Q&A with a keynote: Craig Clifford, MS, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

To kickstart the first day of the 2022 dvm360® Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC), keynote speaker Craig Clifford, MS, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), medical oncologist at BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital (Malvern, Pennsylvania) and director of BluePearl Science, will deliver an informative session for all primary care veterinarians highlighting the latest advancements in oncology.

Craig Clifford, MS, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Clifford is well-known in the veterinary space, with a career spanning over 20 years in this realm and is a seasoned lecturer who has been an ACVC faculty member for the last several years. Additionally, he has authored/co-authored more than 60 papers and book chapters, and has served on various boards and committees, including the Veterinary Cancer Society executive board and the Oncology Pathology Working Group.

The dvm360® team sat down with him to obtain further insight on his personal and professional lives and accomplishments, and what he is excited for at this year’s conference.

What inspired you to become a veterinarian?

Like many, it was just something from a very young age that I knew I wanted to do. I spent time when I was very young, [in my] early teens, working at veterinary clinics, mainly being the person that had to clean everything up. It did not dissuade me from becoming a veterinarian and, I think, in college is where it was majorly cemented that I wanted to do oncology. I seem to have a big [draw], to oncology and immunology and that kind of set it for me.

At the same point, from a personal level, my dog who lived with me at my fraternity [house] died of hemangiosarcoma, and I think that was another push for me. While I was in graduate school, heading to veterinary school, I lost my father to colon cancer. I think those 2 things helped shape me… and pushed me more so to the oncology field.

What would you like attendees to take away from your keynote lecture?

Well, I'm hoping that they're going to enjoy it. And I hope that they will take away that many of the [diagnostic approaches] that I try to talk about in my lectures are not specialty tests or oncology tests, these are veterinary tests. So many of the things that I love to lecture on, I do so because it's important for the primary care [veterinarians] to know that they can do these tests, that this is in their wheelhouse, and that they are not oncology- or specialty-based tests. I think one of the challenges we've gotten into with specialization is that everyone feels they have to stay within their own lane, and that's not the case here. Many of the things we're going to talk about are going to directly impact the primary care doctor and things that they should be doing in their clinic.

Is there a certain topic in oncology you're especially passionate about?

It’s actually the one that I'm doing, the recent advancements [in oncology], because recent advancements to me is the cool stuff, the new things that are coming out. To me, that's the best; to be able to show [attendees], even if it's things that aren't truly out yet, but are going to be, so we can kind of see what's coming down the pipeline. Those are the things that get me jazzed up.

What has been the most rewarding accomplishment in your career?

Being recognized by my peers and receiving awards within oncology, certainly, to know that I have the admiration of my own peers, I think is a big one. The other one that was wonderful was, a few years back . . . I was [named] Alumni of the Year for my graduate school, University of Delaware . . . and got to go back with my mentor and others and get a chance to speak with them. That was fun to be able to go back and be recognized for what I've gone on to do since my master’s degree.

What colleagues are you looking forward to seeing at ACVC?

It’s always fun to catch up with Adam [Christman, DVM, MBA]. He is a riot and I have no idea how he does it and stays happy all the time. I've never seen this guy upset or mad or anything. I think it's always great to catch up with him because he's one of those people that, you just feel good after you've been around them.

Which lectures are you looking forward to attending at ACVC?

[I’m going to] try to catch some more pain topics because I think that's something that, within certainly oncology, we don't put as much focus on and many of these [patients] are older dogs that have other concurrent morbidities going on. And we don't necessarily always think of pain medications for them. I'm looking forward to learning about some of the newer drugs that are out, that we could potentially use in our more aged patients.

Do you have any other additional thoughts surrounding ACVC 2022?

I'm excited for everyone to be there, we're looking forward to kind of putting oncology out there . . . So, I'm hoping we'll get a good amount of people there. I've been blessed to lecture at ACVC many, many years. And to be a keynote, I'm extremely grateful and honored.

Visit the ACVC website for more information and to register for this conference. See you in Atlantic City!