Introducing the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board.

Our mission is to help adoring pet parents give their pets a happier, healthier and longer life. We established the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board to help achieve this goal and ensure the well-being of our pets is at the forefront of everything we do.

The Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board is a committee of top tier veterinary professionals, industry leaders and pet health experts. Not only do they inform us on products, policies, tools and content, but they also elevate the voices of the veterinary community at large and advise on important pet health information. The advisory board, in partnership with Fetch, will positively impact pet health and wellness to help keep our pets happier and healthier for longer.

Get to know our team of veterinary professionals & pet health experts.

A headshot of Dr. Audrey Ruple.

Dr. Audrey Ruple, DVM, MS, PhD, DipACVPM, MRCVS

Veterinarian, Dorothy A. & Richard G. Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics & Chair of the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board

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Dr. Aliya McCullough, DVM, MS

Fetch Chief Veterinary Officer & Director of Veterinary Affairs

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Dr. Kwane Stewart, DVM

Certified Fear Free Veterinarian, Shelter Pet Advocate & Founder of Project Street Vet

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Dr. Monica Tarantino, DVM

Chief of Staff & Lead Associate Veterinarian at the Veterinary Medical Center of Fort Mill

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Dr. Kerri Rodriguez, PhD

Human-Animal Interaction Researcher, Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Veterinary Medicine

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Dr. Noe Galvan, DVM, MPH

Lead Veterinarian at Modern Animal

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Questions about our new advisory team?

Why did we form the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board?

Fetch is more than pet insurance. We're a tech-enabled pet wellness company. Partnering with the veterinary community and giving them a voice in our policies, product decisions and pet parenting education allows us to further our mission of helping pet parents give their pets healthier, longer lives.

What are the goals of the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board?

The Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board will provide guidance, recommendations and feedback to Fetch based on their frontline perspectives as leaders in the veterinary field. The team will also identify ways to address the hardships faced by the veterinary community including student loan debt, burnout, diversity and inclusion.

To learn more about the mission of the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board,
view our article on The Dig.

How will this help me and my pet?

With advisement from top veterinary experts and leaders, Fetch policies and products will better serve the pets and their parents, and the veterinary community as a whole.

Will this increase the cost of my pet insurance policy?

No, there will be no additional cost for policyholders. The Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board will provide even more value to you by helping to improve our pet insurance products, services and building even stronger relationships with the veterinary community.

How were members selected?

Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board members were selected based on their extensive knowledge of the veterinary field, passion for educating pet parents and their deep commitment to the vet community. A wide range of expertises and backgrounds were selected to better represent this diverse community and ensure the needs of our pets and pet parents are paramount.

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Veterinary Advisory Board

The Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board (VAB) chair and members receive financial compensation for advising Fetch on insurance products, policies, and activities. The VAB chair and members operate without material conflicts of interest. VAB members who are also Fetch employees serve on the board in an ex officio role. The VAB has no legal or financial responsibilities. Its charter is to give advice and recommendations to the Fetch CEO and executive team. Fetch is solely responsible for deciding what recommendations to implement and absolves the VAB of any and all responsibility and liability.

This information is descriptive only. Policy activation periods, risk free cancellation terms, waiting periods, limitations, exclusions to coverage and other terms and conditions vary by state and are subject to change without notice. Please see your policy for full terms and conditions of coverage. If there is any conflict between the policy and this product information, the provisions of the policy shall prevail.

Fetch insurance policies are administered by Fetch Insurance Services, LLC (d/b/a Fetch Pet Insurance, Fetch Pet Insurance Services in New York and British Columbia, Fetch Insurance in Nebraska, Fetch Pet Insurance Services, LLC in Michigan, North Dakota, New Mexico and California) CA license # 0F60627 and underwritten by XL Specialty Insurance Company, a Delaware Corporation, or AXIS Insurance Company, an Illinois Corporation, in the U.S. and AXIS Reinsurance Company (Canadian Branch) in Canada. For more information, visit fetchpet.com. ©️2024 Fetch, Inc.

Discounts and offers are subject to approval and may change at any time. Maximum available discount is 10% and may not be available in all states and is not valid with any other offer. Charitable donations offer not available in AK, HI, ID, IN, KS, ND, NY, RI, SC, or TX, limited to $15 in AL and $10 in MI and UT. For policies purchased in LA or NH, the installment fee is waived for the first payment and applied to all remaining payments.

Most comprehensive and most extensive coverage according to Consumers Advocate, January 2023. Based on a comparison of injury and illness coverage between Fetch and North American pet insurance providers on consumersadvocate.org. Consumers Advocate is a Fetch partner. Best pet insurance according to Consumer Rating, August 2023. Based on a comparison of top pet insurance companies on consumerrating.org. Consumer Rating is a Fetch partner. MarketWatch, NerdWallet, Forbes Advisor and Rover are Fetch partners. Unmatched according to The Dodo, May 2022.

Fetch is a registered trademark owned by Fetch, Inc. Fetch Wellness is insurance coverage added by endorsement to the core injury and illness policy, if purchased. It is not a “Wellness Program” meaning a subscription or reimbursement-based program that is separate from an insurance policy.

Average monthly premiums are based on U.S. annual premiums, using a 12-month average, for the period of 01.01.2022 through 12.31.2022 and all available limit combinations. Exam fees based on average costs. Policies in force and number of pets helped based on Fetch data as of 10.12.2023.

A headshot of Dr. Audrey Ruple.
Dr. Audrey Ruple, DVM, MS, PhD, DipACVPM, MRCVS
Veterinarian, Dorothy A. & Richard G. Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics & Chair of the Fetch Veterinary Advisory Board


Dr. Audrey Ruple serves as Chair of the Advisory Board. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences and holds the Metcalf Chair in Veterinary Medical Informatics in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on One Health - the intersection of human, animal and environmental health.

Dr. Ruple has a particular interest in comparative biomedical aspects of cancer and aging, and she leverages information learned from companion dogs as a model system to learn how both humans and animals can live longer, healthier lives together. 

Dr. Aliya McCullough, DVM, MS
Fetch Chief Veterinary Officer 
& Director of Veterinary Affairs
Dr. Aliya McCullough is the Chief Veterinary Officer and Director of Veterinary Affairs at Fetch. She serves on the Veterinary Advisory Board as an ex-officio member and liaison between the Advisory Board and Fetch.

Dr. McCullough joined Fetch in 2019 and uses her veterinary expertise, passion for pet parent education and Fetch policy knowledge to serve as a trusted veterinary resource in the claims and creative departments. Prior to her time at Fetch, Dr. McCullough worked as a small animal veterinarian in private practices in the southeastern Pennsylvania region.
Dr. Evan Antin, DVM
Veterinarian, Wildlife Conservationist & Pet Health Advocate
Dr. Evan Antin is a small animal, exotics and wildlife veterinarian, practicing at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California. Dr. Antin earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University with a small animal and exotic animal focus in 2013. Since that time, Dr. Antin has been a passionate advocate for all animals both wild and domestic.

In his frequent travels abroad, Dr. Antin works on species and habitat conservation projects alongside conservationists and wildlife veterinary colleagues in dozens of countries around the world. In addition, as a trusted veterinary resource, he uses his robust social media following to impart pet health information to pet parents and raise awareness for wildlife conservation.
Dr. Kwane Stewart, DVM
Certified Fear Free Veterinarian, Shelter Pet Advocate & Founder of Project Street Vet
Known as “The Street Vet,” Dr. Stewart has been a practicing veterinarian for 25 years, with his veterinary expertise sought by major companies including Disney, United Airlines and SeaWorld on how to improve their animal-care standards.

Currently serving as the Chief Medical Officer of his practice, Papaya Pet Care, Dr. Stewart has also practiced in municipal shelters in addition to serving as the Chief Medical Officer at VETCO Hospitals and as the Chief Veterinary Officer of American Humane, where he was also director of their legacy program, No Animals Were Harmed™.
Dr. Monica Tarantino, DVM
Chief of Staff & Lead Associate Veterinarian at the Veterinary Medical Center of Fort Mill
Dr. Monica Tarantino is a small animal veterinarian with a focus on senior and geriatric pets. She has practiced canine and feline medicine for the past nine years and works as a general practitioner and chief of staff at a clinic in the Charlotte, NC area.

Dr. Tarantino is also cofounder of the Senior and Geriatric Dog Veterinary Society and has a podcast called Senior Dog Revolution which focuses on helping pet parents with older dogs. In addition to her work on behalf of senior dogs, Dr. Tarantino has also co-authored two books, the New Vet Jumpstart Guide General Practice and Emergency Medicine Edition which focus on helping new veterinarians succeed in clinical practice.
Dr. Kerri Rodriguez, PhD
Human-Animal Interaction Researcher, Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Kerri Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona. As the director of the Human-Animal Bond Lab (HAB Lab), her research explores the role and impacts of the human-animal bond for both human and animal well-being across a variety of settings, populations and contexts. Dr. Rodriguez received her Ph.D. in Human-Animal Interaction from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020 and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship with the Human-Animal Bond In Colorado at Colorado State University in 2023. She has led projects investigating the benefits of assistance dogs for individuals with disabilities, the effects of therapy and facility dogs on staff and client/patient wellbeing, and the potential stress-buffering effects of dogs. Her work has been highlighted in media outlets such as the BBC, Washington Post, New York Magazine, People magazine, and National Geographic.
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Dr. Rodriguez is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of human-animal interaction. In addition to Fetch, she serves on the advisory boards of Pet Partners, American Humane and the International Society for Anthrozoology. In addition, she serves on the editorial board of the journals Human-Animal Interactions and Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Dr. Rodriguez has also served as a subject matter expert for leading HAI organizations, including the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAIP).
Dr. Noe Galvan DVM, MPH
Lead Veterinarian at Modern Animal
Dr. Noe Galvan currently serves as a Lead Veterinarian at Modern Animal in Los Angeles. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine. He has practiced Emergency and Critical Care in both private and corporate specialty settings in Houston, Chicago and Austin. He earned his MPH from the UCLA School of Public Health and has worked in the development of disaster management training for veterinarians as well as laboratory epidemiology with the CDC in Atlanta.

Dr. Galvan is interested in epidemiology, surgery and internal medicine. He is also passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion in veterinary medicine as well as mentoring young veterinarians. Lastly, Dr. Galvan is active in the World Vets Organization, which provides international animal aid and preventative veterinary services all over the world.