David Freeman graduated from the Veterinary College of Ireland, Dublin, in 1972 and then worked in private practice in Ireland for 10 months. He did an equine internship at New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 to 1975 and this was followed by a residency in large animal surgery at New Bolton Center from 1975 to 1977. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985.

From 1981 to 1994, he was an equine surgeon at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania. He became a board certified surgeon in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1989. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and became Head of Equine Medicine and Surgery in 1998. In 2004, he joined the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, as Professor of Equine Surgery and Associate Chief of Staff, and subsequently as Service Chief in Large Animal Surgery.

He was also interim Department Chair in Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida from 2009 to 2012. He gave the Sir Frederick Hobday Memorial Lecture by invitation from the British Equine Veterinary Association in 2004 and he was recognized by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, “in recognition of outstanding contributions to the development of equine surgery worldwide” In 2011.

He is currently the Martha and Arthur Appleton Endowed Professor in Equine Studies, and Director of the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory, University of Florida. David has developed 4 widely used surgical procedures in horses and has described improvements and modifications in others. His main area of clinical interest is improving survival after colic surgery.

Dr. Hassel is an Associate Professor of Equine Emergency Surgery & Critical Care and helped establish the 24/7 Equine Critical Care service at CSU in 2004. She has been a specialist in the area of equine colic since completion of her surgical residency in 1997 and has furthered her background in critical care medicine for the horse by obtaining board certification by the American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care in 2007. Her research interests are focused on treatment of the critically ill equine patient, with particular interests in colic, the equine gastrointestinal microbiome and endotoxemia.

Louise Southwood, BVSc, MS, PhD, BSc (Vet), is an associate professor of emergency medicine and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square. Her research areas include equine colic, duodenitis-proximal jejunitis, and equine gastrointestinal disease.

Yvonne Elce graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1997. She then proceeded to a large animal internship at Washington State University and a large animal surgery residency at New Bolton Centre, University of Pennsylvania.

She worked in the USA after becoming a board certified surgeon for 10 years and more recently at the University of Montreal Vet school. She currently is the Lead of the Equine Hospital and full time equine surgeon at Langford Vets Equine Hospital in the south of England.