Canine Sports Medicine: Level Up! (Veterinarians)

A native of New York, Brian obtained his undergraduate degree from Cornell University before moving south to Raleigh, NC where he attended veterinary school at North Carolina State University. He completed a one year rotating medicine/surgery internship at Colorado State University before returning to NC State to complete a three year surgical residency, during which time he conducted research related to pain management, receiving top resident research honors from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2009. Following residency, Brian completed a one year fellowship with the Comparative Pain Research Laboratory at NC State, during which time he also served as a clinical instructor for the general and orthopedic surgery services. He became a member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2010. Brian worked at a large referral specialty and emergency hospital in the Triangle region of NC for over 10 years, serving as the Chief of Surgery and residency program coordinator. Dr. Trumpatori served as an adjunct faculty member at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine from 2010-2021, is a former member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Veterinary Pain Management and the ACVS Continuing Education Committee. Brian enjoys all aspects of orthopedics with a particular interest in arthroscopy, joint replacement, limb deformity treatment and the management of developmental orthopedic diseases. He is passionate about research and teaching, having authored numerous publications on pain management, fracture repair, joint disease and stabilization. He has authored book chapters and lectured on various topics related to pain management, wound management, oncologic surgery, joint stabilization and arthroscopy. He is an active consultant and lecturer for Arthrex Vet Systems, AO Vet, is a Designated Campus Colleague for the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine and an adjunct faculty member at Midwestern College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Trumpatori has served as an Associate Editor for Topics in Companion Animal Medicine and as an editor for Veterinary Surgery and the Journal of Small Animal Practice. Outside of work, Brian enjoys live music, mountain biking, hiking and travel. He is enjoying the desert life in North Scottsdale with his wife, 2 children, dog (Luna, a pit/boxer mix) and Nacho the cat.

Dr. Kevin McAbee is owner and mobile surgeon of Spire Veterinary Surgery in Fort Collins, CO. After graduating Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, he attended Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, earning his DVM in 1999. He completed his residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York and became board-certified in small animal surgery in 2006. His clinical interests include orthopedic, neurologic, and oncology surgery.

Dr. Sapora is originally from Florida and graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Following veterinary school, he completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Sapora continued his training and completed a combined three-year residency and masters program in small animal surgery at Colorado State University. During his residency training, Dr. Sapora’s research interests included the ventral approach to the canine hip as well as improving colorectal surgery techniques. He enjoys both orthopedic and soft tissue surgery in addition to canine sports medicine.

Dr. Palmer, a native of Kansas, received his BS and DVM degrees from Kansas State University. He completed an internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. He received his small animal surgical residency training and an MS degree (Physiology) from the University of Georgia. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. His veterinary career has spanned both academics (Texas A&M and Colorado State University) and private specialty practice (Silicon Valley/Monterey Bay region of California) as a staff surgeon and as a practice owner. Ross is currently a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Colorado State University and the Associate Director of Education at the Translational Medicine Institute. Dr. Palmer seeks to entertain as he educates in order to make learning an enjoyable and memorable experience. He has been an invited speaker at conferences throughout the USA and the world. He was recently named VMX Speaker of the Year.  He is the founder of the Complete Course on External Skeletal Fixation educating veterinarians from around the world for 25 years. He’s authored > 50 journal articles and book chapters. He is past President of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS), editorial board member of Today’s Veterinary Practice, board member of the VOS, World Veterinary Orthopaedic Congress, North American Veterinary Conference and the Veterinary Surgery Journal. Ross’ personal passions include international travel, cycling, hiking, fishing, and relaxing with his family in their family’s “off the grid” island cabin in remote northwestern Ontario, Canada