Speaker Profiles

Accreditation: MmedVet ( Ophthalmology)

Dr Amilan Sivagurunathan is a second generation veterinarian, who graduated in Honours from the University Pretoria South Africa in 2002. On returning to Malaysia, he joined Animal Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur a 24 hour Emergency & referral hospital. Following his appointment as the Head of Clinical Service, he actively participated in the local associations and committees.

In 2007, Dr Amilan enrolled in the Veterinary Ophthalmology residency at his alma mater (Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria) and graduated with cum laude. On returning to Malaysia, he established the first specialist & referral ophthalmology service in South East Asia in 2010. In 2019 Dr Amilan was appointed as adjunct lecturer at University Putra Malaysia (UPM) and University Malaysia Kelantan (UMK). He is regularly invited to speak at regional veterinary CPD’s, international congress and has a series of publications.

Dr. Amilan’s passion in wildlife medicine has given him an opportunity to perform cataract surgeries on a variety of captive species including the “world's first cataract surgery” in an orang utan in Matang, Sarawak along with a team of visiting specialists.

Dr Amilan served as the president of the Malaysian Small Animal Veterinary Association (MSAVA) for two terms, 2015-2017 and 2021- 2023. He served as the Organising Chairman for FASAVA 2016, which was well received by the 900+ participants in the region. Dr Amilan is also a member of the Animal Welfare Consultative Committee, AWCCO since 2017. In 2018 he was awarded the Anugerah Mengenang Jasa (AMJ) and the “Meritorious Service Award” by WSAVA for his contribution to his profession locally and regionally.
 

Organisation: Animal Medical Centre

Accreditation: ACVO, JSCVO (Ophthalmology) 

Dr. Hiroki Tsujita is a renowned veterinary ophthalmologist dedicated to the care and treatment of animals with ocular disorders. With a distinguished career spanning over two decades, Dr. Tsujita holds Diplomate status with both American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and Japanese Society of Comparative and Veterinary Ophthalmology. He serves as the Chairman of the Veterinary Ophthalmology Specialized Clinic in Osaka, Japan, where he provides cutting-edge medical and surgical interventions for pets suffering from conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and corneal disorders. 

Dr. Tsujita is a prolific researcher and educator, having presented at numerous international conferences and published extensively in leading veterinary journals. He is committed to advancing the field of veterinary ophthalmology through his innovative approaches and dedication to teaching future generations of veterinarians. 
 

Organisation: Veterinary Ophthalmology Specialized Clinic

Accreditation: AiCVO (Ophthalmology) 

Dr. Chung-Tien Lin is a Professor and the Director of the Institute of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University in Taiwan. Dr Lin is the President of International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ISVO). He was the President of the Asian Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (AiSVO) and Asian College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (AiCVO). He was also the President of the Taiwan Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (TSVO). Dr Lin was the founder Diplomate of the AiCVO in 2011.

Dr Lin obtained his DVM degree from the National Taiwan University in 1991. He studied his PhD degree in canine inherited retinal diseases (gPRA) at the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK. He visited the Ophthalmology Service of the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket for several months after the PhD program. 

Dr Lin visited the Veterinary Ophthalmology Services at the VCA and Eye Care for Animals in LA, USA in 2004. He also visited or exchanged at the Veterinary Ophthalmology Services of the North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Ohio State University (OSU)/MedVet for several months as a visiting scholar in 2005.

Dr Lin is interested in clinical veterinary ophthalmology and comparative ophthalmology. He is particularly interested in corneal wound healing, dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, and retinal diseases in small animals.
 

Organisation: National Taiwan University

Accreditation: EVBS 

Dr Rodolfo Cappello is a veterinary neurology specialist recognized by the European Veterinary Board of Specialists (EVBS), The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and the Veterinary Surgeon Board Hong Kong (VSBHK). He completed his undergraduate veterinary course in Milan in 1989 and started his residency training in Veterinary Neurology in 1995. In 1997, he obtained the diploma of specialisation in Veterinary Neurology. Rodolfo continued his academic path and completed a PhD on intervertebral disc notochordal cell metabolism in 2000. He worked at The Royal Veterinary College for 12 years, where he supervised several residents in Veterinary Neurology. From 2008, he worked in private practice and joined CityUVMC Hong Kong in June 2023. His scientific interests are the degeneration and metabolism of the intervertebral disc, cervical spine instability, intracranial surgery, and the development of diagnostic protocols in magnetic resonance.

Organisation: City University of Hong Kong