About Me

Stephen is a California native born and raised in the city of Woodland. He originally aspired to be a human nurse but found he preferred working with animals during his nursing education at American River College and South University. He became a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2009 while at UC Davis, where he worked for five years when he discovered his passion for anesthesia and pain management. Stephen went on to pursue his specialty credential as a Veterinary Technician Specialist with a focus on research anesthesia/analgesia in 2016. In 2019, he joined a small number of veterinary professionals as a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner through the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, where he also served on the board of directors.

Stephen is world renowned educator on veterinary anesthesia, pain management and cannabinoid medicine where he promotes practical and integrative techniques. In fact, he is the co-founder of two successful education platforms for veterinary professionals, one being the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds, and the other the Veterinary Cannabinoid Academy which boasts over 75k members worldwide. He has won multiple awards as an educator and practitioner, published original research, and has several other publications, including the first veterinary textbook on cannabinoid medicine. Stephen adores all animals, but has a soft spot for older animals and sassy cats. He lives with his husband in San Jose and maintains a laboratory manager position at Stanford University in the Department of Neurobiology.