American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition

Event: 17th annual clinical nutrition and research symposium, June 7, National Harbor, Maryland
Program: The conference drew more than 165 attendees and featured oral and poster presentations. Dr. John Spink, East Lansing, Michigan, presented "Introducing Animal and Veterinary Product Fraud: Building Upon Food Fraud Prevention Concepts"; Dr. Dottie P. Laflamme, Floyd, Virginia, presented "A Slow Dance: Progress in Veterinary Nutrition"; and Dr. David Dzanis, Santa Clarita, California, presented "2017 Regulatory and Legislative Updates." Dr. Nadine Pablack, Berlin, winner of the 2016 European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition/Waltham Student Award, presented her winning abstract "In Vitro Effects of Varying Amino Acid Concentrations on the Cytokine Secretion of the Feline Cell Line MYA-1."
Awards: Case Report Competition, sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition: Moran Tal Gavriel, University of Guelph, for "Primary copper-associated chronic hepatitis in a Border Collie." AAVN/Waltham Student Presenter Award: Celeste Alexander, University of Illinois, for "Effects of cholestyramine on nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics and metabolites of healthy adult dogs." Pet Nutrition Blog Writing Competition, sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition: First place—Amanda Santarossa, University of Guelph, for "Goldilocks and the body condition of the three Labradors"; second place—Sarah Dodd, University of Guelph, for "What's the beef with grains"; and third place—Lucy Rose, The Ohio State University, for "Start smart: 4 tips for feeding your new puppy." Equine Nutrition Blog Writing Competition, sponsored by Buckeye Nutrition and Waltham: First place—Morghan Bowman, North Carolina State University, for "Your horse is an ecosystem"; second place—Jill Bobel, University of Florida, for "Carbohydrates in your horse's diet—Friend or enemy?"; and third place—Grace Jones, West Kentucky University for "Feeding the aged horse with Cushing's disease: Pituitary in trouble."
Business: The immediate past treasurer of the academy, Dr. Sarah K. Abood, reported on the financial status of the academy and announced that all bank accounts were being transferred to the executive office in advance of the new treasurer taking over. As the new AAVN newsletter editor, she also discussed plans for the newly redesigned newsletter, which will include member, student chapter, university research group, training program, and Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians spotlights and hot topic sections, and will feature winning blogs from blog writing competitions. The executive director of the academy, Dr. Wilbur Amand, provided the membership report, including details on new members. The immediate past president of the academy, Dr. Craig Datz, discussed the progress made on strategic plan initiatives, announcing the academy's goal of becoming the first choice for nutrition research in all species. Also, funding efforts will be doubled, the academy will work with sister organizations to promote credible and quality evidence-based advice, internal and external communications will be improved, and the academy will seek to increase member engagement by 25 percent over the next several years. The immediate past secretary of the academy, Dr. Jackie Parr, discussed the ongoing development of a new website, with which the North American Veterinary Community is assisting. The president of the academy, Dr. Martha G. Cline, reported on the work of a subcommittee that is reviewing and revising the constitution and developing a new set of bylaws. Once work is completed, the AAVN Executive Committee and legal counsel will review the results. Dr. Cline also reported on AAVN student chapter activity, noting there are currently nine chapters.
Officials: Drs. Martha G. Cline, Hazlet, New Jersey, president; Jessica Harris, Benson, North Carolina, vice president; Megan Sprinkle, Columbia, Missouri, secretary; Rebecca Mullis, Lawrence, Kansas, treasurer; Craig Datz, St. Charles, Missouri, immediate past president; Wilbur B. Amand, West Chester, Pennsylvania, executive director; and members-at-large—Drs. Amanda Ardente, Gainesville, Florida; Lindsey Bullen, Apex, North Carolina; and Pat Harris, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.