BrightHeart Veterinary Centers of Greenwich, Conn., has acquired Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center in Bedford Hills, N.Y., saying that the acquisition represents its initial entry into the veterinary industry and that it seeks to create a national network of veterinary hospitals focused on providing advanced diagnostic and treatment procedures for pets. Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center, which was founded in 2001 by Alan Green, DVM, combines a general veterinary practice with a full range of specialty services and a 24-hour emergency hospital. It currently has a staff of 21 veterinarians, including nine board-certified specialists, and sees more than 25,000 patients each year. BrightHeart has named Dr. Green as director of practice management for all hospitals in the BrightHeart network. With that move, Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center has named David Sachs, DVM, as hospital director. He was formerly assistant director of the hospital. In addition, BrightHeart has named Philip Bergman, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, as chief medical officer. He will be responsible for all aspects of veterinary medicine within the BrightHeart organization, with oversight of each facility’s medical practices and performance. Dr. Bergman, who holds an adjunct faculty membership with the human cancer center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, helped develop a canine melanoma vaccine that was granted conditional licensure by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year. Bergman will continue his work with the investigational vaccine program at BrightHeart, seeking to extend its applicability to canine lymphoma, breast cancer and other tumors. <HOME>
