2024 Speakers

Keynote Speakers:

Dr Geraldine Blanchard (FRANCE)

Nutritionist of the websites: cuisine-a-crocs.com and viti5.com.au. Veterinary Specialist in Clinical Nutrition, in Vetivia veterinary clinic in Biarritz (France). CEO of Animal Nutrition Expertise SARL, Arbonne, France. CEO of Vet Nutrition Coach SAS, Bidart, France.

Géraldine BLANCHARD graduated DVM from the Vet School of Alfort (France) in 1994.

First oriented to an Academic carrier, she passed the French academic abilitation (agregation), defended her PhD on Lipoprotein metabolism and Hepatic Lipidosis in Cats. She holds board certification in the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN).

Until 2006, she developed Clinical Nutrition at the Vet School of Alfort as associate Professor. In 2007, she moved to Australia for a sabbatical which turned into a position of Senior Lecturer in Nutrition (UQ, St Lucia, QLD).

Back to France, she launched in 2008 an online nutrition service cuisine-a-crocs.com, now offering balanced tailored recipes for dogs and cats for more than 140 situations (healthy and one disease or more) from Geraldine's logarithms (including home-made-diets, mixed diets or commercial pet food, and treats), in French and English.

In order to balance the mixed diets and the home cooked diets for dogs and cats, she launched a range of mineral vitamin supplements, Vit’i5, now distributed in France and Europe.

ANE has a secondary company, created in Australia in 2019, VETANEA Pty Ltd, which launched in 2021 a website www.viti5.com.au, to offer Vit’i5 to Australian dogs and cats.

Géraldine also runs a specialized consultation of Clinical Nutrition, in a private practice in Biarritz.

Geraldine is author and co-author of several original publications, books and book chapters in Veterinary continuing education. She is a national and international lecturer

Geraldine has trained successfully 3 residents of her College who became Dipl. ECVCN.

                                                                                                          

Dr Ian Billinghurst (NSW)

Dr. Ian Billinghurst is a nutritionist, agricultural scientist, veterinary surgeon, acupuncturist, and nutritional consultant. He is widely regarded as “The Father of RAW Feeding” and has produced his own brand of pet foods. He is the author of "Give Your Dog a Bone", "Grow Your Pups With Bones", "The BARF Diet" and “Pointing the Bone at Cancer”. His first three books discuss the basic principles of canine (and feline) nutrition using raw, whole, and commonly available foods. His fourth book looks at nutrition and cancer. He conducts clinical and literature research into nutrition, writes and lectures on evolutionary nutrition, and its use in treating and preventing degenerative disease, including cancer. The recently formed Billinghurst Institute (www.billinghurst.institute) provides a comprehensive course in RAW feeding with more than forty hours of lectures by Ian Billinghurst.

Join us for a thought-provoking full stop to the conference with a pioneer of fresh feeding! Ian will explore the history and future of raw feeding and explore the many lessons and key insights he has gained over his career spanning more than half a century. You think you understand healthy, wholefood diet? Be ready to have gain new perspective with a master of the field!

                                                                                                          

Dr Clare Middle (WA)

BVMS CVA Cert. IAVH Cert. FTh

Over the last 40 years, since Clare graduated from Murdoch University as a veterinarian, she has increasingly used natural therapies. Most of her patients have been dogs and cats who have not improved with conventional veterinary treatments at their regular vet. 

Clare has been using acupuncture for over 40 years, and gained the Certificate of Veterinary Acupuncture (CVA) from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 1991. This is the Australian Veterinary Association recommended qualification for Australian vets using acupuncture. She completed a Brauer professional practitioner diploma in homoeopathy in 1996. She has reiki 2 and has several sets of flower essences which she enjoys using for behavioural and physical problems. Clare was the founding president for several years of the Australian Association of Holistic Veterinarians (now known as Integrative Veterinarians Australia), an organisation who encourages vets to use a holistic approach. The AAHV introduced the first veterinary specific professional course in classical homoeopathy for Australian vets, from which Dr Middle was awarded the certificate of the International Association of Veterinary Homeopathy. She has also completed Dr Bruce Ferguson’s Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Herbology course.

Clare works from a private consulting room in Balingup, Western Australia, using classical homoeopathy, herbs, kinesiology and flower essences. Most of her clients bring their pet in for chronic or ongoing problems where ongoing conventional drugs are not preferred or not working, for example skin allergies, lameness or spinal pain, colitis or behavioural problems. 

I am particularly interested in setting up a healthy lifetime for young animals using diet and minimal drugs. This interest includes keeping up with recent research into vaccination protocols and advising clients on optimizing the combination of minimal safe conventional vaccination with alternatives. Clare has also published three books on natural diets for pets.

                                                                                                         

Then In Alphabetic Order:

Dr Edward Bassingthwaighte (VIC)

Dr Edward helps animals heal with intuitive/integrative veterinary services, and the Whole Energy Body Balance Method (Neuro-fascial Bodywork, Energywork). Dr Edward has a strong interest in how the human end of the leash affects the health and well-being of animals. 

  Dr Ed + Anthea - Wellness Workshop

Dr Edward + Anthea are devoted to self-care, personal growth, and spiritual evolution in a very practical, down to earth way. Dr Ed is a healer, musician, and founder of the Whole Energy Body balance method. Anthea is a menopause yoga teacher, and long-time devotee of kirtan and conscious dance. Together, we will help you create and maintain Hope, recognise and transcend challenges in your life, and either begin or strengthen a strong, consistent self-care practice that feeds body, mind, and soul. You'll enjoy experiential exercises, guided meditations, music, reflection, a menopause yoga class, and learn practices to keep you strong and happy in work and play!                                

                                                                                                          

Dr Kelly Halls (VIC)

Dr Kelly Halls graduated in 2002 from the Uni of QLD in Brisbane and went straight into mixed practice in Pakenham, at the time a rural area with a strong racing thoroughbred breeding industry. Two and a half years of mixed animal practice gave a good grounding for Kelly to travel to the UK and spend a glorious 2 years in various practices throughout the United Kingdom, as well as packing in some memorable travel experiences!

Returning to her home on the Mornington Peninsula, the next 8 years were spent in busy small animal practices as well as emergency clinics, and raising babies. With a young family, the decision was made to open her own practice in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula.

Dr Kelly Halls founded Bentons Road Veterinary Clinic in 2015 and has grown the business to be a truly integrative practice offering all the usual modern veterinary services including advanced surgical procedures, medical diagnostics and dentistry, as well as a proactive natural health approach. Patient wellbeing at BRVC is in ever increasing demand and focusses on the following; 

• superior nutrition based on a wholefood diet approach 
• minimising preventative medications such as vaccinations and parasite control drugs whilst ensuring pets are protected from disease 
• supporting and healing pets with naturopathic remedies, herbal medicines, Chinese medications and physical therapies in combination with conventional medications 
• addressing the emotional health of all pets as part of their holistic care 

Dr Kelly Halls has been an AVA member for many years as well as a current member of the ASAV and IVA SIGS. Currently serving on the Executive Committee of the IVA and holding the position of Policy Advisory Council Representative for the past 4 years. 

Kelly's further education has included:

CVE - Emergency Medicine Distance Education Course 2008

CVE - Behaviour Medicine Distance Education Course 2010

CIVT - Introduction to Western Herbal Medicine 2018

CIVT - Certificate in Veterinary Natural Nutrition 2021

CIVT - Certificate in Veterinary Therapeutic Natural Nutrition (TBC)

Kelly also tutors students enrolled in the Veterinary Natural Nutrition courses through the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies and administrates an online holistic veterinary community through the Natural Veterinary Practitioners closed Facebook Group. 

Kelly has featured in podcasts for Pure Animal Wellbeing and CIVT, presented the recent Fresh Food Feeding Workshop at the AVA National Conference and also speaks weekly as the featured vet on local radio station 3RPP-FM.    

                                                                                                          

Dr Viv Harris (NZ)

Dr Viv Harris graduated from Massey University (New Zealand) in 1986 with a Bachelor degree in Zoology and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. For the past 38 years she has had a deep interest in the use of combining Complementary Therapies with Conventional Therapies  and has studied widely. She obtained the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) degree, Natural Allergy Treatment (NAET) Certificate as well as completing courses in Trigger Point therapy, Flower Essences, Homeopathy, Herbal medicine and Neutriceuticals. She ran her own Veterinary practice in Wellington for 10 years and was able to combine this extra training with her conventional training with great success. Viv lectures annually at the Massey Veterinary school and at Veterinary Conferences and now locums and works from her own rooms in Wellington. She also successfully runs Organic Vegetable growing classes from her organic rural property which focuses on soil microbiome health, design, and health of the plants and soil and how it impacts on us as the consumers.

                                                                                                          

Dr Megan Kearney (NSW)

Dr Megan Kearney is professional veterinarian with a wildlife speciality who operates her own veterinary hospital in Bangalow, NSW. She has had a passion for wildlife medicine and conservation since commencing as a graduate vet in Alice Springs 35 years ago. Her private practice work includes livestock, companion animals and wildlife in Australia and the UK, with not for profit experience in Ladakh, India as a volunteer with Vets Beyond Borders.

Megan’s experience includes directorships and committee memberships for a range of not-for-profit organisations including President of Integrative Veterinarians Australia, a special interest group of the Australian Veterinary Association, vice-president British Association of Homeopathic Veterinarians, Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital, the Ereshkigal Foundation, and Bradford City Farm amongst other community groups.

                                                                                                          

Dr Christine King (VIC)

BVSc, MANZCVS (equine), MVetClinStud 

Dr Chris King is a holistic equine veterinarian who currently lives in southern Victoria. A 1985 graduate of the University of Queensland, Dr King has experience in private practice and veterinary teaching hospitals in Australia and the US. She also has extensive experience as a medical writer and editor, and has authored eleven books. Her interest in the microbiota of the equine gut inspired the book she’s currently working on, Through the Looking-Glass: a bug’s-eye view of the equine gut and what it can tell us about feeding horses. Her presentation at the 2024 IVCA meeting is a brief glimpse into this fascinating microcosmos.

                                                                                                         

Dr Danny Xue (SA)

Co-founder & head of innovation & research at EAC animal care

Dr Danny gained his PhD in animal science from the University of New England. For over a decade, his research has focussed on the interaction of gut health, microbiology, inflammation, physiology, and nutrition. Inspired by his experience in human pharmaceutical development at the University of Queensland, he proposed the important role of inflammation in stress, disease prevention, and general health and achieved application successes utilising intensive production animals as research model. He has been intensively working with global research organizations and industry stakeholders to develop antibiotics alternative plan, disease prevention and treatment support plan especially on Clostrdial and Coccidia enteritis, gut health strategy, stress management programme via functional nutritional approach and inflammation management.

Currently works as the head of Innovation & Research centre at EAC animal care

More on Dr Danny's research can be found here.