Surgery and Emergency & Critical Care
Chris Ralphs, DVM, DACVS
SURGERY
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About the Speaker
Chris Ralphs received his DVM from Cornell University. He completed a rotating internship at the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk CT and a Surgical internship at Gulf Coast Veterinary specialists in Houston TX. He then completed his residency and masters degree at the University of Minnesota. While there, he met his wife Kristen and the two of them moved to Pittsburgh where he joined the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists and she joined a general practice. After three years in Pittsburgh, Chris and his wife moved to Rhode Island to be closer to their families and to start their own family.
Chris has been working for the last 18 years at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, a multispecialty referral and emergency hospital with a very busy ER and a teaching hospital component with interns and residents. He enjoys the pace and variety of caseload and finds the teaching component to be particularly rewarding. Chris also provides instructional videos for the VetGirl website, serves as one of the forum advisory specialists and has lectured at two of the VetGirlU conferences. When not working, he enjoys any outdoor activity, travel, woodworking and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Chrissy Fischer, DVM, DACVECC
Emergency
& Critical Care
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About the Speaker
Dr. Chrissy Fischer, a New Jersey native, attended the University of Connecticut, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 2013, with a minor in Italian Studies. She then attended veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania in nearby Philadelphia.
In 2018, Dr. Fischer completed a rotating internship at the Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services in Langhorne, PA. She was then accepted as an Emergency and Critical Care resident at the University of Pennsylvania, Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, where she completed her residency in July of 2021. She achieved diplomate status that same year.
For 5 years, Dr. Fischer served as Chief of Critical Care and Director of the Patient Care Committee at a large tertiary referral veterinary hospital in the Philadelphia suburbs. In October 2026, she opened a 24/7 specialty and emergency hospital in Newtown, PA with a few partners. Her clinical interests include polytrauma, respiratory diseases, electrolyte abnormalities, and care of the septic patient. She has a passion for teaching and is especially interested in maximizing patient care.
Outside of work, Dr. Fischer enjoys all things Peloton. She loves Golden Retrievers, Nutella, and watching Bravo. She lives in Bucks County with her husband, two children, and two dogs.