Anesthesia Team
Andrew Claude, DVM, Diplomate ACVA - Anesthesia, Assistant Professor
Andrew Claude DVM is an Assistant Professor of Veterinary Anesthesiology in the Department of Clinical Sciences, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Claude received his DVM degree from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992. He practiced as a general practitioner for thirteen years before returning to Iowa State to complete an internship and residency in anesthesia in 2009. He began his position at Mississippi State during the summer of 2009 and is currently involved with multiple teaching and laboratory assignments, research projects and preparing for anesthesia oral exams. His primary interests include cardiopulmonary physiology, pain management, local and regional anesthesia.
Robert Meyer, DVM, Diplomate ACVA - Professor
Robert Meyer D.V.M, Diplomate, A.C.V.A, is professor of veterinary anesthesiology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Meyer is a 1980 graduate from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and completed his residency in Veterinary Anesthesiology at Cornell in 1983. Dr. Meyer has taught veterinary anesthesiology at the University level since 1981. He is the past president of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists and is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association.
Simone Hinz, DVM, BSc - Clinical Instructor
Simone Hinz is a clinical instructor of veterinary anesthesia in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Hinz is a 1990 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. She worked in small animal practice and emergency medicine. She completed a Small Animal Internship in 1992 and began working in the anesthesia department at OVC. She has been at MSU for 8 years and is involved in teaching anesthesia for the sophomore surgery labs and clinical rotations.
Ludovica Chiavaccini, DVM, MS - Resident
Ludovica Chiavaccini is the resident in Veterinary Anesthesia in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Chiavaccini received her DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pisa (Italy) in October 2003. After completing an equine rotating internship at the University of Liege in Belgium, she worked in an equine private practice in the north of France for almost one year. Dr. Chiavaccini completed a MS degree at Colorado State University in 2010, followed by an equine specialty internship in equine surgery and anesthesia. She started her residency at MSU in 2011. Her primary interests include equine anesthesia, pain management, local and regional anesthesia.
Tonya Graham, CVT, VTS - Anesthesia
Tonya has been a fan of Mississippi State University since birth. Raised to graduate from Mississippi State University, in 1996 she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. She became a certified veterinary technician in 1998, and joined the anesthesia team at the MSU-CVM that same year. In 2004, she completed her requirements and passed the board exam for Veterinary Technician Specialist in Anesthesia. She is married to Tim and they have one daughter, Briann. She loves horseback riding and has two horses Harley and Jody. She also has one siamese cat, Oscar, and a nanday parrot, Rico, that live harmoniously together.
Nancy Pounds, CVT - technician
Nancy grew up on a cattle farm and showed cows in 4-H for 11 years. She graduated Hinds Community College Veterinary Technician program in 2001 and worked in Louisiana for 3 years after graduation. Ms. Pounds has been with the MSU/CVM-AHC Anesthesia department since 2004. She has 2 chocolate labs which are considered to be her 4-legged children, The Sug and Lottie Dottie.
Stacy Taylor, CVT - technician
Stacy, or Stace as she is called, has been a part of the MSU/CVM-AHC Anesthesia department since 2006. She loves her CVM family and friends. Ms. Taylor enjoys saving and helping animals, and is convinced there is no job that is more rewarding. She loves large and small animals. She has 3 dogs (Bo, Pete, & Baby Girl) and 2 cats (Piggy & McKittles) who are like her children. Ms. Taylor is originally from Nevada (the land of no ticks, she jokes), but moved to Enid, MS (the land of a thousand evil bugs, she adds) in 1993. She is currently living in Starkville. What she likes most about her job is that she gets to provide many different forms of pain relief, or analgesia, such as epidurals, local blocks, CRI's, and IV pain medication for patients which undergo extensive and even minor surgeries. Stacy adds that she loves the constant learning opportunities, and looks forward to meeting and teaching the new vet students each year.
Alison Sneed, CVT - technician
Alison grew up on a horse ranch with her dad in Missouri, and has been competing in rodeos since 1997.
She was accepted into college with a rodeo scholarship to be a competing member of the rodeo team at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Alison is a 2008 graduate of the Hinds Community College Veterinary Technology Program, through Mississippi State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, Alison worked in small and large animal private practice. She back came to join the MSU-CVM team in Feb. 2012.
Alison has always loved teaching, from a 3-year-old for riding lessons, to a college student for anesthesia. Teaching makes her day to help students learn or essentially to help someone in life.
She feels honored to be a part of such a big team here at the Vet School, where everyone is focused on the best patient care each animal can possibly get.
Alison stays busy with her "critters" which include a variety of quarter horses, her 2 blue heeler mixed dogs, Cowgirl and Bella and Sassy, her calico kitty.
Alison rides her horses mostly every day, either training colts or exercising competition horses.
