VSI Support team

Dr. Claudia L. Barton is a Professor in the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Texas A&M University. She attended the University of Missouri for her undergraduate and veterinary education. After two years of private practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, she continued on to Texas A&M University in the Department of Veterinary Pathology to do a clinical pathology residency. She then taught at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for several years, in small animal oncology/internal medicine, and returned to Texas A&M University in 1979 as a staff oncologist. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the specialties of Oncology and Internal Medicine and currently is the Medicine Residency Director. Dr. Barton's major interest and expertise is in diagnostic cytology of tumors in animals.

Dr. Maggie Machen grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Utah. She then received her DVM from the University of Florida in 2009.  She spent a year as a rotating Intern at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey before completing a Cardiology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Machen has done extensive research on cardiac biomarkers and their use in small animal clinical practice. She led the development of the feline NT-proBNP cage-side SNAP test, as a way to detect asymptomatic feline heart disease. She has been a part of several large scale clinical trials, including PROTECT and EPIC, and participated in the evaluation of Torsemide as an alternative diuretic in dogs. Recently she was involved in the evaluation of diet related cardiomyopathy in Golden Retrievers through UC Davis.  Dr. Machen worked in clinical practice for 5 years in South Florida before recently turning to consulting and telemedicine full time. Dr. Machen is fortunate to work from home, and shares her life with her husband, 2 baby girls, 2 dogs and pot-bellied pig.

Dr Simon Swift graduated from Cambridge University and started working in mixed animal practice before moving to exclusive small animal practice.  He rapidly developed a fascination for cardiology and passed the RCVS Certificate in Cardiology in 1990.  He became the advisor for the UK cavalier King Charles spaniel club from 1990 to 2014 when he moved to the USA advising them on degenerative valve disease.  He became a partner in large small animal practice in Manchester accepting referrals in cardiology.  He obtained his European diploma in cardiology after and alternative residency program at Liverpool University before moving into private referral practice in the UK.  In 2013 he joined the Faculty of University of Florida.  Dr. Swift is  is currently Service Chief of Cardiology at University of Florida, Associate Editor of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and a Medical Director. He is leading the development of an open heart program to perform mitral valve repair surgery in associate with the team at the Jasmine Clinic in Japan lead by Dr Uechi.  He enjoys teaching students and residents and helping clients and referring veterinarians. 

Dr. Miller is board certified in veterinary clinical pathology. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2004 from Texas A&M. After moving to Fort Collins, Colorado, she practiced small animal and exotics medicine for two years and then decided to pursue a residency in clinical pathology. She completed a joint clinical pathology and Master's program at Colorado State University. Dr. Miller works closely with referring veterinarians to help diagnose disease and guide additional diagnostic tests.