Keynote Speakers


 

Dr Emmanuelle van Erck-Westergren

Dr Emmanuelle van Erck-Westergren graduated from the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Maison Alfort (France) in 1996. She did a PhD on respiratory functional tests in horses at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Liege (Belgium). Her work led her to participate to research projects in Equine Sports Medicine at Cornell University (USA) and at Uppsala University (Sweden). These experiences triggered her passion for equine sports medicine. In 2000, she became Senior Consultant at the Centre for Equine Sports Medicine at University of Liège where she dealt with referred cases in sports medicine, participated to numerous research projects and collaborated to the training of veterinary students. In 2007, she was invited to develop the equine internal and sports medicine unit in the CIRALE in Normandy (France). Emmanuelle became a de facto diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) in 2008 and was subsequently acknowledged as European specialist in Equine internal medicine by the Order of Veterinarians.; In 2010, she was invited to be a board member of the International Committee at the International Conference on equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP), an internationally recognised organisation in Equine sports medicine. Emmanuelle is author of more than 40 scientific articles and regularly lectures at international scientific meetings. She is member of the board of the Belgian Equine Practitioner Society (BEPS) and on the scientific committee of the French Association of Equine Veterinarians (AVEF). She continues to collaborate to applied research projects in Equine Sports Medicine, to teach clinical training for the veterinary students and practitioners and to contribute regularly writing in both scientific and lay reviews. She was appointed Team Vet for Belgium in 2015 and was elected president of the Belgian Equine Practitioner Society (BEPS) in 2019.


 

Dr Rachel Murray

Dr Rachel Murray MA, VetMB, MS, PhD, Dip ACVS, Assoc ECVDI, MRCVS, is an internationally recognised veterinary surgeon specialising in equine surgery, advanced imaging, and sport horse performance. A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and Associate of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, she has been central to the development of equine MRI and is editor of the leading Equine MRI textbook. Her research covers orthopaedic injury, performance, rehabilitation, and risk factor analysis.

A Cambridge graduate, she completed an internship and surgical residency in the United States before returning to Cambridge as an equine surgeon and later earning a PhD on joint adaptation and injury. From 1997 to 2019, she worked at the Animal Health Trust, leading the equine MRI service and major research projects for British equestrian bodies and the FEI.

Since 2019, she has been based at Rossdales Diagnostic Centre, focusing on imaging, lameness, and rehabilitation, while also serving as Head of Equine Clinical Support at VetCT. She plays a key role in elite sport as a British Equestrian Federation and Team GB World Class Programme veterinarian and is an FEI official. She is also a Grand Prix dressage rider and BHS accredited coach.


 

ANZCVS Keynote Speakers


 

Dr François-René Bertin 

Dr François-René graduated with a DVM from the National Veterinary School of Nantes in France and pursued an internship in equine medicine and surgery at the National Veterinary School of Alfort. He then ventured to the United States, specialising in Equine Internal Medicine at Purdue University and earning the title of a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Across the border in Canada, François-René completed a PhD in Haemovascular Physiology at McGill University before landing at The University of Queensland in 2016, where he led the Equine Endocrinology Research Group and worked on the equine internal medicine service. He became an Associate Professor in Large Animal Internal Medicine at Purdue University in 2022 and in 2026 has become the inaugural director of the Nancy Fair Link Laminitis Research Center at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. François-René is an authority in equine endocrinology, authoring numerous research articles, book chapters, and the first textbook dedicated to the diagnosis and management of equine endocrinopathies. He is a member of international expert panels setting guidelines for the management of all equine endocrine disorders including equine metabolic syndrome/insulin dysregulation, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and thyroid disorders. 

 

Dr Travis Tull 

Dr Tull is a graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed an internship and surgical residency at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. Following his time in Lexington, he was a surgeon at Brown Equine Hospital in Pennsylvania before accepting the position as a surgeon and hospital clinician at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga from 2013 until 2017. His professional interests are orthopedics, soft tissue surgery, and lameness in performance horses.
 


 


 

45th Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures