Keynote presentation: Understanding the Genetics of Canine Cancer
Wed, April 27, 2022 | 10:00 AM ET

Jacquelyn Evans, PhD
Assistant Professor, Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University
Genetic basis of naturally-occurring cancers in purebred dogs as a model for human disease
Dr. Evans will discuss genetic investigation of cancer susceptibility in dogs, focusing on her histiocytic sarcoma research, as well as how the results of these studies can be applied to improve canine health.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jacquelyn Evans has studied canine genetics for the last 10 years. She earned her PhD at Clemson University where she identified three mutations that together increase risk for an autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis, in Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs. From this work, she developed a genetic risk assessment that can be used to carefully design matings to reduce the likelihood of producing affected puppies. Dr. Evans completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, studying cancer susceptibility. She identified two genetic variants in Flat-coated Retrievers that are associated with risk for histiocytic sarcoma, a lethal cancer that affects approximately 20% of the breed. Dr. Evans is now an Assistant Professor at the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University. She is interested in understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases, including cancer, and applying this to canine health through genetic tepting. Among her current projects is investigating breed predisposition to stomach cancer.
2022 Canine Health Summit Sessions
Welcome to the Embark Health Summit
Ryan Boyko, Embark CEO & Jon Ambrose, MBA
Keynote presentation: Understanding the Genetics of Canine Cancer
Jacquelyn Evans, PhD
Canine Reproductive Emergencies
Jenna Dockweiler, MS, DVM, DACT, CCRT, CVAT
Responsible Breeding Practices
Jenna Dockweiler, MS, DVM, DACT, CCRT, CVAT
Why Should We Consider Genetic COI in Breeding Decisions?
Samantha Hauser, PhD
Breeding Healthy Puppies and Sustaining Your Breed: The Goal & How We Get There
Brenda N. Bonnett, DVM, PhD
An Update on the Management of Canine Acute Intervertebral Disc Extrusion
Sarah Moore, DVM, DACVIM
Breeding Against Complex Diseases in Dogs
Joanna J. Ilska, PhD
Day 1 Closing Remarks
Jon Ambrose, MBA
Controversies in Canine Reproduction
Autumn Davidson, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Canine Copper Storage Disease, Nature or Nurture?
Hille Fieten, DVM, MSc, PhD
Genetics of Problem Behaviors in Dogs
Carlos Alvarez, PhD
Alaskan Sled Dogs, the Genetics and Selection of Elite Canine Athletes
Heather Huson, PhD
Chondrodystrophy: What It Is and Why We Seem to Like It So Much
Danika Bannasch, DVM, PhD
Studies on Canine Hip Dysplasia
Antti Iivanainen, DVM, PhD
Day 2: Closing Remarks
Jon Ambrose, MBA