Eric Davis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, ACVIM, is a veterinarian with the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and an associate of the school’s International Animal Welfare Training Institute and its Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT). Additionally, he serves at the lead veterinarian for the California State Fair. In 2015, Davis worked alongside CalFire and CalOES officials leading VERT’s activities during the Valley Fire, the second largest wildfire in California history. He is the founder of Rural Area Veterinary Services, and directed this program for the Humane Society of the United States for 10 years. During this time, Davis was deployed to Louisiana during hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and to Sri Lanka following the 2004 Tsunami. He provided leadership and patient care by organizing emergency animal sheltering. He is director of the Rural Veterinary Experience Teaching and Service, volunteering in underserved communities of the western United States, Mexico, and Nicaragua while mentoring veterinary students interested in rural practice.

Rebecca McConnico, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, is a professor of Agricultural Sciences/Animal Science and veterinarian at Louisiana Tech University, Ruston. Her clinical interests include infectious diseases and biosecurity, equine and large animal internal medicine, disaster medicine, wellness/welfare, and integrative therapies. McConnico was the founding director of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Disaster Response and Training Program (2004-’17). McConnico is continuing this training program at her new post at Louisiana Tech University. She has coordinated trainings and presented at veterinary schools, local, state, national, and global conferences on disaster response, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between human and animal response. Conference presentations have included the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, National Alliance of State Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs, America Association of Equine Practitioners, American Veterinary Medicine Assocaiton, National Disaster Medicine System, and others. McConnico believes that veterinarians play a vital role in building community risk reduction as it relates to all-hazards disaster response.