BabelBark Enlists Industry Leaders To Form Advisory Board

NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BabelBark, Inc., a pet related software developer, announces the formation of its advisory council, a group of 10 high-profile veterinary industry experts with the common goal of creating better health outcomes for pets. The newly-formed council will work closely with BabelBark's leadership team to set the strategic direction for the company and its products.

"This distinguished group of veterinary industry experts comes at a time of great strength and momentum for our company, as we continue to grow our pet community," said Roy Stein, BabelBark, founder and CEO. "Their impressive expertise and unique perspectives will inform BabelBark's strategy tomorrow and beyond as we continue to help veterinarians thrive with technology and a new age of clientele."

The council is comprised of the following esteemed group of forward-thinking leaders from various facets of the veterinary industry.

Chad Amos, Co-Founder and Former Owner, Veterinary Data Services. Chad has been involved in helping veterinary practices unleash the power of their data for almost 20 years. His experience working with multiple companies that need data connectivity has given him a unique perspective on the industry. With the creation of the VetData Marketplace his company opened the world of connectivity to small start-ups, encouraging innovation while leveling the playing field. 

Marty Becker, D.V.M., Professor. Dr. Becker is the founder of the Fear Freetm initiative which brings together veterinary behaviorists and dozens of other experts and leaders in the field to develop an educational program to train veterinarians in easing the fear and anxiety of their patients and clients. Dr. Becker was the resident veterinary contributor on "Good Morning America" for 17 years and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association. He serves as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and practices at North Idaho Animal Hospital.

Louise Dunn, Founder and CEO, Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consulting (SVMC). Dr. Dunn is a nationally renowned award-winning speaker, writer and consultant bringing over 40 years of in the trenches experience and her business education to veterinary management. Louise works with veterinarians who want to develop a strategic plan that consistently produces results. Most recently Louise received many awards including the Western Veterinary Conference Educator of the Year and VetPartner's The Life Time achievement Award.

Sue Ettinger, D.V.M., Veterinary Cancer Specialist, The Veterinary Cancer Center. Dr. Ettinger is an international speaker, book author, podcaster, vlogger (video blogger), and currently practices at The Veterinary Cancer Center in Norwalk, Conn., part of the Compassion-First Pet Hospitals family of Hospitals. Also known as Dr Sue Cancer Vet^®, she is most passionate about raising cancer awareness and has developed "See Something, Do Something, Why Wait? Aspirate.^®" to promote early cancer detection and diagnosis.

Eric Garcia, IT Expert, Digital Marketer. Eric is an IT and digital marketing consultant working exclusively with veterinary practices to help streamline their technology and attract and retain clients. Garcia's work has been recognized throughout the industry. Eric is an active advisory board member with the American Association of Feline Practitioners and marketing columnist for Today's Veterinary Business. He speaks regularly at conferences throughout the world. 

Mary Gardner, D.V.M., Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Lap of Love. Dr. Gardner's professional goal is to increase awareness and medical care for the geriatric veterinary patient and to help make the final life-stage as peaceful as possible, surrounded with dignity and support for all involved. A University of Florida graduate, she is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Lap of Love which has over 150 veterinarians around the country dedicated to veterinary hospice and euthanasia in the home.

Diane Levitan, D.V.M., Dipl. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Dr. Levitan has built four veterinary practices and is a ground-breaking entrepreneur. She has introduced many new concepts into the field of veterinary medicine, such as creating the first hospital in the world where families could stay overnight with their pets, pioneering the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for animals, and creating a traveling CT scan company. She also started Helping-Promote Animal Welfare, Inc. (Helping-PAW), a not-for-profit to give back to the community and dedicated to ending pet overpopulation.

Bryan Slinker, D.V.M., Professor and Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University. Dr. Slinker has taught applied biomedical statistics, bioethics (including animal welfare/animal rights), responsible conduct of research, physiology, pharmacology, and developmental anatomy. In addition to his experimentally based peer-reviewed publications, he has co-authored several biomedical statistics tutorials for life science journals as well as an intermediate statistics textbook. He is a director of the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Wash. and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' liaison to the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities.

Alice Villalobos, D.V.M., Founder of the Peter Zippi Fund for Animals, Director of Animal Oncology Consultation Service and Pawspice. The Peter Zippi Fund for Animals has helped place over 15,000 pets in homes. She also introduced Pawspice, an end of life care program that embraces a kinder gentler standard of care. Dr. Villalobos has authored Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond and numerous articles, papers and chapters on oncology, quality of life, the human-animal bond and bioethics. As the current President Emeritus of the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, she has received multiple industry awards and accolades.

Audrey Wystrach, D.V.M., Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of ZippiVet. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Wystrach has a unique skill set for developing and integrating procedures and providing solutions to empower pet parents, engage team members and create a unique hospital design and flow. Dr. Wystrach has always taken pride in being a great clinician. Providing a hands-on approach to team management is integral to the growth of her hospitals.

"We are very excited to be partnering with this newly created board of preeminent thought leaders who can enable us to help more pet parents, pet professionals, and veterinarians create better health outcomes for pets," says Stein.

Raising the bar in pet care connections
Launched in 2016, BabelBark connects thousands of pet parents and pets with pet care businesses (including veterinary practices, trainers, shelters, groomers, walkers, pet sitters, boarding kennels, and more within the pet care community) through a digital platform with a mobile application.

The suite of BabelBark products includes:

• BabelBark, a mobile app helping pet parents manage their pets' records, medications, diet, activity, and more.
• BizBark, a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that helps independent pet businesses such as groomers, shelters, trainers, walkers, boarders, and others manage their business and marketing efforts, so they can concentrate on the services they offer.
• BabelVet, a powerful software platform that fully integrates with a veterinary practice's management system, allowing the ability to share a pet's full profile and health care statistics whenever needed.

About BabelBark, Inc.
BabelBark is unique digital platform dedicated to easily connecting families to the many facets of their pet's life. The integrated app and software system helps pet parents better understand their dog or cat to provide them the happiest and healthiest life possible, while also helping pet businesses and veterinarians communicate directly to customers and clients. Ultimately, it means BabelBark can help connect the love for each pet while revolutionizing veterinary care and pet business models, giving pet parents a key tool they want - their digital and personal healthcare team. For more information visit BabelBark, BizBark and BabelVet or email at [email protected].

SOURCE BabelBark