American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition

Event: 16th annual clinical nutrition and research symposium, June 8, Denver
Program: The conference drew more than 150 attendees and featured oral and poster presentations. Dr. Elizabeth Ryan, associate professor of toxicology and nutrition at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, presented “Sustainable Foods for Chronic Disease Control and Prevention Across the Lifespan”; Dr. C.C. Tony Buffington, professor emeritus of veterinary clinical sciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, presented “What Good is a Nutrition Education: Reflections on a Career Abroad”; Dr. David Dzanis, chief executive officer of Regulatory Discretion Inc., presented “2016 Regulatory and Legislative Updates”; and Dr. Marielle van Zelst, winner of the 2015 European Society of Veterinary & Comparative Nutrition/Waltham student award for best presentation, presented her abstract “Selenium Absorption and Bioactivity in Dogs are Affected by Dietary Format.”
Awards: Case Report Competition, sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition: First place—Dr. Tal Gavriel, Guelph, Ontario, for “Nutritional deficiencies in a large breed puppy leading to nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism and compression fractures”; second place—Dr. Aarti Kathrani, Davis, California, for “Nutritional management of a severely cachecic dog with chronic hepatopathy, portal hypertension, and multiple acquired porto-systemic shunts”; and third place—Dr. Laura Gaylord, Raleigh, North Carolina, for “Prevention of cystine stone formation via nutritional management with a homemade diet formulation.” AAVN/Waltham Student Presenter Award: Dr. Sarah Hooper, Columbia, Missouri, for “Effects of dietary selenium and moisture on the physical activity and thyroid axis of cats.”
Business: The treasurer of the AAVN, Dr. Sarah Abood, reported on the financial status of the academy, and the executive director, Dr. Wilbur Amand, provided an update on membership numbers. The AAVN vice president, Dr. Martha Cline, reported on student chapter activity. Kara Burns, AAVN liaison to the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians, provided information on the new governance structure for the Pet Nutrition Alliance and several initiatives that were underway, including improvements to the PNA website, the agenda of the PNA Educational Tools Committee, and revisions to the food dose calculator, which provides guidance for weight maintenance and weight reduction. The AAVN Executive Committee discussed the outcome of the strategic planning meeting held in January, reporting briefly on the six initiatives of research opportunities/symposium, budget/fundraising, outreach, website development, newsletter design, and member engagement.
Officials: Drs. Craig Datz, St. Charles, Missouri, president; Martha Cline, Matawan, New Jersey, vice president; Jackie Parr, Guelph, Ontario, secretary; Sarah Abood, East Lansing, Michigan, treasurer; Samantha Shields, Grand Cayman, British West Indies, immediate past president; Wilbur Amand, West Chester, Pennsylvania, executive director; and members-at-large—Marjorie Chandler, Midlothian, Scotland; Richard Butterwick, Melton Mowbray, United Kingdom; and Pat Harris, Leicestershire, United Kingdom