Briony graduated from The University of Liverpool in 2000 and then spent 18 months in mixed practice in Manchester before returning to Liverpool to do a residency in veterinary anaesthesia. After completing the residency she stayed for 2 years as an anaesthesia clinician and achieved the certificate in anaesthesia.

Briony moved to a private referral practice in Yorkshire as a consultant anaesthetist for 3 years, during which time she gained her European Diploma in Anaesthesia and Analgesia. She returned to the University of Liverpool in 2010 and is now a Professor in Veterinary Anaesthesia, Analgesia and Education.

A native of south Florida, Dr. Gatson received a degree in Zoology from the University of Florida in 2007. She then pursued her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida and graduated in 2011. After completing a small animal rotating internship at Tufts University in North Grafton, MA in 2012, she returned to the University of Florida and completed a residency in anesthesia and pain management in 2015. Dr. Gatson became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2016. After completing her residency, Dr. Gatson taught anesthesiology as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Florida until 2021.

Dr. Gatson enjoys advanced anesthesia and pain management, including the use of locoregional techniques such as nerve blocks to minimize the amount of pain medication required to keep pets comfortable after surgical procedures. As an educator for many years, Dr. Gatson also enjoys teaching veterinary practitioners in all aspects of anesthesia and pain management. She is the founder of Safe Harbor Anesthesia Support, with the goal of providing direct high-quality anesthetic care to animals around the state of Florida.

Peter graduated from the University of Munich (Germany) after studies in Pisa (Italy) and Munich.  Thereafter he completed a Doctorial degree at the University of Pisa while working in a busy small animal referral center in tuskany where he developed his love for Anaesthesia, Analgesia and Intensive Care. He went on to train at the Brigham and Women’s Research Center in Boston (MA,USA) and completed his residency at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA) where he stayed on as a junior faculty member. From there he conducted research and teaching projects in Viet Nam and on Guam Island.

He moved further west to become a lecturer in Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the University of California (Davis, CA, USA). Coming back to Europe he worked for the University of Berne (Switzerland)and completed a Swiss Thesis as well as his European Specialty Boards.  In 2006 , together with Urs Schatzmann, he founded VAS as the first internationally available Anaesthesia and Analgesia Specialty Service outside the USA. Numerous research, teaching and clinical collaborations have arose since then, but Peter also works for the University of Zürich and is Group leader for Experimental Anaesthesia and Analgesia in the CABMM (Center for Applied Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine), a joint Competence Center of the ETH and the University of Zürich.

Peter is also very involved in the professional organisation of Anaesthesia and Analgesia around the world as he was President of the AVA, Member of the Board of Directors of the IVAPM, President of the IVAPM Research and Scholarship Foundation, honorary secretary of the IASP Special interest group for non-human species and member of the WSAVA’s Global Pain Council.

Dr. Heidi Shafford earned her DVM from Colorado State University in 2000. Following residency and graduate training in veterinary anesthesiology and physiology at the University of Missouri, she attained board certification by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2005. Inspired to take her anesthesia and pain management expertise into private practice, she established an independent anesthesia consulting practice as a resource for veterinary teams in the Pacific Northwest.

Originally from Alaska, Dr. Shafford has lived in Portland since 2007. Despite all the professional training and credentials, Heidi feels most important role is that of mom to an active and creative daughter. She is a cat owner and year-round open water swimming enthusiast.