Research/Areas of Interest
- Surgical oncology
Selected Research Projects:
- Evaluation of a novel tumor imaging system for intraoperative assessment of the completeness of tumor excision
Research and Clinical Interests:
- Strategies for improving local control of surgically excised tumors
- Canine osteosarcoma as a naturally occurring model for human osteosarcoma
- Outcome following surgical excision of naturally occurring tumors of dogs and cats
- Clinical veterinary soft tissue surgery and surgical oncology
Education
- MS, Colorado State University, 1985
- D.V.M., Colorado State University, 1981
Biography
In addition to his role as a soft-tissue surgeon, Dr. John Berg also serves as editor-in-chief of the Tufts newsletters Catnip and Your Dog.
Dr. Berg grew up in Southern California, Maryland and Switzerland. Although his family always had cats, his interest in veterinary medicine did not blossom until he attended Colorado State University for his undergraduate work. He stayed at the school for his Master of Science and veterinary degrees. Following his surgery residency, Dr. Berg spent a year in private practice south of Boston—but when a faculty position at Tufts became available in 1987, he jumped at the chance, compelled by the opportunity to teach and perform research at the same time.
Dr. Berg teaches in the school’s Principles of Surgery and Small Animal Medicine and Surgery courses, as well as in the Problem Based Learning curriculum and the Accelerated Clinical Excellence course. While he enjoys classroom and small-group instruction, he finds hands-on instruction with fourth-year students particularly gratifying and likes watching them grow in confidence as they make supervised clinical decisions.
Although he is adept at all types of small animal surgery, Dr. Berg is especially drawn to surgical treatment of cancer in animals. It requires us to be creative and to be able to perform surgery in every area of the body he says. I also enjoy working closely with owners of animals with cancer.
He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and an honorary member of the Society of Veterinary Surgical Oncology. He lives with his wife and two daughters, as well as an array of animals adopted from the Foster Hospital—including a German Shepherd, four cats, two guinea pigs and a hermit crab. He enjoys cycling, tennis, skiing and reading.
Board Certifications
- American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS)