San Antonio provides festive site for Society for Theriogenology

By Dr. Craig A. Smith
Published on
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The city of San Antonio provided a festive background for the Society for Theriogenology annual meeting, which was held Nov 30-Dec 2, 2000. This meeting was a cooperative venture with the American College of Theriogenologists (see page 334).

President Pat E. Phillips, Mayville, Wis, welcomed 261 attendees to the opening plenary session, which was highlighted by the keynote address presented by David W. Hamilton, PhD. Dr. Hamilton, who is in the department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the Medical School of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, provided a thought-provoking discourse on the role of the epididymis. He presented data that indicated the epididymis is more than a place for spermatozoa to mature, and the impact of this organ on fertility will become increasingly clear.

Another highlight of the conference was the annual David E. Bartlett honorary address. Dr. Shirley E. Johnston, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, Calif, provided attendees with highlights of her career in the discipline of theriogenology in her presentation, "Interesting lessons in reproductive biology learned from the dog."

Dr. Shirley D. Johnston receives the David E. Bartlett Lecture Award from Dr. Juan Samper, Society for Theriogenology president.
Drs. Johnston and Samper

The society reiterated its commitment to remain a vibrant, modern organization. A committee chaired by Dr. Fred D. Lehman, Starkville, Miss, proposed revisions to the society's constitution and bylaws; all revisions were approved during the annual business meeting. One of the main changes was to create the position of president-elect for the society. These changes will ensure that the officers of the society provide knowledgeable, visionary leadership for the organization and its members.

Dr. Margo MacPherson, Gainesville, Fla, was the coordinator for the popular abstract sessions. This year's Graduate Student Competition included the initial awarding of the Jerry Rains Memorial Graduate Student Abstract Award. The award was named to honor Dr. Jerry Rains, a past president of the society and fervent supporter of the abstract sessions, who died last year. Dr. Robert A. Foglia, Fort Collins, Colo, was awarded first place and was the inaugural recipient of the award. Additional winners included Dr. Natalie Bragg, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, second place; Dr. Marco A. Coutinho da Silva, Fort Collins, Colo, third place; and Dr. Deirdre A. Carver, Davis, Calif, fourth place. Each winner received a monetary award.

In addition to the many educational offerings during the conference, 174 people registered for the two-day symposium that preceded the conference. The Periparturient Mare and Neonate Symposium, consisting of 14 lectures and four wet labs, provided valuable knowledge about pregnancy, parturition, and the periparturient period in mares as well as the fetal and neonatal periods of foals.

Three new members were elected to serve three-year terms on the executive board of the society. They are Dr. Robert V. Hutchinson, North Ridgeville, Ohio; Dr. Herris Maxwell, Columbia, Miss; and Dr. Peggy V. Root Kustritz, St Paul, Minn. New officers of the society are Dr. Juan C. Samper, Manhattan, Kan, president; Dr. James Alexander, Yazoo City, Miss, president-elect; Dr. Gary C. Althouse, Urbana, Ill, vice president; Dr. Pat E. Phillips, Mayville, Wis, immediate past president; and Dr. Walter Zent, Lexington, Ky, secretary/treasurer.

During the upcoming year, the society intends to continue in its mission to disseminate accurate information on reproduction in animals to the veterinary profession and allied groups. The Society's Web site (www.therio.org) has been updated, and additional materials (proceedings of annual meetings and past symposia) will be added to the site as soon as possible.

The board of directors is also busily developing new symposia that will meet the needs of practitioners. To help them accomplish this task, the board appointed a symposia chair to develop and implement symposia for the society.

The next annual meeting of the society will be held Sept 11-14, 2001 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in conjunction with the annual meetings of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, National Mastitis Council, and American College of Theriogenologists.



Theriogenology papers
The Society for Theriogenology and the American College of Theriogenologists have issued a call for research abstracts to be presented at the Vancouver meeting. Abstracts will be considered for oral presentation in two categories. In the competitive category, eight abstracts submitted by graduate students or residents will be selected for competition. The noncompetitive category is open to all interested individuals (eg, practitioners, faculty, graduate students, residents, veterinary students). Abstracts must be received by April 2 by Dr. Grant Frazer, c/o Society for Theriogenology Headquarters, 530 Church St, Ste 700, Nashville, TN 37219.