Vetnuus | March 2026 33 Dr. Gavin Staley Prof. Jo Leroy CONGRESS 2026 Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg, KwaZulu Natal 8-10 June 2026 the new normaL Adapting Ruminant Veterinary Practice to Emerging Biosecurity Demands – Strategies for Sustainability and Success https://vetlink.co.za/ruvasa-congress-2026/ BVSc MMedVet (Therio) DiplACT Dr Staley graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa as a veterinarian in 1984. After two years of compulsory military service, joined the Faculty of Veterinary Science (Univ. Pretoria) as a lecturer in reproduction. While on staff, completed a M.Med.Vet in Reproduction and qualified as a Veterinary Specialist (Theriogenology). After 6 years in academia, joined the largest dairy practice (Howick Veterinary Clinic) in South Africa in 1993 as a partner, with dairy and equine focus. He emigrated with his family to the USA in 1998 and joined a dairy practice in Door County, Wisconsin. While in practice in Wisconsin, qualified as a Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists (2001). Relocated to the Central Valley of California in 2003 and has worked in industry for past 22 years in Technical Services positions. Dr Staley has presented at most of the national US dairy meetings and is a well-recognized consultant in the US dairy industry. He is known as a thought leader, identifying and addressing several key issues in the dairy industry. Particular interest in dairy record evaluation, heifer maturity and dairy productive life. CONFIRMED INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS DVM, MSc, PhD Prof. Jo Leroy is a full Professor of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Antwerp (UA), Belgium, with a distinguished career in reproductive biology and animal health. He earned his MSc in Veterinary Medicine, Magna Cum Laude, from Ghent University, where his award-winning research focused on subclinical mastitis in heifers. He subsequently completed a PhD on metabolic changes in highproducing dairy cows and their impact on oocyte and embryo quality, publishing seven peer-reviewed articles during his doctoral studies. Prof. Leroy heads a renowned research program exploring maternal health, oocyte and embryo quality, and postnatal outcomes, using innovative in vitro and in/ex vivo models across multiple species. He also bridges science and society, translating research into practical applications for veterinarians, farmers, and clinicians, and has founded the Camelid Immunisation Facility to advance veterinary biotechnology Dr. Peter Sutovsky PhD Peter Sutovsky earned his PhD degree from the Czech Academy of Sciences in 1994. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, and Staff Scientist at the Oregon Health; Science University, Portland OR, before his 2001 faculty appointment at the University of Missouri, Columbia MO, where he is currently a Professor of Animal Science, and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health. He is recognized for his studies of mammalian gametogenesis, fertilization, and embryo development with emphasis on the gametic and zygotic ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). He was the first to describe the role of UPS in the regulation of mitochondrial inheritance and introduced the concept of extracellular UPS and its role in sperm maturation and fertilization. In his career, Peter received numerous national and international awards and honors, including an honorary doctoral degree, several honorary professorships, and membership in the National Academy of Inventors. He is an elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Distinguished Fellow of The Society for The Study of Reproduction (SSR). He has an extensive record of publications, citations, patents, grant awards and senior level editorial appointments. His most recent work focuses on biomarkerbased flow cytometric semen analysis, semen nanopurification, sperm genome-to-phenome research, and sperm capacitation studies aimed at improving conception rates in livestock and assisted reproductive therapy (ART) humans.
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