About Animal Health Consultants
Our veterinary consultant team brings industry, academic, clinical practice and human and veterinary clinical research experience to every project. Since 2007, we have assisted dozens of veterinary companies, pharmaceutical companies, start-ups, CROs, laboratories and other organizations enter the veterinary market. Our animal health consulting team provides practical, real-world advice for developing and commercializing veterinary pharmaceuticals, animal medical devices, animal diagnostics and other products for the animal health market. In addition, our team members have formed companies with our own money and understand the challenges of developing, manufacturing and commercializing veterinary products.
Veterinary product development and commercialization can be a complex process due to complex veterinary regulations and various species, and many clients come to us after receiving advice from consultants who are not licensed practitioners and/or lack clinical, regulatory or start-up experience. Our veterinary consulting team and animal health advisors bring comprehensive expertise and experience to help clients navigate the complexity of the animal health market, consider the development options, and understand veterinary product regulations and veterinary distribution tactics.
Our Veterinary Consultant Team
Craig Woods DVM, MS, MBA (principal veterinary consultant)
Craig started Woods Consulting, LLC (Animal Health Consultants) in 2007 to help clients advance veterinary drugs, biologics, devices and diagnostics for the animal health market. From 2021-2024, Craig served as the Director of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity Projects at Arizona State University, working on large scale, multi-institutional research projects. Prior to ASU, he served as the Director of the Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Midwestern University (2015-2021) managing human and veterinary clinical trials and serving as clinical investigator on dozens studies. From 1998-2015, he held senior level positions in the pharmaceutical industry in business development, regulatory affairs, and veterinary clinical research. Over the years, Craig has established US operations for international clients and recently formed the One Medicine Group, LLC to expand clinical research capabilities. Craig provides business development, veterinary regulatory, and technology commercialization guidance concerning veterinary biologics, veterinary drugs, animal medical devices, veterinary diagnostics, and other veterinary products. He has published in the Journal of Rheumatology, Toxicon, and Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (Google Scholar) and provides veterinary clinical study services at Arizona Animal Hospital (Scottsdale, Arizona).
M.S. – Veterinary Anatomy – University of Missouri
D.V.M. – Veterinary Medicine – University of Missouri
Licenses, Research Fellowships and Clearances
Arizona Veterinary Medical License (1995-present)
Howard Hughes Undergraduate Medical Fellowship – genetics
Graduate Biomedical Research Fellowship – biochemistry
Top Secret; US Department of Defense (Investigation T5; active)
Valarie Woods MS (veterinary market research, statistics)
After graduate school, Valarie and Craig moved to Arizona where she started her career at the Dial Corporation advancing to senior scientist and development leader in research and development. Valarie has special interests in consumer testing, veterinary market research, sensory analysis, operating procedures, and statistics.
Education:
BS – Biology – University of Missouri
MS – Food Science – University of Missouri
Affiliate Veterinary Consultants
Rachel Venable DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology)
Dr. Rachel Venable serves an associate veterinary consultant and is Board Certified as a medical oncologist from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. After completing her residency, Rachel spent over eight years in specialty oncology practice before starting Pet Cancer Care Consulting, her own oncology consultation business. Rachel has participated in various clinical studies and has published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Journal of Veterinary Research, and BMC Veterinary Research. She has presented scientific research at local and national conferences. She is a member of many organizations and a director on the Arizona Veterinary Medical Board. She is the local committee member for the Institutional Biosafety Committee.
D.V.M.-University of Missouri, Cum Laude
M.S.-Colorado State University
Internship-Small Animal Medicine-University of Georgia
Residency-Medical Oncology-Colorado State University
Natacha Montalvo DVM, MS, CCRP
Dr. Montalvo is a clinical research veterinarian with 10+ years of experience in companion animal medicine, clinical studies and biomedical research. Dr. Montalvo graduated as a DVM in 2004 from “UNEFM” and worked in small animal medicine and surgery in her home country of Venezuela. In 2008, she joined Texas A&M’s Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) as a Research Assistant where she completed a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on genetics. She continued at Texas A&M’s TIPS as a Post-Doctoral associate until 2012. Subsequent to TIPS, she held research and project management positions at START Cancer Pre-clinical Studies and the Metis Foundation. As a veterinary consultant, Dr. Montalvo focuses on study design and market research at Woods Consulting, LLC.
D.V.M.-The Francisco de Miranda National Experimental University
M.S.-Texas A&M University
C.C.R.P. – Society of Clinical Research Associates
One Medicine Approach
“Human and veterinary medicine are confronted with similar problems and employ similar means for their solution; and, taken together, they deal with a large group of animals sufficient to justify the contention that they are two branches of one medicine.”
Bradley OC. What is Comparative Medicine?. Proc R Soc Med. 1927; 21(1):129–134.
This statement, made in 1927, underpins our philosophy and commitment to advance medicine for humans and pets. We routinely work with physicians and scientists to advance human and veterinary medicine in parallel. A few of Dr. Woods One Medicine project photos to the right.
Links to One Health
One Health Initiative
Animal Health Institute
Academia (2020):
Conducting a human COVID-19 surveillance study in emergency room workers at Arizona hospitals during early phase of the pandemic
Academia (2019):
Evaluating a novel tumor imaging agent in dogs with cancer to help visualize tumor margins in real-time during surgery resection
Industry (2011):
At venom research laboratory in Mexico, working on the development of scorpion and pit viper antivenoms
Industry (~2005):
studying T-cell receptor peptide immune therapeutics in dogs with comparable diseases to humans
Our Animal Health Network
Speaking Engagements
Animal Health Industry Network
Woods Consulting, LLC works closely with each client to understand their specific requirements and business strategy. Although our comprehensive expertise allows us to manage the vast majority of projects in-house, if needed we collaborate other animal health industry experts to assist such as specific technical sections for new animal drug applications. Our veterinary consultant team leverages our extensive animal health industry network to assist clients in licensing their technologies for the animal health market, or identifying domestic and international veterinary distributors to represent veterinary products.
Animal Health Speaking Engagements
Our veterinary consultant team can also provide speaking engagements to the biomedical community (contact us). Several topics we routinely present on to researchers, students and the medical community include:
–The Animal Health Market: Overview of the animal health market, technology licensing strategies, commercialization of veterinary products, regulations, and the development process of veterinary drugs, biologics, nutraceuticals, devices, and diagnostics.
-Comparative Medicine: Comparative diseases between humans and dogs, and de-risking drug development through veterinary clinical trials.
–Venoms and Toxins: Venom phenotypes of snakes, antivenoms and envenomation in veterinary medicine