TCVM Palliative and End-of-Life Practitioner Certification Course

Dr. Tamara Shearer graduated from the Ohio State University with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in 1986. She is certified in veterinary acupuncture, Chinese veterinary herbal medicine, veterinary tui-na, and veterinary food therapy through Chi. Dr. Shearer is internationally renowned for her work in animal hospice and palliative care. She is one of the leading veterinarians in the world who helped develop and specializes in hospice, palliative care and pain management.

Dr. Xie has 42 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in veterinary acupuncture and TCVM. He has trained over 11,000 veterinarians to practice TCVM worldwide. Dr. Xie’s education includes advanced training in veterinary medicine, veterinary acupuncture, and human acupuncture. Dr. Xie has authored 20 books and over 100 peer-reviewed papers. His textbooks, including Xie’s Veterinary Herbology, Xie’s Veterinary Acupuncture, and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine-Fundamental Principles, have been used for TCVM training programs around the world. Dr. Xie continues to teach and develop educational courses and programs at Chi University, serves as a full clinical professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and is an honorary professor at China Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, and China Southwest University.

Dr. Marchitelli received her degree from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. Shortly after graduating from veterinary school, she practiced small animal medicine in Huntington, New York for ten years. She currently practices small animal medicine with a focus in veterinary hospice and palliative care in Asheville, North Carolina as and has done so for the last six years. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Palliative Care in human medicine to advance her knowledge and training in the areas of veterinary hospice, palliative care and euthanasia. She is especially interested in providing high quality compassionate care for pets during the end of their lives as well as the families who care for them.

Dr. Karlene Stange graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in 1981 and continued into veterinary school at Colorado State University, graduating in 1985 as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. In 1996, she attended the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society certification course, and from there, she continued the study of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Huisheng Xie. She traveled to China in 2000 with him for advanced study, and completed the Chi-Institute modules on Chinese herbal medicine, Tui-na, and Food Therapy. She also wrote a text book chapter for Dr. Xie’s book, Practical Guide to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine: Emergencies and Five Element Syndromes, (2014).

Dr. Jade Tenberg completed her DVM at Louisiana State University and spent the first five years of her career in Las Vegas as a general practice veterinarian. She pursued additional training in veterinary acupuncture at the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and went on to be an international guest speaker on palliative and end-of-life care. In 2016, Dr. Tenberg relocated to the Tampa Bay area and started working as a house call hospice veterinarian. Within the first two years, she helped over 1500 families navigate the end-of-life journeys of their animals and has also helped train dozens of veterinarians for a nationwide veterinary hospice practice. In her free time, Dr. Tenberg trains partner acrobatics and hand balancing in St. Petersburg.

Dr. Liz Fernandez has been practicing Small Animal and Emergency Veterinary Medicine since 1982. She is a graduate of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2000, she experienced the power of Chinese Medicine first-hand. Emerging from a serious injury totally healed, she vowed to share this profound ancient wisdom with her clients and patients. She has completed over 600 hours of instruction in Chinese Veterinary Medicine through the Chi Institute. She believes that, as animal companion guardians, we are the primary healthcare providers. Her commitment is to share the Ancient Wisdom of Chinese Medicine to enable each of us to be as effective as possible in this role. She has given workshops locally over the past several years and has also had the opportunity to share these concepts internationally including China. She understands that every being is a sacred expression of love. This love is the essence of all healing. She is passionate about sharing how the power of Chinese Medicine can help us open our hearts to this truth and heal our pets, ourselves, and our planet.

Dr. Kathleen Cooney has been practicing advanced end-of-life care since 2006. Dr. Cooney is Senior Director of Medical Education for the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA). She is well-known for her work in companion animal euthanasia and has authored three books on the subject, along with numerous articles and book chapters. Dr. Cooney has collaborated in end-of-life education/training for the AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, IAAHPC, the Fear Free Program, and many more. She is a strong advocate for best practices in all aspects of end-of-life care and speaks nationally and internationally on such topics. Dr. Cooney is board certified in Animal Welfare and Adjunct Faculty at Colorado State University, where she teaches end-of-life topics and animal welfare. Her commitment to veterinary education and improving the human-animal bond has made her a significant figure in advocating for responsible and empathetic treatment of animals at the end of their lives. She is also the designer of CAETA’s Peaceful Euthanasia certification program, providing valuable educational opportunities for veterinary professionals.