Meet Our Speakers
Andrew Birkland, MD
Dr. Birkeland is a head and neck cancer surgeon-scientist at the University of California-Davis Medical Center in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. His clinical interests are in advanced head and neck oncologic surgery, robotic surgery and microvascular reconstructive surgery. His research interests are involved in translational studies to improve understanding and treatment for head and neck cancers. This has included NIH-funded research on intraoperative imaging, liquid biomarkers, and clinical trials in head and neck cancer.
Ben Tham DVM, Diplomate ACVD
Dr. Tham graduated with a DVM degree from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2004. After graduation, he worked as a small animal veterinarian in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for 8 years before pursuing specialty training in veterinary dermatology. Dr Tham completed a specialty dermatology internship and subsequently a dermatology residency training program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University. He achieved board certification in veterinary dermatology with the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) in 2017 and was subsequently accepted into the ACVD as a Diplomate. Dr Tham is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Veterinary Dermatology and Dermatology Service Chief of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. His main clinical and research interests are allergic dermatitis and autoimmune skin diseases.