Manuel Fernandez Barrientos is a 2018 graduate of the University of Córdoba, Spain. Following a brief period in general practice, he completed an anesthesia internship at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain)

In 2020, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he pursued a small animal anesthesia internship at the University of Liverpool, followed by a rotating internship at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists. In 2022, he worked as a locum anesthetist at a referral center, Eastcott Veterinary Specialists.

He subsequently completed a three-year residency in Anesthesiology at the University of California, Davis in 2025, and remained at the institution as a staff anesthesiology veterinarian. During this time, he developed a strong clinical and academic interest in pain management.

In April 2026, he joined Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant Clinical Professor.