staff at VCA Veterinary Care in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to open a new oncology practice. While on staff he served as director of the internship program.  In 2012 Dr. Wright and his family were thrilled with the opportunity to move back to North Texas and join VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic where he now serves as the hospital Medical Director and chair of the Mars Veterinary Health Oncology Advisory Board. 

Dr. Wright has published a collection of scientific articles and book chapters in small animal oncology. He also lectures to veterinarians across the United States and internationally. He believes in giving back to his profession and has served in multiple roles within his regulatory college, the American College of Veterinary Medicine, including positions on the Board of Regents.  

As a clinical oncologist, Dr. Wright believes in fully educating his clients on the nature of their pet’s cancer. A cancer diagnosis is rarely a black and white topic and he believes in making sure there are multiple diagnostic and treatment options for all of his patients regardless of the situation.  At VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic, Dr. Wright has proactively brought a collection of clinical trials to our hospital that evaluate cutting edge cancer testing and treatments. He believes in the Triad of Care and working as a team with your primary care veterinarian to ensure all of his patients receive optimal care. 

Dr. Wright and his wife (also a veterinarian in Dallas) have two boys and their Golden Retriever Rosie. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his children, the Dallas restaurant scene, golfing and fly fishing.