BLUEPEARL SCIENCE, LLC
TAMPA, FLORIDA

BluePearl Veterinary Partners is a national provider of specialty and emergency veterinary care We have hospitals located throughout the country, most of which are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Our veterinarians use innovative procedures, high-tech equipment and the latest treatment methods to provide comprehensive medical care to pets. We combine this expertise with a love for animals and the belief that kindness is the foundation of veterinary medicine. Our mission: Enriching lives through remarkable care for pets We are committed to upholding the highest medical standards and are constantly searching for new and better ways to treat our patients and advance our profession. The company’s story begins in July 1996, the day after veterinarian Neil Shaw completed his residency. He and his brother, Darryl, who had recently earned his MBA from Northwestern University, opened a private specialty veterinary practice in Tampa called Florida Veterinary Specialists. As the practice thrived, the Shaws opened additional specialty and emergency hospitals in other locations in the Tampa Bay area and in New York City. They formed an alliance with Dr. Jeff Dennis and Dr. Joe Desch, who were growing the specialty and emergency animal hospital they founded in 1992 into one of the largest in the Midwest. In 2008, the group banded together to create BluePearl Veterinary Partners. Today our company has specialty and emergency hospitals throughout the country and continues to expand. In 2015, BluePearl made the decision to join the Mars family, an iconic, family-owned organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to helping pets. Mars Petcare is the world’s leading pet nutrition and health care provider, and joining the family gave BluePearl new, unprecedented opportunities for growth and support. BluePearl is committed to providing the communities we serve with comprehensive, compassionate veterinary care.  All of our associates are dedicated to accomplishing our mission: BluePearl Veterinary Partners’ Medical Operations Advisory Board (MOAB) advises on medical operations for the company. The members of the board are below. When she’s not working, Lauren enjoys reading, cooking, horseback riding and hanging out with her husband, son, two cats named Cody and Clancy, and her Jack Russell terrier named Tucker. Rita graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998, after which she was part of the second rotating small animal internship class at Florida Veterinary Specialists (FVS), now known as BluePearl in Tampa. She then completed a residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Florida with a successive fellowship in emergency and critical care at Blue Pearl in Tampa. Rita joined the faculty of the North Carolina State University (NSCU) College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 and was Director of Emergency Services for six years. Over the past 10 years, she pursued her academic interests in the fields of traumatic and hemostatic disorders. She has published more than 20 manuscripts, book chapters and, recently, best practice guidelines for prehospital care of dogs and cats. Rita enjoys first responder training, which she continues to pursue. Through these experiences she developed a passion for the advancement of small animal specialty medicine. In her new role with BluePearl, she plans to continue the tradition of helping clinicians achieve the highest levels of professional and personal accomplishment. Dr. Kent Vince joined Seattle Veterinary Specialists, a BluePearl Veterinary Partners hospital, after spending 12 years as a Veterinary Corps Officer in the U.S. Army. Originally from Michigan, Kent received his officer commission through the Army ROTC program. He earned his undergraduate degree in Animal Science and his DVM from Michigan State University. After completing a one-year internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, he entered active duty military service at Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as veterinary treatment facility officer in charge. Kent deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He was then selected to complete a small animal surgical residency at North Carolina State University, where he also earned a Master’s of Specialized Veterinary Medicine degree. Kent became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2010. He also served as the Chief of Veterinary Services in Okinawa, Japan and most recently Director of Dog Center Europe, the Army’s premier veterinary referral hospital in Germany, supporting military working dogs throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. While no longer his primary job, he continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. Ask the folks who have joined our company. We seek great partners who, like us, focus solely on specialty and emergency medicine — doing what we do best and generating respectful, mutually beneficial partnerships with primary care veterinarians. See why we may be the right fit for you and your practice. Explore As a practice owner, we invite you to consider both the business reasons and the medical/professional reasons why BluePearl may be right for you. Clinical trials are studies that test new treatments, drugs or diagnostics to find out if they are safe, effective and better than the current standard treatment. Participating in a clinical trial is voluntary. No patient ever participates in a clinical trial without the owner’s express, written permission. BluePearl Science Our goals are to provide the highest standard of care to patients and to contribute knowledge and expertise to the veterinary community. To this end, BluePearl Science, a division of BluePearl, coordinates clinical trials that study the potential effectiveness of new drugs, treatments and protocols intended to improve pet health. These clinical trials offer local veterinarians and their patients access to treatments that are not yet commercially available.