Cynthia Xue DVM DACVIM, is an Assistant Professor of Equine Internal Medicine at the Ross School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, Virgin Islands, which may see more donkeys than any veterinary school in the western hemisphere. Because she is such an engaging, energetic speaker we are bringing Cindy back to speak at this year’s 14th Donkey Welfare Symposium. Because she is so knowledgeable we always give her the hardest topics to present. This year it will be the absolutely crucial and complex link between insulin and laminitis, a topic that is critical for both veterinarians and donkey owners to understand. For the first time in literally centuries, science has started to open the mysteries of laminitis thanks to a number of discoveries in metabolism and the endocrinology of insulin. If anyone can help us make the connection, it is Cindy Xue, a very popular professor at her university and winner of the 2023 Zoetis distinguished Veterinary Teacher award. To follow along with this year’s theme of critical health problems, Cindy will also be speaking on First Aid for Hyperlipemia. What a donkey owner or a field veterinarian can do to prevent the damage caused by this metabolic syndrome that is the most common cause of death in donkeys in the global north. Veterinarians see hyperlipemia treatment questions constantly in message boards and in consultations. Dr. Cindy Xue will clear away all the misinformation and confusion for us, and maybe help you save your donkey’s life.