
Carlos Alvarez, PhD
Associate Professor, The Ohio State University Colleges of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
Canine problem behaviors represent a major burden on society and an unmet clinical need. Until very recently, there was essentially nothing known about common genetic variations associated with dog temperament. This presentation shows how crowd-sourcing of the C-BARQ owner-reported canine behavior questionnaire was used to break that log jam. The findings have biological implications and suggest potential for therapeutic advances for dogs and humans.
About the Speaker
Dr. Carlos E. Alvarez is Associate Professor in The Ohio State University Colleges of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine. He began his career as a research technician in immunogenetics and trans/plantation at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. He earned his PhD from Harvard University for neuroscience studies in fruit flies and mice in the lab of Walter
Gilbert. He was postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute and UCSD, where he studied psychiatric genetics in rodent models and humans using molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics. Dr. Alvarez’s first independent position was as lab head of target discovery in neuroscience and ophthalmology, Novartis research (Basel, Switzerland). He is inventor on Novartis patents involving cell growth, neuroprotection and angiogenesis. Dr. Alvarez developed a program on molecular and statistical canine genomics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University. He has received funding from NIH, DoD, DHS, Arnerican Kennel Club, Morris Animal Foundation, and the Scottish Deerhound Club of America. Dr. Alvarez’s long term interest is in canine-human comparative genomics, with the ultimate goal of medical translation. His current focus areas include problem behavior and bone cancer, as well as understanding genetic variations that have effects on related and seemingly-unrelated traits (pleiotropy).
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