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AASV Annual Meeting to Emphasize Collaboration and Teamwork

Under the direction of AASV president-elect and program chair Dr. George Charbonneau and guided by the theme “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Collaboration and Teamwork,” the AASV Program Committee has assembled the presentations for the association’s 47th Annual Meeting. The conference will be held February 27 - March 1, 2016, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The program is now online at www.aasv.org/annmtg.

Charbonneau notes that several speakers at the 2015 AASV meeting charged members to work collaboratively in issues management, pointing out that no one individual or organization is capable of “moving the ball all the way down the field.” The 2016 conference theme reflects a continuation and expansion of that charge, drawing on the words of Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Charbonneau says, “Newton was paying homage to those who preceded him and enlightened his thinking. I would argue that a collaborative team process provides that same enlightenment in real time.”

As an example of what can be accomplished by collaboration and teamwork, Dr. John Harding will present "Emergence of Brachyspira hampsonii in western Canada: A collaborative success," during the Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture at the general session on Monday morning, February 29. Dr. Peggy Anne Hawkins will follow with the Alex Hogg Memorial Lecture, “Whose shoulders are we standing on?" Additional presentations during Monday’s general session will address not only collaboration, but also neonatal immunology, on-farm welfare audits, and public perception.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea continues to receive a fair share of attention, with Monday afternoon’s concurrent session #1 devoted to swine enteric coronaviruses. PRRS, Mycoplasma, and influenza will be addressed during concurrent session #2, while antibiotic use will take center stage during session #3. During Tuesday’s general session, the lessons learned during recent encounters with porcine epidemic diarrhea, high-path avian influenza, and Senecavirus A will provide the backdrop for an examination and discussion of the critical issue of emerging disease response.

As in the past, pre-conference seminars on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning provide attendees with the opportunity to take a focused look at specific areas of interest, including pharmaceutical issues, reproduction, welfare, foreign animal disease, human health issues, diagnostics, feed efficiency, and Operation Main Street speaker training, in addition to the ever-popular seminars on practice tips and swine medicine for veterinary students. Sunday afternoon will feature the Student Seminar scholarship competition as well as the Industrial Partners' presentations. A poster session of 75 posters submitted by veterinary students, researchers, and industry partners begins at noon on Sunday and continues throughout the day on Monday.

Registration for the conference will open in late December. The AASV room block at the conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, is open. Because the “Big Easy” is sure to beckon, attendees are encouraged to reserve lodging rooms as soon as possible to ensure availability; details are online at www.aasv.org/annmtg/2016/lodging.htm. For additional information regarding the conference, see www.aasv.org/annmtg or contact the AASV office (aasv@aasv.org).