Dr. Caroline Griffin is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, where she provides clinical services for both the Farm Animal Medicine and Surgery and Equine Medicine departments. She completed a Livestock Medicine and Surgery Internship at Colorado State University and a Large Animal Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Tennessee. Her areas of interest include large animal internal medicine, neonatology, soft tissue surgery, camelid medicine, and companion pig care. She is working to complete her PhD in Comparative and Experimental Medicine with a focus on placental health in the face of viral disease in ruminants. Dr. Griffin studies non-invasive diagnostics for determining placental health and seeks to understand placental immunity during gestational viral infection. The overall goal of her research is to develop methods for non-invasive monitoring techniques for placental health and to understand long-term effects of gestational viral infection on the immune system of the offspring.
Mr. Richard Johnson is a retired accountant and auditor, and small business consultant. He has been working in the private and nonprofit industry for the past 30 years, having developed a niche in assisting organizations obtaining their nonprofit status while also providing support for their bookkeeping and organizational management. While assisting one client many years ago, Richard volunteered to serve in the capacity of their events coordinator and has since become a large events planner for other organizations who have needed help in running conferences. Richard founded Happy Doc Summer Camp and its affiliated nonprofit organization, Angels of Hippocrates, whose mission is to tackle physician burnout, mental health issues among medical professionals, and personal wellness strategies to help cope with workplace stress. Richard's strong management skills, attention to detail, accounting experience, and passion and love for animals is what he brings to VCCIS. He is delighted to be involved with such a great team of people.