Officers
Click on the name to view a brief biography of each officer.
- President: Al Jergens
- Immediate Past President: Craig Ruaux
- President Elect: Stan Marks
- Secretary-Treasurer: Jan Suchodolski
- At-Large Member 1: Tracy Hill
- At-Large Member 2: Katie Tolbert
- Webmaster: Kate Arnell
Al Jergens, DVM, PhD, ACVIM

Contact Information
E-mail: ajergens@iastate.edu
Professional Appointment
Professor, Small Animal Internal Medicine
Biography
Al Jergens is a Professor of internal medicine at Iowa State
University, College of Veterinary Medicine. His clinical
interests include GI endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, and
host-microbiota interactions mediating GI disease. His
research interests include clinical trials investigating
host-microbiota interactions mediating GI health and disease, and
animal models of disease.
Jan Suchodolski, MedVet, DrVetMed, PhD, AGAF
Contact Information
Gastrointestinal Laboratory
Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Dept of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
4474 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4474
E-mail: JSuchodolski@cvm.tamu.edu
Phone: 979-458-0933
Fax: 979-458-4015
Professional Appointment
Diplomate ACVM (Immunology)
Associate Professor, Small Animal Medicine
Associate Director for Research, Head of Microbiome
Sciences
Biography
Jan 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. His research is focused on
the canine and feline
microbiome, with an emphasis on how intestinal pathogens
lead to disturbances in the intestinal microbiota. Dr. Suchodolski
currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the
Department of Small Animal Medicine at Texas A&M University and
as the Associate Director of Research, Head of Microbiome
Sciences.
M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM

Contact Information
Email: mtoler2@utk.edu
Professional Appointment
Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee, College of
Veterinary Medicine
Biography
Dr. Katie Tolbert completed her veterinary degree and small
animal medicine and surgery internship at the University of
Georgia. She then completed a small animal internal medicine
residency at North Carolina State University. Following her
residency, she pursued a Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences
at North Carolina State University. She is currently on faculty as
an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, College of
Veterinary Medicine. Her clinical research program is focused on
small animal gastroenterology with a specific interest in the
investigation of the efficacy of anti-secretory drugs and
gastroprotectants and the rationale for their use in the treatment
of acid-related disorders, organ failure, and inflammatory diseases
in companion animals. Her basic science research program is
dedicated to characterizing the pathogenic mechanisms of feline
Tritrichomonas foetus infection and exploring novel therapies to
prevent and/or ameliorate T. foetus-induced colitis.
Kate Arnell, DVM, DACVIM

Contact Information
Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego
10435 Sorrento Valley Road
San Diego, CA 92130
Email: kharnell@gmail.com
Phone: 858-875-7500 ext. 651
Fax: 858-875-7525
Professional Appointment
Small Animal Internist, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of
San Diego
Biography
Dr. Kate Arnell is a 2006 graduate of the University of
California, Davis. She completed a one-year general rotating
medical and surgical internship at the Veterinary Specialty
Hospital in 2007. She then completed a three-year internal medicine
residency program at VSH in 2010, and has been a board-certified
internal medicine specialist at VSH since that time.