Clinical Advisory Board Interview Series · Interview by Dr. Natalie Marks
Dr. Craig Clifford is a veterinary medical oncologist at BluePearl Malvern and a board-certified specialist in medical oncology (DACVIM). He is also one of the most generous teachers I know - a longtime advocate for running oncologic workups in generalist hospitals rather than reflexively referring every cancer case out. He is a founding member of the OpenVet Clinical Advisory Board - the panel of board-certified specialists that provides direct medical oversight of OpenVet’s AI platform across oncology, neurology, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, radiation oncology, and general practice. I asked him five questions. Here is what he said. 1. What’s a clinical moment early in your career that still shapes how you practice today? As an oncologist, I had to come to grips with the fact that for many cancers, we cannot cure but can palliate and provide more time. I learned early on that there are always options, and palliation can also be a win for owners. 2. Is there one patient, one specific animal, that changed how you think about what you do? I think with experience, we generally can know “what we can get away with” when treating cancer with chemotherapy. I treat aggressively; however, every now and then, we get smacked with severe side effects in a particular patient that gives us pause when considering future treatments. 3. In your specialty, what’s a case type that keeps general practitioners up at night, and what do you wish they knew? For dogs, multiple mast cell tumors that keep recurring is a challenge both for the primary care and oncologist, as to date we have no way to change the patient’s genetics. In cats, two scenarios come to mind: a. Oral squamous cell carcinoma: We often catch this too late, and as such, it carries a poor prognosis. In the rare cases we can catch early, we truly can extend life. b. Cats exhibiting signs of small cell lymphoma vs. inflammatory bowel disease: To date there is no way to differentiate without biopsy. This is time-consuming and costly, often for a frail cat. 4. Some people say veterinarians should just use general-purpose AI like ChatGPT. What’s your response? I think we have learned that not all are created equal, and a recent manuscript demonstrated that too many manuscripts used AI for references and many were “hallucinations.” 5. If you could send a message to every veterinarian in the country about the next decade of this profession, what would you say? AI is going to change the way we view data and search for it. We will now be able to review all sources at once. With a strong, validated scoring system, all clinicians can compare treatments to see which has the strongest verifiable data. About the OpenVet Clinical Advisory Board Led by Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Natalie Marks, the OpenVet Clinical Advisory Board is the panel of board-certified veterinary specialists that provides direct medical oversight of OpenVet’s AI platform. The board spans oncology, neurology, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, radiation oncology, and general practice - and exists so that every clinical recommendation surfaced by OpenVet is species-aware, evidence-based, and clinically verifiable. Dr. Clifford guides OpenVet’s cancer treatment workflows, ensuring the AI safely navigates the complex multimodal therapeutic regimens that oncology demands. His expertise shapes how OpenVet reasons about chemotherapy protocols, referral thresholds, and palliative care options - so the tools we build meet the clinical bar of a practicing, board-certified medical oncologist.
One of an ongoing series of conversations with members of the OpenVet Clinical Advisory Board.