John Bonagura received his DVM and MS in Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology in from the Ohio State University, and completed a rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York. He completed residencies in Cardiology & Internal Medicine in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Ohio State and subsequently joined the faculty at that institution where his principal responsibilities were clinical teaching and research in cardiovascular diseases of small and large animals. Dr. Bonagura was Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh in 1989-90. He was promoted to Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. In 1996 John was appointed the Gilbreath-McLorn Endowed Professor of Veterinary Cardiology at the University of Missouri and spent five years at that institution. Subsequently he rejoined the faculty at Ohio State as Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and head of the Cardiology & Interventional Medicine Service. In 2019 John moved to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he currently practices and teaches clinical cardiology. 

John is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, specialties of Cardiology and Small Animal Internal Medicine, and has served a three-year term as President of the specialty of Cardiology and member of the ACVIM Board of Regents. Dr. Bonagura is the long-time Editor of Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy, co-author of a Colour Atlas of Veterinary Cardiology, served as Associate Editor (for Cardiology) for the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, is a current member of the editorial board of the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology. He has written or co-authored over 225 scientific publications and book chapters. Dr. Bonagura's major fields of study include echocardiography, comparative cardiovascular physiology, and cardiovascular pharmacology. He is a three-time recipient of the Norden award for distinguished teaching in Veterinary Medicine, and receive the campus-wide Distinguished Teacher Award at the Ohio State University. Dr. Bonagura has received the Bourgelat award, the international award of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Barcelona, The Kirk Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty Achievement Award of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians, and distinguished Alumnus awards from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Animal Medical Center.