Katia has been working in the field of veterinary neurology/neurosurgery for more than 20 years. She graduated from the University of Parma in Italy and completed a PhD in Clinical Electrodiagnostic at the University of Turin, Italy and Scott-Ritchey Research Center at Auburn University, AL, USA.
She returned to USA to complete a Rotating Internship in small animal medicine & surgery, at Auburn University and a residency in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) with a subspecialty in Neurology. In USA, Katia worked first as a Clinical Instructor at the University of Missouri and then as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee, before moving with her young family to UK.
For 5 years, Katia was a consultant in neurology and neurosurgery for various large referral practices in the South and Northeast of England. In 2013, Katia moved to Scotland to return to academia in order to fulfil her passion for teaching and clinical research. Katia started the neurology/neurosurgery service at the Hospital for Small Animals of the R(D)SVS at The University of Edinburgh. The neurology service is now well-established and one of the largest in Scotland, and Katia, looking for new challenges, joined Vets Now Glasgow to establish a new neurology/neurosurgery service.
Katia has published widely and presented at many international congresses on various aspects of neurology such as feline spinal cord diseases, feline hyperaesthesia syndrome, and movement disorders in Border terriers.
Katia’s main interests are neurological conditions affecting cats’ spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves or muscles; surgical treatment of intervertebral disc disease, Chiari-like malformation, and tumours affecting the nervous system; and management of refractory epileptic seizures and paroxysmal dyskinesia (= episodic movement disorder).
At present, we do not have access to MRI, therefore, we will focus on cases that can be diagnosed with an expert neurological examination, CT, spinal tap and laboratory work, but we have plans for further expansion of our services.