Dr. Fortier is the James Law Professor of Surgery at Cornell University and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cartilage and Joint Preservation. She received her doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) from Colorado State University in 1991, and then completed an equine surgery internship at Illinois Equine Hospital. She completed a surgical residency and PhD at Cornell University. She is the Director of Equine Programs and Associate Chair for Graduate Education and Research at Cornell University. Dr. Fortier holds clinics and performs surgery in the Equine Clinic at Cornell in Ithaca, NY, and as a Staff Surgeon at the Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists hospital in Elmont, NY. Dr. Fortier’s primary clinical and translational research interests are in equine orthopedic surgery, tendonitis, and arthritis with expertise in regenerative medicine including platelet rich plasms (PRP), stem cells, and IRAP. She has authored over 200 scientific papers and book chapters on topics related to regenerative medicine, arthritis, and tendonitis.

Kyla Ortved, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ACVSMR, is an associate professor of large animal surgery at University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square. She received her veterinary degree from the University of Guelph in 2006 and completed her large animal surgical residency training at Cornell University in 2010. Following her residency, Kyla went on to obtain a PhD in equine cartilage repair at Cornell. In 2016, she joined the large animal surgery faculty at New Bolton Center, where she focuses on orthopedic surgery and research on gene and cell therapies for improving cartilage repair and preventing osteoarthritis.

Roger Smith is Professor of Equine Orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College, London, UK. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University (UK) in 1987, having obtained a First for his undergraduate degree and a Cambridge Blue at swimming. After 2 years in practice, he returned to academia to undertake further clinical training as a Resident in Equine Studies at the Royal Veterinary College. Following his residency, he undertook a 3 year research project culminating in the award of a PhD for his studies on the extracellular matrix of equine tendon.

He remained at the Royal Veterinary College, first as a Lecturer in Equine Surgery, then as Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery before his appointment as Professor in Equine Orthopaedics in December 2003.

He holds the Diploma of Equine Orthopaedics from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Specialist in Equine Surgery. He is a Diplomate of the European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, and is also a Large Animal Associate of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.

In 2016, he was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for meritorious contribution to knowledge and was elected to president of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in July 2017.

He divides his time between running a specialist orthopaedic referral service within the Royal Veterinary College, where he is involved in lameness diagnostics, imaging and orthopaedic surgery, and continuing to direct research into equine tendon disease. His principal research interests are understanding the pathogenesis of tendon disease, diagnostics for tendon and ligament disease, and stem cell therapy for tendons in both horses and humans.

He is married to a medical doctor and has two sons.