Dr. Laurent Couëtil is a professor of large animal medicine and the director of both the equine research programs and equine sports medicine center at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Couëtil’s research interests lie in exercise physiology, equine respiratory diseases, and pre- clinical animal models of human respiratory diseases such as asthma and emphysema. Dr. Couëtil serves on the scientific advisory boards of several pharmaceutical and biotech companies and is a consultant in the area of translational research in respiratory medicine. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Couëtil spent six years as a clinician in one of the largest equine practices in Chantilly, France.

Emmanuelle van Erck graduated in 1996 from the French Veterinary School of Maisons-Alfort. She trained in sports medicine at the University of Liège (Belgium) where she obtained her PhD on respiratory function testing in horses. She developped the equine sports medicine unit and consulted as senior clinician in the CIRALE in Normandy (France). In January 2010, she started her own ambulatory referral practice, the ‘Equine Sports Medicine Practice’, based in Belgium. Her practice offers specialized service in equine internal and sports medicine throughout Europe, following national teams and international riders.
Emmanuelle van Erck authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and regularly lectures at international conferences. She is a member of the FEI expert committee on prohibited substances and doping.

Vince Gerber studied veterinary medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland. He earned a doctor’s degree in 1995 and obtained the title of Equine Specialist (Equine Practice Boards of the Swiss Veterinary Association) in 1998 after working at the Swiss National Stud in Avenches and the Equine Clinic of the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Bern. Following this, he did research work and further training at Michigan State University (USA), first as a recipient of a scholarship by the Swiss National Science Foundation, followed by a residency. Vince earned his PhD title in the USA and passed the American Boards in Large Animal Internal Medicine in 2003. After his return to the University of Bern, he earned his habilitation in 2005 and became a Diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine. In 2011, he was appointed Professor and Head of the Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine (ISME). He has held several positions in national and international associations, such as past-President of the World equine Veterinary Association and his research interests include equine asthma and other hypersensitivities; dermatological conditions (pastern dermatitis, sarcoid), endocrinologic disorders, stress in sport horses and hereditary diseases.

Dr. Martin graduated in medicine from University College Cork, Ireland and pursued training in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He took specialty training in respiratory medicine at McGill University where he is currently a professor in the Department of Medicine. He is an associate member of the Department of Physiology. He is a former scientific director of the Meakins Christie Laboratories, the principal site of basic science research into respiratory disease at McGill University. As a clinician scientist, he has focused on asthma through the study of small animals and cellular models. His research covers both mechanisms of allergic and non-allergic asthma. He has published more than 300 papers and review articles and his research is supported by both the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.