ABVT 2020-2022 Executive Committee

President: Dr. Tam Garland completed her DVM and PhD at Texas A&M University (TAMU). During her career she has taught toxicology at TAMU, and worked at Eli Lilly, and the Indiana Board of Animal Health. Dr. Garland extended her interest in transboundary animal diseases with a position at the Department of Homeland Security as the Director of Agricultural Security. She returned to Texas as the section head of Toxicology at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL). Following retirement from TVMDL in 2015, Dr. Garland continues to practice veterinary medicine as a relief veterinarian and as a toxicology consultant in a partnership consulting firm. Dr. Garland became President of the ABVT in 2020. 

President-Elect: Dr. Ahna Brutlag serves as the Director of Veterinary Services at the Pet Poison Helpline in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Brutlag received her DVM from the University of Minnesota and subsequently practiced small animal medicine in the Minneapolis area before pursing post-graduate training in veterinary toxicology. She completed a Master’s of Science in toxicology at the University of Minnesota and a professional externship at California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Brutlag has been with the Pet Poison Helpline since 2004. Dr. Brutlag became President-Elect of the ABVT in 2020. 

Treasurer: Dr. Sherry Rippel (Welch) serves as a Veterinary Toxicologist at the Pet Poison Helpline in Minneapolis MN. Dr Rippel received her DVM from the University of Illinois and subsequently practiced small and large animal medicine in the Champaign-Urbana area before joining the ASPCA as a Veterinary Toxicologist. Dr. Rippel has been with Pet Poison Helpline since 2010. Dr. Rippel became Treasurer of ABVT in 2020.

Secretary: Dr. Adrienne Bautista completed her DVM and PhD at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Bautista practiced small animal general and emergency medicine in Sacramento and served as the campus veterinarian for a local Veterinary Technology program. She returned to the University of California in 2012 to complete a residency in Veterinary Toxicology focusing on food animal toxicology and neurotoxicology. Dr. Bautista worked briefly for the California Environmental Protection Agency, before returning to general practice in 2016.