Board of Directors
January 2026
Ryan Bailey, DVM, DACVAA
Director, ACVAA Representative
January '26 to January '29
Ryan Bailey received his bachelor of sciences and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He then went on to complete an internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey and completed a residency in anesthesia and critical care at the University of California, Davis. He became board certified in 2017. He participated in a fellowship focusing on anesthesia and pain management for zoo and wildlife species at Brookfield Zoo. His interests include anesthesia of zoo and exotic animals, pain management and locoregional anesthesia.
Tasha Bartel, BScH, BVM&S, MRCVS, DACVAA
Past President
January '26 to January '28
Dr. Annatasha Bartel is a Board Certified Specialist in Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, having completed her residency at Cornell University in 2015. She has worked in a variety of practice settings, including small animal general practice, emergency medicine, academic referral practice, and her current position at a private small animal referral practice in Toronto. Her clinical interests include anesthesia of the critical patient and the gastrointestinal effects of anesthesia. Growing areas of interest include Just Culture approaches in veterinary medicine and removing inherent bias to clinical practice.
Aside from the NAVAS Board of Directors, Annatasha has served on the ACVAA Exam Committee and was a Councillor for the College of Veterinarians of Ontario. She is the upcoming Co-Chair of the 2028 World Congress of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. During her sparse free time, Dr. Bartel enjoys adventuring abroad, baking, SCUBA diving, and tending to her spoiled cats.
Dr. Gianluca Bini, DVM, MRCVS, DACVAA
President Elect
January '26 to January '28
Dr. Gianluca Bini graduated from the University of Perugia, Italy. He then moved to the United Kingdom, where he completed two internships, one in anesthesia and one rotating, at Dick White Referrals, one of the largest referral centers in Europe. After completing his residency at North Carolina State University, he worked as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at The Ohio State University.
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After realizing how limited the access to a board certified anesthesiologist was, he decided to found Safe Pet Anesthesia.
Due to his passion for teaching and devotion to spreading safe anesthetic practices, he speaks at many national and international conferences while also working as an anesthesiology and pain management faculty at Oklahoma State University.
Ludovica Chiavaccini, DVM, DAVCAA
Director, ACVAA Representative
January '24 to Jan '27
Ludovica Chiavaccini, an ACVAA board-certified anesthesiologist, graduated from the University of Pisa (Italy) in 2003 and obtained certification in veterinary acupuncture in 2004. After several years practicing as an equine veterinarian, she completed a Master's degree in veterinary science (2010) at Colorado State University and a residency in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia (2014) at Mississippi State University. She has been a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia since 2015.
Ludovica was an Assistant Professor in Clinical Anesthesia at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania from 2016 to 2018. After being part of the anesthesia team at North Carolina State University for a few years, in 2021, she joined the University of Florida as Associate Clinical Professor in Anesthesia and Pain Management. Ludovica has been an Associate Editor for Elsevier Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia since 2018. In addition, she has been an instructor for Narkovet Consulting® LLC since 2016 and a consultant in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia for VCA since 2018. Her research interests focus on the understanding of pain mechanisms in animals and novel techniques of loco-regional anesthesia.
Lisa Sams Ebner, DVM, MS, DACVAA, CVA
Director-at-Large
January '24 to January '27
Lisa Sams Ebner, DVM, MS, DACVAA, CVA, is a 2006 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. This was followed by an Anesthesia Specialty Internship at the University of Georgia and a rotating internship at a small animal referral hospital in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She completed her combined residency in anesthesia and Master of Science in Comparative and Veterinary Medicine program from The Ohio State University in 2011.
She began her career working part-time in the specialty referral setting and providing anesthesia services for MRI patients. When an opportunity became available to teach at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and live outside of the United States, she started as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in 2013. When a new veterinary school was opened in the heart of Appalachia, she was able to return to her roots and is now currently an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee.
Her research interests include drug pharmacokinetics studies, medical student education, acupuncture, and the relationship of wellness in the human-animal bond. She was humbled to receive the Zoetis Distinguished Teaching Award for 2021 and The Center for Innovation in
Veterinary Education and Technology (CIVET) Award for Excellence in Teaching Veterinary Medicine in May of 2021. She was also the recipient of the Class of 2020 Teacher of the Year Award in April of 2018.
After becoming a diplomate of the ACVAA, she wanted to give back and has been on the Residency Training Committee (2015-2017), Written Exam Committee (2018-2022, Serving as the Chair in 2021), and was a Regional Director on the Board of Directors from 2019-2022.
Dr. Flavio A.V. Freitag, DVM, MSc. DVSc., DACVAA
Secretary
January '25 to January '27
Dr. Freitag obtained his DVM degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in 2015, graduating with honors, first of the class. After graduation he completed a 2-year residency in Anesthesia, with parts in Critical Care, from 2016-2018 at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR) where he also then obtained his Master of Veterinary Science in 2019.
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He then moved to Canada in 2019, to pursue his Anesthesia Residency and Doctor of Veterinary Sciences at the Ontario Veterinary College, 2019-2022. After residency, Dr. Freitag practiced at the Veterinary Specialty Centre of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he was the first veterinary anesthesiologist of the province. In 2023 Dr. Freitag become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and started a pain clinic at the hospital.
Dr. Freitag’s professional interests include ultrasound guided loco-regional anesthesia, with focus on TAP block, use of pain catheter, CPR, pain management, chronic pain, anesthesia in different species (small animals and equines). And he has published over 20 manuscripts as first author.
Carolyn McKune, DVM, DACVAA
Director, ACVAA Representative
January '26 to January '27
Carolyn, a Spartan, received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After a year of private practice, Carolyn followed her husband to Washington State University to instruct students on common soft tissue procedures. The need for structured perioperative patient advocacy incited Carolyn to learn more; she went on to complete an internship at Washington State University and a residency in Anesthesia and Critical Patient Care at UC Davis. In 2009, she became a boarded Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.
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After spending nearly three years as anesthesia faculty at the University of Florida, Carolyn owned her own independent veterinary anesthesia consultancy, Mythos Veterinary LLC. That experience provided her the opportunity to work at universities and veterinary centers all over the globe. While she took a brief hiatus of six years to serve as Chief Anesthesiologist and Medical Director for BluePearl of Gainesville (formerly Affiliated Veterinary Specialists), she missed the best boss she ever had: herself. As life is often so clever at, Carolyn also found the time had come to give back to the community she so loves, as well. She is pleased now to volunteer with a 501c3 Charity, St. Francis Pet Care Clinic as well as serve as the proud owner of Mythos Veterinary—veterinary anesthesia that keeps climbing!
Tasha McNerney, BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)
Director, AVTAA Representative
January '26 - January '29
Tasha is a Certified Veterinary Technician from Pennsylvania where she works as a educational consultant and relief anesthesia technician. Tasha is the founder of the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds, while also a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and board member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) to educate the public about animal pain awareness. In fact, Tasha was the thought leader behind the now celebrated “Animal Pain Awareness Month” within the veterinary industry.
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Tasha became a veterinary technician specialist in anesthesia in 2015. Tasha loves to lecture on various anesthesia and pain management topics around the globe and was recently named the VMX 2020 speaker of the Year.
Tasha has authored numerous articles and textbook chapters on anesthesia and analgesia topics for veterinary professionals and pet parents.
In her spare time Tasha enjoys reading, spending time with her husband and son, and recording the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds Podcast.
Andrew Schultz
Director-at-Large
January '26 to January '29
Andrew Schultz, Jr. is currently the Director of Business Development & Clinical Services for Midmark Animal Health and Project Director for Midmark Academy. Midmark Academy delivers in-clinic dentistry and anesthesia training to more than 500 veterinary practices each year and its RACE approved courses amount to more than 100 hours of CE. He currently also serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry as a member of the Outreach Committee.
He started his work at Midmark as Director of Monitoring & Critical Care following the 2008 acquisition of Sharn Veterinary, maker of the Cardell® Vital Signs Monitor. He was President and CEO of Sharn Veterinary, which was recognized nationally as one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing privately held companies, and was finalist for Small Business of the Year. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing & Entrepreneurship, and began his career as a CPA with Arthur Andersen & Co.
He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife of 20 years, Irma, three children, Sofia, Drew and Nicholas, two dogs, Nola and Atlas, and a new kitty named Luna. He enjoys cooking, boating, and vacationing in Hilton Head Island, SC.
Amanda M. Shelby, BS, RVT, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia)
President
January '26 to January '28
Amanda is a registered veterinary technologist specializing in anesthesia and analgesia. She has extensive experience in creating educational assets for the global veterinary audience. Currently, she is the Senior Veterinary CE Specialist with VETgirl and lectures, authors, and edits works as an independent contractor. To bolster her skill set as an instructional designer, she is pursuing a Master’s of Education (Instructional Systems Technology). She believes that effective knowledge exchange to close performance gaps can improve pets' lives and further cultivate the human-animal bond. Outside the veterinary profession, she is interested in edible landscaping, exploring the wilderness, and showing her American Quarter Horses.
Amanda currently works for VETgirl as the Senior Veterinary CE Specialist. You can find out more about her role at https://vetgirlontherun.com.
She is the author and editor of Small Animal Anesthesia Techniques, a concise, practical reference for delivering anesthesia in small-animal practice. You can find the book on Amazon.com.
Amanda does provide anesthetic and analgesic training and lectures regularly at national, international, local, and individual clinics upon request. Reach out to her at gasgirl.vts@gmail.com
Danielle Strahl-Heldreth, MSEd, DVM, MS
NAVAS Treasurer
January '26 to January '28
Dr. Strahl-Heldreth graduated from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She completed a specialty internship in anesthesia at the same institution in 2015 and went on to complete a one year private-practice small animal rotating internship in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Strahl returned “home” to Illinois in 2016 for a three year residency in anesthesia and pain management with a combined Master’s of Science degree. She became a board certified veterinary anesthesiologist in 2020 and has remained at the University of Illinois as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management.
Her professional interests include the advancements in safe and effective anesthesia for unstable patients, non-traditional species, and farm animals as well as offering acupuncture and other non-pharmacologic pain management therapies to her patients. Danielle also believes in making didactic and clinical training of anesthesia available outside of an academic setting and enjoys the opportunity to provide on-site training to veterinary professionals in private practice and zoological institutions.