American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians

Event: 58th annual meeting, Oct. 22-26, 2015, Providence, Rhode Island
Awards: E.P. Pope Memorial Award: Dr. Jeremiah T. Saliki, Athens, Georgia, for noteworthy contributions to the AAVLD and the field of veterinary laboratory diagnostic medicine. Dr. Saliki received his DVM degree from the University of Liege in Belgium in 1984 and his doctorate in virology from Cornell University in 1993. He is a professor of infectious diseases and director of the University of Georgia’s Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Earlier, Dr. Saliki was a diagnostic virologist at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. He served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation for 11 years. Dr. Saliki’s research focuses on the development of improved diagnostic assays for a variety of diseases. Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Barbara E. Powers, Fort Collins, Colorado, for volunteering time, energy, and professionalism to substantially enrich and advance the AAVLD and the field of diagnostic veterinary medicine. A 1981 graduate of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Powers has served as director of the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories since 1996. She co-chairs the joint AAVLD/United States Animal Health Association Committee on the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and is chair of the Colorado VMA Commission on Advocacy and Outreach. Dr. Powers is a past president of the CVMA and a past chair of the NAHLN Steering Committee. Pioneers in Virology Award: Dr. Paul Gibbs, Gainesville, Florida, for contributions to diagnostic virology. Dr. Gibbs received his veterinary degree from the University of Bristol in England in 1967. He is professor emeritus of virology in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology at the University of Florida. During his tenure, Dr. Gibbs served as associate dean for students and instruction at the veterinary college and directed the university’s International Center. Early in his career, he was a principal veterinary research officer at the Pirbright Institute in England. J. Lindsay Oaks Best Student Molecular Biology Award: Dr. Nandita Mirajkar, University of Minnesota, for “Genetic characterization of novel pathogen ‘Brachyspira hampsonii’ reveals associations of diverse clades, regions, host species, and relationships with other swine Brachyspira species.” Richard Walker Best Student Bacteriology Award: Dr. Courtney Smith, Texas A&M University, for “A diagnostic tool for veterinary clinician and pathologist: Panfungal PCR on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues to classify fungal organisms fount histopathologically.” AAVLD/ACVP Resident Pathology Travel Award: Dr. Jenny Pope, University of Tennessee, for “Canine distemper: Detection of a novel genotype causing disease in wildlife or distemper gone wild.” Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation Award: Dr. Jennifer Dill, University of Georgia, for “Applications of in situ hybridization for novel aquatic viruses.” Best Graduate Student Poster Award: Dr. Shubhada Krishna Chothe, Pennsylvania State University, for “Evaluation of bacterial identification systems for species identification of bacterial isolates in milk.” Best JVDI Full Manuscript: Drs. Fang Fang, Julie M. Collins-Emerson, Cord Heuer, Fraser I. Hill, David J. Tisdall, Peter R. Wilson, and Jackie Benschop for “Interlaboratory and between-specimen comparisons of diagnostic tests for leptospirosis in sheep and cattle.” Best JVDI Brief Communication: Drs. Colin J. Bell, Paul Blackburn, Mark Elliott, Tony I.A.P. Patterson, Sean Ellison, Angela Lahuerta-Marin, and Hywel J. Ball for “Investigation of polymerase chain reaction assays to improve detection of bacterial involvement in bovine respiratory disease.”
Officials: Dr. Thomas Baldwin, Logan, Utah, president; Dr. Patrick Halbur, Ames, Iowa, president-elect; Dr. Steve Hooser, West Lafayette, Indiana, vice president; Dr. Kristy Pabilonia, Fort Collins, Colorado, secretary-treasurer; Dr. Francois Elvinger, Ithaca, New York, immediate past president; and Jim Kistler, Navarre, Florida, executive director