Introduction to Dr. Deirdre Chiaramonte by John Wilkerson, Chairman of Assisi Animal Health

 

I am delighted to share with you that Deirdre Chiaramonte, DVM, has joined our growing Assisi Animal Health Team as a Veterinary Advisor. Deirdre has years of hands-on experience in rehabilitation, a passion for animals, coupled with the desire to see them get the best care available.   Her personal understanding of how the Assisi Loop works to improve care is an invaluable asset to the team.  During her first 90 days with Assisi Animal Health, Deirdre has interviewed many veterinarians who are regular users, to hear about their experiences and needs.  This feedback is proving invaluable in designing additional PEMF products and as we formulate the clinical trials so many of you have asked for.   Hope you enjoy our Q&A interview with Deirdre.

 

Dr. Deirdre ChiaramonteTell us a little about your background and how you became interested in veterinary medicine.

 

Medical technology was fascinating to me as a child. My dad is an orthopedic surgeon and my mother was a physical therapist. My father had great success using technology similar to the Assisi Loop for non-union fractures in people. My parents’ work sparked my interest in pain management at an early age.

 

Graduating from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine was a great platform to launch into my career. The (integral) anesthesia department was wonderful and was ahead of its time regarding pain management. After Tufts, I realized I wanted additional training, so I moved to New York City and completed a rotating medicine and surgery internship at Animal Medical Center. Still thirsty for education, I later completed an internal medicine residency and remained on staff for over a decade. It was during this decade that all my ‘new’ puppy and kitten patients had grown up and become my very own geriatric patients with health and mobility problems! With generous donations, teamwork, and ingenuity we created the first rehabilitation center in NYC!

 

As the director of the Rehabilitation and Fitness Service at the Animal Medical Center, I became acquainted with the Assisi Loop. After years of using other methods to ease patients’ pain and promote healing, I was thrilled to have a new modality for pain management. Since starting my own mobile pain management practice in New York City, I am appreciative of the benefits of the Assisi Loop for at-home continued care. In this tough economy, it is a welcome product.

 

Tell us about your transition to working with Assisi Animal Health.

 

Last Fall, Assisi asked me to help them develop an understanding of how Assisi’s customers were using the Loop and to hear their feedback. I was astounded by how they had really thought outside the box in many of their cases. I was also impressed by the successful outcomes with the application of the Loop.

 

That’s great. Please share some of the feedback that was most impactful for you as a new member of the Assisi management team.

 

The most exciting ‘gee whiz’ use of the Assisi Loop was with cervical and thoracolumbar IVDD. In the veterinarian’s opinion, the Loop either prevented the need for surgery or made the recovery much better for the patients with faster return to ambulation times or a reduction in pain medication usage. Another use was in a repeated urinary obstruction case that was headed for surgery but now uses the Loop on a chronic basis. I have heard of more than a few NSAID-intolerant patients and the Loop has really made a tremendous difference in their quality of life. I always get a chuckle when the pet owners inquire about the Loop for their own use! (*Note: Please contact your medical doctor*)

 

Now that you’ve talked with members of the Assisi Family about the Loop, what will you be focusing on in your new role?    

 

One of my first projects is advising the Assisi team as they identify various evidence-based clinical trials they would like to see completed. As we know, this is a challenging endeavor based on randomization, case selection, measurement outcomes, and the placebo effect. But we have reached out to and been contacted by a number of sophisticated research-oriented veterinarians and expect clinical trials will soon be underway.

 

My second project will be to share what I have learned from Assisi customers-to get the word out regarding the amazing benefits of the Assisi Loop. In time, we will build our online library with case reports, webinars, videos etc. to help explain the remarkable benefits and safety of the Assisi Loop to the veterinary community.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us!  We’re pleased to have you on our team.