Leading Pet Insurer Fetch Enlists Preeminent Pet Health Researchers, Practitioners and Thought Leaders to Form Veterinary Advisory Board

Board will influence product development based on pet health trends and lead Fetch's effort to support the Veterinary Community.

NEW YORK, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fetch ("Fetch"), the most comprehensive pet insurance provider in North America, today announced the formation of a Veterinary Advisory Board consisting of nationally recognized veterinary leaders. The board brings a frontline perspective to Fetch's product development process while also helping the company address emerging pet health trends and identify ways to support the veterinary community.

"As a veterinary epidemiologist who has studied the science of health through the lens of human, animal, and environmental health for over a decade, I am proud to partner with a company that has such a bold vision for pet wellness," said Dr. Audrey Ruple, Chair of the Advisory Board. "I look forward to working with my fellow Board members and Fetch leadership to help pets and people live better, longer."

"Advocating for the people who care for our pets is what the Vet Advisory Board is all about," said Paul Guyardo, President and CEO of Fetch. "I'm thrilled to be working with such an esteemed group of veterinarians to ensure that our products, policies and cause-related activities truly meet the needs of their community."

The seven members each bring a unique set of knowledge, skills and experiences:

• Dr. Audrey Ruple: Dr. Ruple will serve as Chair of the Advisory Board. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences and holds the Metcalf Chair in Veterinary Medical Informatics in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on One Health - the intersection of human, animal and environmental health. She has a particular interest in comparative biomedical aspects of cancer and aging, and she leverages information learned from companion dogs as a model system to learn how both humans and animals can live longer, healthier lives together.
• Dr. Kwane Stewart: Known as "The Street Vet," Dr. Stewart has been a practicing veterinarian for 25 years, with his veterinary expertise sought by major companies including Disney, United Airlines and SeaWorld on how to improve their animal-care standards. Dr. Stewart has also practiced in municipal shelters in addition to serving as the Chief Medical Officer at VETCO Hospitals and as the Chief Veterinary Officer of American Humane, where he was also director of their legacy program, No Animals Were Harmedtm.
• Dr. Evan Antin: Dr. Antin is a small animal, exotics and wildlife veterinarian, practicing at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California. Dr. Antin earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University with a small animal and exotic animal focus in 2013. Since that time, Dr. Antin has been a passionate advocate for all animals both wild and domestic. In his frequent travels abroad, he works on species and habitat conservation projects alongside conservationists and wildlife veterinary colleagues in dozens of countries around the world. In addition, as a trusted veterinary resource, he uses his robust social media following to impart pet health information to pet parents and raise awareness for wildlife conservation.
• Dr. Monica Tarantino: Dr. Tarantino is a small animal veterinarian with a focus on senior and geriatric pets. She has practiced canine and feline medicine for the past nine years and works as a general practitioner and chief of staff at a clinic in the Charlotte, NC area. Dr. Tarantino is also cofounder of the Senior and Geriatric Dog Veterinary Society and has a podcast called Senior Dog Revolution which focuses on helping pet parents with older dogs. In addition to her work on behalf of senior dogs, Dr. Tarantino has also co-authored two books, the New Vet Jumpstart Guide General Practice and Emergency Medicine Edition which focus on helping new veterinarians succeed in clinical practice.
• Dr. Kerri Rodriguez: Dr. Rodriguez is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Human-Animal Interaction. She is an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, where she leads a program of research exploring the bi-directional effects of the human-animal bond for human and animal health and well-being. Some of her research consists of quantifying the effects of service dogs for individuals with disabilities, exploring the stress-buffering effects of pets for individuals experiencing adversity, and seeking to understand the psychophysiological mechanisms for why pets (especially dogs) may improve our wellbeing. She is currently completing a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Human-Animal Bond in Colorado in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Prior to that, she received her Ph.D. in Human-Animal Interaction from the Purdue University Center for the Human-Animal Bond in the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine. Apart from Fetch, she also serves on the advisory board for Pet Partners, American Humane, and the International Society for Anthrozoology.
• Dr. Noe Galvan: Dr. Galvan currently serves as the Emergency and Critical Care Department Head and Co-Medical Director at VCA Oso Creek Animal Hospital and Emergency Center located in South Texas. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine. He has practiced Emergency and Critical Care in both private and corporate specialty settings in Houston, Chicago, and Austin. Dr. Galvan has a public health background as well. He earned his MPH from the UCLA School of Public Health and has worked in the development of disaster management training for veterinarians as well as laboratory epidemiology with the CDC in Atlanta. Dr. Galvan is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion in veterinary medicine as well as mentoring young veterinarians. He is an adjunct professor of practice at the University of Arizona, College of Veterinary Medicine, where he serves as a liaison and mentor for 4th year students and clinical practice sites. Lastly, Dr. Galvan is active in the World Vets Organization, which provides international animal aid and preventative veterinary services all over the world.
• Dr. Aliya McCullough: Dr. McCullough is Chief Veterinary Officer and Director of Veterinary Affairs at Fetch. She will serve on the Veterinary Advisory Board as an ex-officio member and liaison between the Advisory Board and Fetch. Dr. McCullough joined Fetch in 2019 and uses her veterinary expertise, passion for pet parent education and Fetch policy knowledge to serve as a trusted veterinary resource in the claims and creative departments. Prior to her time at Fetch Dr. McCullough worked as a small animal veterinarian in private practice in the southeastern Pennsylvania region.

The Veterinary Advisory Board will work closely with Guyardo and his leadership team to provide key insights on a regular basis.

To learn more about the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board, visit: fetchpet.com/vab.

To learn more about Fetch, visit: https://www.fetchpet.com/

About Fetch

Fetch is a leading tech-enabled pet wellness company dedicated to helping pet parents give their cats and dogs a longer, healthier life. It's why we offer the most comprehensive pet insurance coverage in the U.S. and Canada. It's why we support Project Street Vet ? a non-profit that provides free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness ? as well as donate millions of dollars to life-saving animal adoption shelters. And it's why we're proud to announce our newest innovation, the Fetch Health Forecast.  This ground-breaking technology combines artificial intelligence, veterinary care and clinical findings from over 800,000 dogs and 500+ breeds to predict a dog's future health at an 85% confidence level.  This highly personalized report includes easy-to-follow recommendations to keep your dog healthy and empowers pet parents to have informed conversations with their vet professionals. Pet parents can find Fetch on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or follow us on Twitter. For more information about Fetch, visit https://www.fetchpet.com/ or call (866) 509-0163.

Fetch insurance policies are administered by Fetch Insurance Services, LLC (d/b/a Fetch by The Dodo, Fetch by The Dodo, LLC in Michigan & New Mexico, and Fetch by The Dodo Insurance Services, LLC in California)[1]  and underwritten by XL Specialty Insurance Company, a Delaware Corporation, or AXIS Insurance Company, an Illinois Corporation, in the U.S. and AXIS Reinsurance Company (Canadian Branch) in Canada. Fetch is a Warburg Pincus portfolio company.

Media contacts:

Fetch

Ryan Whittington

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SOURCE Fetch Pet Insurance