Neurology
Sebastien Behr
DVM(Hons) DipECVN MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Neurology
Head of Neurology
Sebastien graduated from the Veterinary School of Toulouse, France in 2001. In the same year he presented a veterinary thesis on ‘Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins in the Dog’, which received an award for ‘best thesis of the year’ from the French Companion Animal Veterinary Association and the University of Medicine Paul Sabatier of Toulouse. The following year he performed an internship at Fregis small animal hospital in Paris, the largest private small animal hospital in France, followed by a three year residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery in the same hospital from 2002 to 2005. During his residency he focused his research on cerebrospinal fluid analysis and inflammatory non-infectious diseases of the central nervous system. Sebastien was awarded the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 2006 and the following year he was recognised as an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Neurology.
Sebastien moved to the United Kingdom in 2005 to join a multi-disciplinary referral centre where he worked as a neurologist and neurosurgeon before joining Willows Referral Service as a senior clinician in March 2010 and he is now head of the neurology-neurosurgery service. He has a special interest in idiopathic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, advanced neuro-imaging, brain and spinal surgery including advanced spinal surgery with the use of 3D printing which has been pioneered in veterinary medicine at Willows with Bill Oxley.
Sebastien is a past associate editor for neurology of the editorial board of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and a past member of both the Education and the Examination Committee of the European College of Veterinary Neurology. Sebastien has published numerous scientific publications and book chapters, he is also a regular speaker at conferences and CPD courses nationally and internationally.
Sebastien has a young family and two cats named Marcello, a domestic short hair, and Valentino, a British Blue.
Lluis Sánchez
Ldo Vet, MRCVS, DipECVS MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
Neurology Clinician
Lluís graduated from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2012. The following year he performed a rotating internship at the Small Animal Hospital Babenhausen Dr Susanne Medl, in Germany, followed by a one-year Neurology internship in the same hospital.
He then moved to the UK, where he performed a one-year Neurology internship and a three-year residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Animal Health Trust from 2015 to 2019. During the following six months, Lluís worked as a Neurologist in the same institution, as well as at the Small Animal Hospital Babenhausen Dr Susanne Medl.
Lluís was awarded the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 2020.
His special interests include idiopathic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system and advanced neuro-imaging.
In his spare time, Lluís enjoys travelling with family and friends.
Simona Radaelli
DVM PhD DipECVN MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Neurology
Simona graduated from the University of Milan, Italy. She developed an interest in neurology during her studies, having rescued a cat with head trauma that became epileptic. After graduation, Simona won a neurology internship at the University of Athens, Georgia, United States. Then, she moved to the University of Hannover, Germany, to complete a neurology residency. As a result, Simona gained the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology (DipECVN) in 2005. Also, she completed a PhD on Neuronal Dysplasia as a cause of refractory seizures in dogs and cats.
Simona has worked in UK referral practices as a Neurology Specialist since 2005. She has a passion for teaching and has taught Foundation and Higher Education Students since 2011. She has published numerous articles and book chapters, and she has also lectured in several national and international congresses.
Cristina Toni
DVM DipECVN MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Neurology
Cristina graduated from the University of Parma (Italy) in 2013. After two enjoyable years in general practice, Cristina pursued her love for neurology undertaking two rotating internships first, followed by a three-year residency program in Neurology and Neurosurgery at Willows. Her research focused on spinal surgery during her residency with a particular interest in 3D printed patient-specific drill guides. Cristina was awarded the diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 2022.
Cristina worked in another multidisciplinary referral centre in the UK as a neurologist and neurosurgeon before re-joining Willows in March 2022. Cristina enjoys all aspects of neurology and neurosurgery, particularly inflammatory diseases of the CNS, epilepsy, and spinal surgery.
Cristina enjoys spending time with her two dachshunds, Tito and Theo and friends in her spare time.
Francesca Violini
DVM DipECVN MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology
Neurology Clinician
Francesca graduated from the University of Perugia (Italy) in 2016 with a thesis focusing on thoracolumbar disc herniation in dogs. Following her graduation, she worked in her family’s busy small animal practice in Perugia before moving to the UK in 2017 to complete a rotating internship at Vale Referrals in Gloucestershire.
After a period working in general practice as a locum veterinary surgeon, Francesca joined Willows in 2019 as a rotating intern. To further pursue her passion for neurology, she undertook a Neurology Internship at Fitzpatrick Referrals in July 2020, subsequently returning to Willows in January 2021 to begin her Residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery. She continued her career at Willows as a Neurology Clinician following the completion of her residency program and was awarded the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 2025.
Francesca enjoys all aspects of Veterinary Neurology, both medical and surgical neurology cases.
Outside of work, Francesca enjoys travelling and spending time with her family and friends. She has a much-loved (and spoiled!) rescue cat called Bonnie.
Robert Clark
BVetMed(hons) MRCVS
Neurology Clinician
Robert graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2017. He spent the next two years working in a busy first opinion practice in Somerset treating a wide range of medical and surgical conditions, partaking in an intense emergency rota.
During this time, he spent a portion of his days off visiting a local neurology specialist to gain insight into the discipline. The enthusiasm and support given here was enough to get him hooked on pursuing a career in veterinary neurology. To this end, in 2019 he undertook a rotating internship to gain further experience working closely with specialists in multiple fields.
Robert joined Willows in early 2020, staying on as a clinician following completion of the ECVN residency training program in 2023. Robert holds a particular interest in the diagnostic utility of MRI, with peer reviewed publications in this area.
During his spare time Robert can often be found competing on a squash court or walking his energetic Working Cocker Spaniels, Islay and Conker.
Thomas Heaselgrave
BVetMedSci BVM BVS MRCVS
Neurology Resident
Tom studied Veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham, achieving two degrees BVMedSci(hons) and BVM BVS(hons) MRCVS during his time there.
Since graduating, Tom has worked in a busy small animal hosptial in Dudley where he gained great exposure to surgery and emergency cases. Tom has a keen interest in Neurology and orthopaedics, and is hoping to pursue this interest following his rotating internship at Willows.
In his spare time Tom is in a band and enjoys playing regular gigs around the Nottingham area.
Alba Manzanedo-Delgado
BScVet MRCVS
Neurology Resident
Alba graduated from the University of León in Spain in 2017. After working in Madrid at an emergency out-of-hours clinic she moved to the UK in 2018 where she worked for two years in first opinion practices in Leicestershire.
Alba completed a rotating internship at Southfields Veterinary Specialists, followed by Neurology internships at both Hamilton Specialist Referrals and Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona and during this time also published two neurological case reports in a British journal, before commencing her residency here at Willows in 2024.
Her passion for Neurology started when she adopted her little cross chihuahua, named Lia, who suffers from a movement disorder. She also shares her life with her two crazy domestic short hair cats named Selva and África.
In her spare time, Alba enjoys travelling, spending time with friends and family, going to concerts and she particularly enjoys going to karaoke.
Michelle du Toit
BSc MVB(Hons) MRCVS
Neurology Resident
Michelle studied Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin, also earning an intercalated degree in Comparative Pathology from the Royal Veterinary College during her studies. Following graduation from UCD in 2020, Michelle undertook a small animal internship at Veterinary Specialists Ireland and then spent an enjoyable 18 months in a busy first opinion practice in Galway, Ireland.
Driven by her interest and passion for Neurology, Michelle completed a 12-month Neurology Internship at Northwest Veterinary Specialists. She subsequently worked for several months in an emergency out-of-hours hospital in Dublin before commencing her Neurology Residency here at Willows in 2024.
In her spare time, Michelle enjoys playing hockey and spending quality time with friends, family and her gorgeous Domestic Shorthair Jeanie.
