About Masa
Masayasu Ukai earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (B.V.M., equivalent to D.V.M.) from Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University (NVLU) in Japan in 2013. His undergraduate research focused on magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in familial spontaneous epileptic cats.
Following graduation, he practiced as a general veterinarian at Saitama Animal Medical Center, a referral private animal hospital, for five years. During this time, he was mentored by Dr. Shinichi Kanazono, DACVIM (Neurology), gaining extensive experience in neurological examinations and diagnostics. His interest in epilepsy deepened, and he concurrently conducted research on the efficacy of zonisamide on interictal electroencephalography (EEG) in epileptic cats under the supervision of Dr. Daisuke Hasegawa, DAiCVIM (Neurology), resulting in a first-author publication (Ukai, 2018, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery).
In June 2021, Dr. Ukai completed a Master of Science (M.S.) in clinical studies with a focus on neuroscience at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Canada. His research on EEG in epileptic dogs led to a second first-author publication (Ukai, 2021, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine) under the mentorship of Dr. Fiona James, DACVIM (Neurology). He subsequently completed a small animal rotating internship at OVC (2021–2022), continuing his EEG-based epilepsy research.
Since August 2022, Dr. Ukai has been pursuing a Ph.D. and a neurology/neurosurgery residency through the ACVIM at Colorado State University, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie McGrath, DACVIM (Neurology). He has since published as third author (Ukai, 2023, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association), with additional manuscripts under review.
As of July 2023, Dr. Ukai has been actively involved in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases in animals as a neurology/neurosurgery resident.
Education
Master of Science, Ontario Veterinary College, Canada, 2021Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Japan, 2013
Publications
Henry, J., Ukai, M., Antonakakis, M., Zhou, T., & others. (2024). Diffusion tensor imaging analysis of aged dogs with and without canine cognitive dysfunction. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382422993 Chawner, E., Ukai, M., Sears, W., & James, F. (2023). Frequency of non-generalized tonic clonic seizures in a referral population of dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 295, 105986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.105986Chawner, E., Ukai, M., Sears, W., & James, F. (2021). Frequency of non-generalized tonic clonic seizures in a referral population of dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 763822. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.763822Rimpo, K., Tanaka, A., Ukai, M., Ishikawa, Y., Hirabayashi, M., & Shoyama, T. (2018). Thrombin-antithrombin complex measurement using a point-of-care testing device for diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in dogs. PLOS ONE, 13(10), e0205511. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205511Ukai, M., McGrath, S., & Wakshlag, J. (2023). The clinical use of cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid–rich hemp in veterinary medicine and lessons from human medicine. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261(5), 562–570. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.23.02.0064Ukai, M., Parmentier, T., Cortez, M. A., Fischer, A., Jokinen, T. S., Gaitero, L., Powers, D., Tai, T., Wielaender, F., Lohi, H., Nykamp, S., Sammut, V., Sanders, S., & James, F. (2021). Seizure frequency discrepancy between subjective and objective ictal electroencephalography data in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1922–1930. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16158
Ukai, M., Hamamoto, Y., Yu, Y., Fujiwara-Igarashi, A., Fujita, M., & Hasegawa, D. (2018). Efficacy of zonisamide on interictal electroencephalography in familial spontaneous epileptic cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 20(10), 962–967. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X17740247
Research Specialty
Veterinary neurology and neurosurgeryNeuroscienceCanine cognitive disorder and a canine model of Alzheimer'sDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) Electroencephalography (EEG)