FIP Symposium at Colorado State University     

7:30 – 7:45 a.m. Check in

7:45 – 8:00 a.m. Welcome, Michael Lappin, Steve Dale

8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Treating FIP During the FCoV-23 Era in Cyprus – What We Have Seen so Far, Maria Lyraki, Demetris Epaminondas

9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Virology – Update, Gary Whittaker, Christine Tait-Burkard

9:50 – 10:10 a.m. Break

10:10 – 11:00 a.m. Diagnosis of FIP and Monitoring FIP Cats, Sam Evans, Katrin Hartmann

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Panel discussion on diagnose and monitoring of FIP cats, Sam Evans, Gregg Dean, Petra Cerna, Sally Coggins, Katrin Hartmann

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 – 1:50 p.m. Complicated FIP Cases, Relapses, Comorbidities (IMHA, sepsis, myocarditis), Petra Cerna, Sally Coggins

2:00 – 2:50 p.m. Update on FIP Guidelines – GS Treatment, Sally Coggins, Sam Evans

2:50 – 3:10 p.m. Break

3:10 – 4:00 p.m. Update on FIP Guidelines – EIDD and Protease Inhibitors (GC, paxlovid) and Antiviral Resistance, Petra Cerna, Sally Coggins

4:10 – 5:00 p.m. Panel discussion on treatment of FIP, Sally Coggins, Sam Evans, Petra Cerna, Katrin Hartmann, Maria Lyraki

5:00 p.m. Reception and poster presentations

7:30 – 7:45 a.m. Check in

7:45 – 8:00 a.m. EveryCat Health Foundation – Past, Present, Future, Dean Vicksman, Brian Holub

8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Supportive Care and Management of FIP Cats, Petra Cerna, Sam Taylor (joining via Zoom)

9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Demystifying the Myths of FIP (Injectable vs Oral, Relapses, etc), Sam Evans, Sally Coggins

9:50 – 10:10 a.m. Break

10:10 – 11:00 a.m. Caring for FIP Cats (Supporting Caregivers) and How to Manage FIP in Multicat Households, Petra Cerna, Sam Taylor (joining via Zoom)

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. FIP Vaccination Update, Terza Brostoff, Gregg Dean

Dr. Brostoff received her Ph.D. in integrative pathobiology and her D.V.M. from the UC Davis through the Veterinary Scientists Training Program, and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists with emphases in immunology and virology. After completion of her D.V.M. and PhD, she worked in companion animal private practice for several years before returning to academia to complete a postdoctoral fellowship under the guidance of Dr. Peter Ernst as a collaboration between UC San Diego and UC Davis. She is currently an assistant professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in the department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. Her laboratory focuses on developing novel diagnostic tests and vaccines with a particular focus on feline coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis. In addition to developing clinical tools, also uses these tools to better understand host-pathogen interactions and the immune responses to both infection and vaccination.

Dr. Černá is an ACVIM and ECVIM diplomate in small animal internal medicine. She graduated from the University of Veterinary Sciences in the Czech Republic in 2018 where she also obtained her first PhD in 2023. After completing two internships in the UK, she completed Small Animal Internal Medicine Residency at Colorado State University, USA in 2023 and her second PhD focusing on feline infectious peritonitis in 2025. Dr. Černá was awarded the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Feline Medicine and also gained the Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in the Medicine of Cats. She was also awarded the ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour with Distinction. Dr. Černá has particular interest in feline medicine and is focusing her research on feline infectious diseases and especially FIP.

Sally graduated from The University of Sydney in 2007 and has practiced as a feline-only clinician since 2010. She attained memberships in feline medicine with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZCVS) in 2012, becoming an examiner with the ANZCVS, and tutoring for the Centre for Veterinary Education. Following 10 years practicing at The Cat Clinic, Melbourne, where she was a partner and director, Sally turned her focus to research. Between 2020 and 2024, Sally completed a PhD on antiviral therapies for FIP, conducting both prospective and retrospective studies using remdesivir and GS-441524, and characterized the pharmacokinetics of remdesivir in cats. She is a passionate educator and has lectured around the world, upskilling veterinarians on how to diagnose and effectively treat FIP. She is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, continuing her research into feline infectious diseases, specifically feline coronavirus, feline calicivirus and feline retroviruses.

Steve Dale, CABC (certified animal behavior consultant) is host of Steve Dale’s Pet World WGN Radio, Chicago (since 1997). His website and award-winning blog: www.stevedale.tv.

His many TV appearances range from Oprah to Good Morning America to National Geographic Explorer to various of Animal Planet programs, and formerly contributed to superstation WGN-TV. And he hosted a national radio show for 20 years.

Among his books Good Dog! and Good Cat!  He’s a co-editor of Decoding Your Dog and contributed to Decoding Your Cat (both authored by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists). He’s a contributor to The Cat: Clinical Medicine (Volumes I and II) and Management, Treatment and Care of the Geriatric Veterinary Patient and others. Steve has a new way to think about dog bites, and authored children’s book called Ask the Dog, (2025 fall release).

Steve speaks internationally at events and veterinary meetings.

Steve’s multiple awards include the AVMA Steve Dale Excellence in Media Award (named for him in perpetuity); the AVMA Humane Award and he was inducted into the Dog Writer’s Hall of Fame. He was also honored by the City Chicago, Steve Dale Day, December 15, 2021.

Steve serves on Boards of the EveryCat Heath Foundation, Human Animal Bond Association, Association for Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and Anti-Cruelty, Chicago. He’s a past Board Member of the American Humane Association and co-founded the CATalyst Council. At EveryCat, he launched the Ricky Fund in 2002 to raise money to better understand feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which the FDA just approved a treatment.

Steve’s been involved in many legislative successes and has testified about preventing breed bans, banning pet store sales of dogs/cats and in Illinois the first ever fire protection law for pets in daycare and boarding facilities, It was Steve’s idea to welcome dogs to baseball games, which today most professional teams have promotions.

Dr. Gregg Dean is a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University.  His current research is focused on feline coronavirus pathogenesis, diagnostics, and vaccine development. In particular, his work is focused on biomarker discovery using proteomics and use of Lactobacillus acidophilus as a vaccine platform in domestic and wild animal populations. He uses multi-omics approaches to explore the interaction between the intestinal microbiome, host mucosal immune responses and vaccines. Dr. Dean directs three NIH funded research training programs for undergraduate, predoctoral, and post-DVM students. He is the program director of the FCoV-23 International Research Consortium.

Demetris achieved his DVM title at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 2007. After his degree studies in Veterinary medicine, he continued and completed his academic studies with a surgical master’s degree in the same university, where he was a surgical intern in the university for 2,5 years. In 2024 ha has completed his second master’s degree in public administration in the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. He is currently a PhD candidate in the of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece with the subject of the research being the epidemiology of FIP in Cyprus and Greece, funded by Morris and Every Cat Animal Foundations.

His work experience is divided amongst the small animal medicine sector and the public sector, as he has been working and assisting in both veterinary sectors for the past 17 years.

During his career as a veterinarian, he has undertaken a respectable number of trainings in various aspects of the veterinary medicine and has participated in several congresses in Greece and abroad both as a participant, poster writer, and presenter.

He is currently the Board President of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association as well as a board member of the veterinary regulatory body the Cyprus Veterinary Chamber. He represents Cyprus in various European and international Bodies such as FECAVA, WSAVA, ISFM and FVE.

Dr. Evans grew up outside of Boulder, CO and attended Colorado State University for her undergraduate degree. She completed a combined DVM/PhD program at UC Davis, where she studied FIV for her dissertation research. She then completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at Michigan State University, followed by a residency in clinical pathology back at CSU. After being on faculty at Ohio State University for four years she joined the faculty at CSU where she is an assistant professor, board certified veterinary clinical pathologist and microbiologist, and studies FIP diagnostics and therapy. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and 1 dog, 2 cats, and 4 kids.

Professor Dr. Katrin Hartmann graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at LMU Munich, Germany, in 1987 and completed her doctoral thesis in internal medicine with summa cum laude in 1990. From 1988 to 1996, she worked as Research Assistant and Clinical Instructor at the 1st Medical Animal Clinic at LMU Munich. She obtained her habilitation (German PhD) in Small Animal Internal Medicine (on “Antiviral Treatment of FIV”) in 1995. From 1996 to 2001, she worked as Assistant Professor (Privatdozentin) at the 1st Medical Animal Clinic at LMU Munich. Since 1999, she is Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Companion Animals (ECVIM-CA). From 2001 to 2003, she worked as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Small Animal Department at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia Athens, USA. In 2003, she returned to Munich where she started to work as a Full Professor and Head of the Small Animal Medical Clinic at LMU Munich. In 2009, she was additionally appointed the First Department Head of the newly founded Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine at the LMU Munich which she was until 2016. Since then, she has the position as Vice Department Head of the Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine at the LMU Munich. 

Since April 2023, the Clinic of Small Animal Medicine was united with the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery and Reproduction under the supervision of Katrin Hartmann. She is now Head of the LMU Small Animal Clinic, one of the largest small animal clinics in Germany with currently 230 employees and almost 30 faculty members. 

Professor Hartmann is author of > 400 papers, proceedings, abstracts, and book chapters. She has lectured at numerous international meetings and congresses. Her research interest is infectious diseases in cats and dogs, with a special focus on virus infections in cats. 

Dr. Brian Holub has been working with EveryCat Health Foundation (previously the Winn Feline Foundation) for nearly three decades. Dr. Holub is a member of the foundation’s original grant review committee and currently serves as Chair of the Scientific Review Committee, which helps select grant recipients each year by reviewing research proposals and making funding recommendations.

Dr. Holub has significant front line experience in the world of feline health care. He graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983. He owned and operated Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford, MA from 1985 to 2012, and continues as a practicing veterinarian, one day a week. Countryside VH was recognized as the 2010 AAHA Practice of the Year, and VetPub 2000 Practice of Excellence. Dr. Holub was the Chief Medical Officer for VetCor, a national network of 700 community-based free-standing veterinary hospitals, from 2012 until he retired in 2022. Dr Holub also served as a clinical instructor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, from 1998-2014.

Dr Holub was a CFA breeder of pedigreed American Shorthair Cats for over 20 years. He established his cattery, Heartnsoul, in 1988. Dr Holub was also a CFA cat show exhibitor, an ASH Breed Council member, and a CFA ring clerk for many years. Dr. Holub has a special interest in pedigree cat medicine, multiple-cat environments, and feline reproduction.

Apart from EveryCat Health Foundation, Dr Holub also currently serves on the Scientific Review Board for the AKC Canine Health Foundation, the Board of Directors for New England Disabled Sports, and The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine Stanton Foundation Advisory Board.

Dr. Lappin is a Professor of Infectious Disease in the Department of Clinical Sciences. His laboratory studies immune responses to vaccination against respiratory viruses in cats, as well as immune responses to feline vaccines. He also oversees a large diagnostic service for feline infectious agents, including Toxoplasma gondii, Bartonella, Ehrlichia and others. Current areas of investigation include mechanisms of transmission of Hemoplasma spp, therapies for rickettsial diseases, and companion animals as carriers of drug-resistant staphylococci. Lappin is also Director of Shelter Medicine and investigates disease outbreaks and management in shelter settings.

Maria Lyraki is the first ever Greek Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM-CA). She graduated from University of Thessaly, Greece in 2015, she worked in general practice for 2 years, followed by a rotating internship at the University of Glasgow (2017) and a combined residency and a Master’s degree (MSc) at the University of Bristol. After obtaining her diploma in 2022, Maria worked as a senior clinician in Internal Medicine at Langford Vets University of Bristol before moving back to Greece to set up a medicine referral department at Plakentia Referral Clinic in Athens. Since then, Maria has also been an active member of the team working on the FCoV-23 outbreak in Cyprus and she is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Veterinary Sciences at Brno, Czech Republic on the treatment of FCoV-23 FIP.

Dr Christine Tait-Burkard is a group leader (associate professor equivalent) at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute. She is a biochemist and virologist with more than sixteen years’ experience in virus-host interaction research, obtaining her BSc and MSc from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland before completing a PhD on coronavirus entry into mammalian cells at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. She is an expert in nidoviruses and genome editing and her group’s research focusses primarily on the coronavirus and arterivirus families. Her research interests encompass understanding host-pathogen interactions on a cellular and genetic level, developing new in vitro tools for virus research, improving and developing easy-to-use diagnostics, and devising strategies to combat viral and complex disease of zoonotic and animal pathogens. She has lead the virology and coordinated the sequence analysis of the FCoV-23 outbreak in Cyprus in collaboration with colleagues from Edinburgh, the UK and Cyprus.

Sam graduated from the Royal Vet College in 2002 and completed internships in private referral practice before starting a Feline Advisory Bureau Residency at Bristol University. She was awarded the European Diploma in Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2009.  In 2011 she became an RCVS Recognized Specialist in Feline Medicine and in 2019 was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for outstanding contributions to the profession. She is also a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Feline Medicine).  Sam is the International Society of Feline Medicine Veterinary Specialist Consultant and works as a Medicine Specialist at Lumbry Park in Hampshire. Sam is an Honorary Lecturer in Internal Medicine at Surrey University Veterinary School, is an editorial board member for JFMS and Frontiers in Veterinary Science, a tutor on the Sydney CVE feline medicine course and coordinates the ISFM International Guidelines. Sam is also a consultant for the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and on the RCVS Fellowship Credentials Panel. Sam co-authored guidelines on hypertension, diabetes mellitus, NSAIDs, acute pain, inappetence, blood transfusion, urinary tract disease and others. She has written books, book chapters and papers on internal medicine topics and enjoys a mix of clinical work, writing and lecturing. She has a particular interest in clinical research to answer those important clinical questions to practically improve feline health and wellbeing and has been involved in the worldwide launch of legal drugs to treat FIP.

Dr. Dean Vicksman earned his veterinary degree from Colorado State University and completed a yearlong internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He went on to own and operate Evans East Animal Hospital in Denver from 1987 to 2021 and founded Denver Cat Hospital in 2018. Under his leadership, both practices became highly regarded for their commitment to quality care and client service.

Now retired from clinical practice, Dr. Vicksman remains deeply engaged in advancing the veterinary profession. He currently serves on the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine and is Chair of the Board of Directors for the EveryCat Health Foundation, the leading organization dedicated to feline health research and education. He is widely recognized for his expertise in feline medicine and for his lifelong commitment to animal welfare.

Dr. Vicksman has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Humane Colorado (formerly the Dumb Friends League), PetAid Colorado, The Grey Muzzle Organization, and the Animal Assistance Foundation of Colorado. Through these roles, he has worked to improve the lives of companion animals across the state and beyond, advocating for high standards in veterinary care, rescue support, and community access to services.

Gary Whittaker is a Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Veterinary Medicine.  He is Section Chief of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology MPH Program and a member of the Feline Health Center. The Whittaker Lab studies the structure and function of viral envelope proteins.  Our work focuses on how genomic mutations lead to changes in the envelope proteins and control viral pathogenesis in influenza viruses and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV2, MERS-CoV and feline coronaviruses.  Our research also extends into therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostic test development.  Funding is provided by research grants from the Cornell Feline Health Center, Winn Feline Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.