USAHA-AAVLD Annual Meeting Program to Feature Top Experts

August 25, 2016

USAHA (United States Animal Health Association) and AAVLD (American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians) are pleased to announce the general session lineup for the organizations’ joint 2016 Annual Meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. on October 13-19. The event brings together leaders and stakeholders from across the country for the advancement of regulatory and diagnostic veterinary medicine.  This year’s plenary session will take a comprehensive look at the direction of animal health.

“This program underscores the importance of keeping abreast of the big picture within our industry, and the impacts on the individuals we serve as regulators and diagnosticians,” adds Dr. Boyd Parr of Clemson Livestock Poultry Heath and USAHA co-chair. “We feel the caliber and knowledge of these speakers will provide unique insight that we are not exposed to on a regular basis.”

The Joint Plenary Session on Monday, October 17 is titled Challenges, High Tech Solutions, and Success Strategies in Animal Agriculture.  The program, hosted by renowned farm broadcaster Max Armstrong, will feature industry leaders in economics, policy and technology. The agenda includes:

• Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech – Economic Challenges and Opportunities Facing U.S. Animal Agriculture
• Dale Moore, Executive Director of Public Policy, American Farm Bureau Federation – Domestic, Global Positioning of Animal Agriculture
• Professor Daniel Berckmans, Leuven, Belgium – Experiences with Precision Livestock Farming in Europe
• Dr. Randall Prather, University of Missouri – Precision Breeding to Advance Animal Health and Welfare

Panel discussions will be part of the agenda as well.

“This unique combination of speakers will identify remarkable opportunities ahead for U.S. animal agriculture. For example, we have some catching up to do with Europe in animal agriculture and with the plant folks here in the U.S. when it comes to the use of precision agriculture technologies. Get ready to enjoy having these speakers open your minds and challenge you to become engaged in the process of moving U.S. animal agriculture fast forward in a sustainable and profitable way.” said Dr. Pat Halbur of Iowa State University and AAVLD program co-chair. 

Additionally, AAVLD is planning to offer plenary presentations on “Precision Diagnostic Medicine: Game Changing Technology…Is Your Lab Ready?” during the Saturday morning, October 15, Plenary Session. This program will feature:

• Jo Handelsman, Associate Director White House Office of Science and Technology Policy – The National Microbiome Initiative: Opportunities for Diagnostic Medicine and Beyond
• Paul Plummer, Iowa State University – Progress on the food animal microbiome and relevance to veterinary diagnostic medicine...using next generation sequencing to unravel complex infectious diseases
• Jan Suchodolski Texas A&M University – Progress on the companion animal microbiome and relevance to veterinary diagnostic medicine
• K.C. Kent Lloyd, University of California, Davis – Precision medicine: an opportunity for a paradigm shift in veterinary diagnostic medicine
• Nicole Ricker, National Animal Disease Center – Advances in the use of molecular techniques to detect and monitor antimicrobial resistance
• Elizabeth Ryan, Colorado State University – Use of metabolomics in veterinary diagnostic medicine

2016 marks the 120th USAHA and 59th AAVLD annual meetings for the organizations. Join us October 13 – 19, 2016 in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center. Meeting registration is now open and available to anyone with an interest in animal agriculture. The mission of both organizations may be found at their respective websites and below. Meeting registration is open and early registrations will be accepted through September 23. Detailed meeting information is available at www.usaha.org or www.aavld.org.

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