Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation
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- Wethersfield, CT 06109
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Dr. Howard Asher is the co-owner of Beaver Brook Animal Hospital in Wethersfield, CT, where he practices small animal medicine and surgery. Dr. Asher is a 2004 graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and also attended the University of Massachusetts where he majored in pre-veterinary studies. Dr. Asher is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association,  Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. He is also a member of the Hartford County Veterinary Medical Association, New York Veterinary Medical Society and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. A CVMF Board member, Dr. Asher assumed the role of Deputy Team Leader of the Region 3 Animal Response Team in 2008. His client's concerns with their pet's well-being in emergencies was key to his decision to become involved. He is pleased to be a part of this community effort. Dr. Asher grew up in Norwalk, CT. and currently lives in Vernon with his wife Monica and their 4 dogs and 4 cats. In his leisure time he enjoys hiking, spelunking and brewing his own wine and beer.
Dr. Gayle Block owns Town and Country Veterinary Associates in Vernon, CT. Town and Country is a 3 doctor veterinary hospital that opened in 1992. Dr. Block has been active in her community serving as Vice Chair of the Tolland Board of Education and the Chair of the Negotiating committee for her 7 years on the board. She has also been on the Advisory Board for the Animal Population Control Program (APCP) since its inception over 15 years ago. APCP is a state program that pays for the sterilization of pets adopted from municipal pounds. Dr. Block graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and a past-president of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association. She is married and has an adult daughter. Her family also includes her dog, Colby, adopted from the Bridgeport pound 11 years ago, and two cats, Callie and Carson.
Dr. Donna Cobelli is a veterinarian practicing small animal medicine and surgery in Ridgefield, CT in Region 5. Dr. Cobelli has been in practice for twenty five years and has been an owner and director of a hospital for 18 years. Combining her concern for animal care and interest in public health & safety, Dr. Cobelli sought out community activities that would benefit from those interests. She attended the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association produced Connecticut Animal Disaster Management Summit in 2005. Since then she has been an active member of the Connecticut State Animal Response Team (CTSART) program and is Team Leader of the Region 5 Animal Response Team. She also serves the Regional Emergency Planning Team in Region 5 as Chairman of Regional Emergency Support Function 11 (animal protection). Dr. Cobelli has taken the requisite training for these positions and in addition has expanded her experiences to include an Emergency Medical Technician course and American Red Cross training. During the hurricanes of 2008, she deployed to Louisiana to work in an animal evacuation shelter that was co-located with a human evacuation shelter. Dr. Cobelli is a member of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Dennis Thibeault, an Large Animal veterinarian, who serves as the Large Animal Coordinator for the CVMF’s disaster programs will lead development of the Equine Response Unit project and serve as its lead trainer. Dr. Thibeault experience with training courses offered by the Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) program, makes him uniquely qualified to lead this initiative. Success of the Equine Response Unit project will have been achieved when it is clear that equine emergency response training has been widely disseminated such that first responders across the state feel competent and comfortable participating in equine rescues and achieving favorable outcomes. Such an eventuality will enhance the public safety, achieve animal welfare objectives and make Connecticut better prepared.
Dr. Arnold L. Goldman is past-president of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF) and founded its CTSART program in 2005. The CTSART program began with the Region 3 Animal Response Team, under the auspices of the Capitol Region Emergency Planning Committee (CREPC), and eventually expanded to cover all 5 of Connecticut’s Preparedness Regions. Today, alongside co-chair Dr. Howard Asher, Dr. Goldman shares co-chairmanship of the “Emergency Support Function” dedicated to animal response, and the Region 3 Animal Response Team. The Team is composed of many members of the various municipal CERTs across Region 3. Together these individuals are committed to the animal response mission, and represent the operational arm of Regional Emergency Support Function #11 in Region 3. Today, CVMF’s CTSART program supports all 5 Regional Animal Response Teams, which operate across Connecticut in support of the animals-in-disasters response mission. In 2007, Dr. Goldman initiated the legislative process leading to enactment of Connecticut Public Act 07-11, mandating inclusion of the needs of pets and service animals in the evacuation and mass care plans of every Connecticut municipality. For this accomplishment the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association named Dr. Goldman the “2008 Veterinarian-of-the-Year.” Dr. Goldman speaks frequently about animal issue planning and response for disasters across Connecticut and nationally, and was the founding president of NASAAEP, the National Alliance of State Animal & Agricultural Emergency Programs. NASAAEP works to share best practices in disaster response on behalf of animals nationally and to educate the public. Dr. Goldman is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He owns and operates a private veterinary practice in Canton, Connecticut, where he also lives. He is married and has two grown children.
Dr. Tyler Roasa is a 2010 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He currently is a small animal emergency veterinarian at Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center. Dr. Roasa is a member of the Evidence Based Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and is a Penn Hip certified veterinarian. Dr. Roasa has an interest in veterinary disaster preparedness and response and became involved with animal disaster preparedness in Region 2 in the spring of 2013. He serves as the team leader of the Region 2 Animal Response Team and chairman of Region 2 Emergency Support Function 11 (Animal Protection) for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security's Preparedness Region 2, Regional Emergency Planning Team Steering Committee.
Dr. Sheldon Yessenow is a 1977 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Columbus, Ohio. After graduation, he left his native Ohio and moved to Connecticut to begin practicing his profession. In 1982 he founded Oronoque Animal Hospital in Stratford, where he continues to practice today. His practice is limited to treating dogs, cats, and a variety of small mammals such as rabbits, ferrets, and guinea pigs that are also known as "pocket pets". Dr. Yessenow resides in Trumbull with his wife and a menagerie of his own pets. He has three daughters: one is a schoolteacher near Boston, another is studying to become a certified veterinary technician, and the third is living near San Francisco working as a hotel event planner. Dr. Yessenow's hobbies include license plate collecting, barbershop quartet singing, and emergency amateur radio operation. He also enjoys volunteering with Trumbull EMS as EMT. Dr. Yessenow developed a passion for helping homeless pets after working with a variety of animal rescue groups, and with the Bridgeport, CT and Stratford, CT animal shelters, where he previously served as shelter veterinarian. His interest in disaster medicine began after 9-11-2001 when he responded to assist the search and rescue dogs at the World Trade Center. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Yessenow was accepted as a member of the Veterinary Medical Assistance Team and in 2005 responded to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. During the response to Hurricane Katrina he served as the hospital director of the temporary animal shelter at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. In 2006, Dr. Yessenow was recognized by the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association as Veterinarian of the Year for his contributions in Louisiana. In 2006, Dr. Yessenow accepted the position of Team Leader for the Connecticut State Animal Response (CTSART) Team program's Region 1 Animal Response Team. In that capacity he was appointed Regional Emergency Support Function 11 Committee Chairman for the Region 1 Emergency Planning Team (REPT). The Region 1 REPT functions as a coordinating body for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Dr. Yessenow continues to shepherd development of the Region 1 Animal Response Team and is available to speak to groups about the CTSART program. .
Dr. Emily Rothstein founded and operated the Animal Allergy and Dermatology Service of Connecticut for 25 years, until her retirement in 2022. Although she has retired from clinical work, she is actively involved with many aspects of veterinary dermatology, including consultations with VESPECON (Veterinary Specialty Consultants), serving on the Advisory Board of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, Secretary of World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology 2024, and the Administrative Committee of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology. Wanting to give back to Connecticut’s pets and their owners, Dr. Rothstein started her volunteer work with the CVMA Continuing Education Committee in 2022 and the CVMF Companions in Crisis (CIC) in 2023, where she serves as liaison. She lives with her husband and their three medically-released Labrador retrievers. Besides spending free time with her fur family, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and cooking, recently adding bread baking to her repertoire.
The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF) is the charitable and service arm of the veterinary community of Connecticut, the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). CVMF was created to support education, scholarship and service programs that improve animal health, and public health, in Connecticut. The leadership of CVMA veterinarians makes CVMF unique, facilitating a scientific approach to animal issues and identifying and implementing solutions with the broadest possible impact. CVMF exists to make Connecticut a better place for animals and people. Our vision is to be a safety net for Connecticut’s domestic animals.
CVMF is a 501(c)3 is a not-for-profit foundation (EIN: 27-0137197 )and all contributions are fully tax-deductible.
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