Dr. Ashley Whitehead
Positions
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Fulltime
Contact information
Phone number
Office: +1 (403) 210-7830
For media enquiries, contact
Collene Ferguson
Office: +1.403.210.6615
Email: collene.ferguson@ucalgary.ca
Twitter: @UCVMnews
Background
Educational Background
B.Sc. Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, 2008
DACVIM (Board certified large animal internal medicine specialist) Large Animal Internal Medicine, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2012
DVSc. (Doctorate of Veterinary Sciences) Large Animal Internal Medicine, University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College, 2010
DVM Veterinary Medicine, University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College, 2005
Biography
Following a Bachelor of Science program at the University of Guelph, Dr. Whitehead completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2005. She then moved to Wisconsin where she completed a rotating equine internship at the Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital. In 2006, Dr. Whitehead returned to the University of Guelph to start a combined clinical residency and graduate degree program in large animal internal medicine. Dr. Whitehead obtained the status of Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (DACVIM) in 2012.
Dr. Whitehead has previous held leadership positions within the UCVM, including Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs (2022-2023), Associate Dean of Clinical Programs (2019-2022), Chair of the Clinical Skills Program (2021-2022, 2014-2019), and Co-Chair of the Veterinary Sciences Animal Care Committee (2014-2019).
Dr. Whitehead practices within UCVM’s Distributed Veterinary Teaching Hospital (DVTH) at Moore Equine Veterinary Centre and provides large animal internal medicine consultations and case management. Dr. Whitehead’s clinical interests include equine health management, equine infectious diseases, biosecurity and surveillance, equine gastrointestinal conditions, neonatal foal intensive care and camelid (llamas and alpacas) medicine. Dr. Whitehead is also certified in veterinary acupuncture.
Community Engagement - Committees
- American Association of Equine Practitioners, Practice Culture SubCommittee
- Academy of Veterinary Educators, Job Task Analysis Committee
- Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System Equine Network, Leadership member
- Consortium on Workplace-Based Education and Learning, Distributed Veterinary Schools
- Havemeyer Acute Colitis in the Adult Horse Organizing Committee
- RVT/VMA Advisory Committee, Lakeland College, Board member
Research
Areas of Research
Dr. Whitehead is currently conducting clinical research in the following areas:
UCVM Clinical Research Fund: “Seroprevalence investigation and isolation of endemic strain(s) of Neorickettsia spp in the province of Alberta.”
UCVM Equine Health Fund: "Prevalence of anthelmintic resistant cyathostomins in horse from Alberta, Canada"
UCVM Equine Health Fund: "Seroprevalence of Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in horses from the province of Alberta, Canada"
UCVM Investigative Medicine Fund: "Placental Morphology, Serum Amyloid A, and Lactate: Implications for Mare Reproductive Findings and Fetal Health in Alberta Thoroughbreds"
Dr. Whitehead also has ongoing projects investigating the epidemiology of infectious agents associated with diarrhea in young foals from across Alberta and necrotizing enterocolitis, a condition that causes severe destruction of the small intestines and colon of foals, which has been associated with Clostridium perfringens and is often fatal.
In the past, Dr. Whitehead has also published scientific articles on her research in vaccine development for Rhodococcus equi in foals and foaling rates and risk factors for abortion in mares with colic.
Dr. Whitehead is currently conducting clinical research in the following areas:
UCVM Veterinary Education Research Fund: “Development and Assessment of the validity and reliability of scores in an app for peer-to-peer assessment for learning clinical skills.”
UCVM Veterinary Education Research Fund: “Cognitive Task Analysis of nasogastric intubation of horses and development of a clinical task trainer”
UCVM Veterinary Education Research Fund: “Assessment of Learning Veterinary Clinical Skills after Practice with the Clinical Skills Peer to Peer App”
Awards
- University of Calgary Teaching Award in Curriculum Development, The University of Calgary. 2014
Publications
In the News
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