WAVMA Activities January 2023
Start the year with access to over 100 hours of world class CEPD provided by international speakers. One of the benefits of becoming a WAVMA member.
Previous Activities
WAVMA Elections – The results of the 2023 Executive Board Elections were announced on December 28. The Board has been expanded to 12 officers by increasing the number of Directors at Large by three. This will allow the Directors to focus more on regional activities and help to foster more regional and international networks with colleagues and other Associations. You can meet the new Executive Board by going to the Leadership page. You can also read the Welcome Message from 2023 WAVMA President, Bartolomeo Gorgoglione on the Home page.
CertAqV awards – There was one re-awarding of the CertAqV this month. All CertAqV should be listed on the WAVMA CertAqV page, please check if you are listed. This page automatically updates depending on whether you meet the criteria for CertAqV (been awarded and a current WAVMA member). The page also provides information on how to become CertAqV. The CertAqV webpage has been updated to accommodate the new online system which will be used by all new candidates. These changes will not affect anyone currently going through the process.
CertAqVNT awards – WAVMA is pleased to announce the first two successful candidates for the Certified Aquatic Veterinary Nurse/Technician Certificate. Alianna Munakata of The Unusual Pet Vets in Australia, and Tiffany Pope of Texas A&M University received their certificate on December 26. Several more candidates are currently going through the process. The CertAqVNT website page is still to go live (as part of the automation of the certificates), so if you would like further information on applying for the CertAqVNT, first check the WAVMA website and click on the Education tab, if the page is not available please contact administrators@wavma.org who can talk you through the process.
Executive Board Meeting – was held on December 29. Discussions included:
Conclusion of the WAVMA Conference, which was considered a great networking and collaborative meeting. Thanks go to 2022 WAVMA President, Gillian Taylor, for her hard work to make this meeting a success.
Discussion of the submissions from the Fall round of 2022 WAVMA Student Chapter Mini Grant. A new round will open later in the Spring.
Discussion to provide the Communications and Membership Committees with a new mandate and to set up a new Awards Committee.
December Webinar – The December webinar on Biosecurity proved popular both live and with people watching the recording over the holiday period. You can watch the recording on WAVMA’s WebCEPD page along with 100 other webinars.
Coming up:
Monthly Webinar – The next webinar will be held on Friday February 3 at 14.00 UTC. The talk is titled “Current shrimp diseases in the Americas and Asia” and will be given by Dr. Jorge Cuéllar-Anjel. Further information can be found when you click on the green “Register now” button.
Next EB Meeting – January’s Executive Board meeting will be held on Friday January 27 at 13.30 UTC. All future Executive Board meetings will be held on the last Friday of the month. If you have any topics you would like the EB to address you can either contact administrators@wavma.org or secretary@wavma.org.
Website changes – Several updates have occurred and more are underway to the WAVMA website:
There is the new Welcome Message from WAVMA 2023 President, Bartolomeo Gorgoglione on the Home page and the updated Leadership page – meet your new Director at Large.
The CertAqV page has been updated for the new automated CertAqV process. It is hoped that this new process will considerably reduce the administrative burden of the CertAqV and make the process easier and more transparent to applicants, mentors and adjudicators. The new system takes the whole process “online” and it is recommended that all review the new “outline of how the application process works”.
Further website updates are in the pipeline, so look out for them. Whilst not a major revamp of the website, they will improve functionality and presentation of information.
Pitts Scholarship awards – Applications are now open for the 2023 cycle. Any student or new graduate can apply for this award so long as it is related to aquatic veterinary medicine. Further information on the scholarships is available on the John L. Pitts Aquatic Veterinary Education Awards Program page of the WAVMA website. Applications close on March 1, 2023. Funds should be used for projects occurring between October 1, 2022, and February 1, 2024. A flyer for distribution is available.