The Official Site for the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association
The Hawaii Pet Expo was a spectacular event with over 11,000 people with their animals in attendance. It was wonderful to see so many people and animals in our community! Mahalo to all the participants, vendors, and volunteers for making this event a success. We’ll see you all at next year’s Hawaii Pet Expo in May 2025!!!
The HVMA Mentorship Program offers opportunities for recent graduate (c/o 2020-2024) veterinarians to connect with other veterinarians in the state, as well as resources and guidance to pursue career and professional development. To receive these opportunities, join HVMA and fill out this form here. HVMA offers FREE New Grad Membership to all 2024 graduates! We look forward to meeting and helping you in your veterinary career!
The HVMA Scholarship Committee received applications from so many excellent veterinary students with ties to Hawaii that the Committee decided to award $1000 individual scholarships to five deserving students:
1. Lauren Arakaki, 3rd year Colorado State University
2. Alicia Hara, 3rd year Washington State University
3. Deziree Huynh, 3rd year Lincoln Memorial University
4. Irene Liang, 3rd year Oregon State University
5. Samantha Masca, 3rd year Colorado State University
Congratulations to these veterinary students! Thank you to the generous donations from the vets on the Scholarship Committee. If you are interested in donating to support the HVMA Scholarship for vet students from Hawaii, please contact us.
The AVMA House of Delegates approved revisions to the policy that provides ethical guidance for all veterinarians, restructuring it to improve clarity and usability. Among the changes, the policy now features a Code of Conduct with three sections: provide competent medical care, prioritize patient welfare in balance with client needs and public safety, and uphold standards of professionalism.
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Two new surveys find lack of support for midlevel practitioner. Both the American Association of Veterinary State Boards and the Veterinary Management Groups said they support better utilization of credentialed veterinary technicians as part of the answer to workforce issues.
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Revised CPR standards issued for dogs and cats. The first update to the life-saving RECOVER guidelines since 2012 emphasizes speed and standard techniques. Changes include a streamlined CPR algorithm and new drug dosing charts.
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AVMA MENTORSHIP
Any AVMA member with less than 10 years of professional experience can now get free professional mentoring through MentorVet Connect, brought to you by the AVMA. Learn more.
This year we are moving our annual conference to the Hawaii Convention Center! Labs will be offered on Nov 6-7, 2024, and a full slate of lectures will fill Nov 8-10, 2024. Lecture topics include behavior, cardiology, anesthesia, soft tissue surgery, exotics, and more!
Registration is now open for attendees and exhibitors. Remember to log in to your HVMA online account to receive the discounted registration rates for active members. Accommodations will be across the street from the convention center at the Ala Moana Hotel.
Check out our conference page where you can find lab details and our conference schedule. Please join us for great RACE-approved CE, our lively exhibit hall, food, and fellowship, and get to know your local vet community!
Lester Naito graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1959 and opened his 1st clinic in 1963, Animal Clinic Waimalu, followed by Animal Clinic Mililani, Moanalua, Waipahu, and Kapolei. These clinics are now VCA Animal Hospitals.
Dr. Naito studied for two years as a pre-med major at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He chose to further his education at OSU because the pre-veterinary requirements closely matched his pre-med course work.
He and his wife Grace have 4 kids, Steven, Joanne, Scott and Leslie.
I will always be grateful to Doctor Lester Naito for giving me the opportunity to gain experience and grow in the profession as a beginning veterinarian. By example, he kept his optimism even during difficult circumstance. His foresight and support were instrumental in developing my own professional vision . Through the years his life touched many of us as employees, pet owners and friends. Les will be missed.
– Dr. Isaac Maeda
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued its final rule that it hopes will reduce public health risks of the dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV) associated with the importation of dogs into the United States. The final rule addresses the importation of cats as part of overall changes to the regulations affecting both dogs and cats, but the final rule does not require that imported cats be accompanied by proof of rabies vaccination and does not substantively change how cats are imported into the United States.
In this final rule, CDC aligns U.S. import requirements for dogs with the importation requirements of other DMRVV-free countries by requiring proof of rabies vaccination and adequate serologic test results from a CDC-approved laboratory. Requirements that need to be met for dogs to be imported include: a microchip, six-month minimum age requirement for admission, and importer submission of a CDC import form. The rule also requires airlines to confirm documentation, provide safe housing for animals, and assist public health officials in determining the cause of an animal’s illness or death.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register on May 13 and is effective August 1, 2024.
AVMA article: https://www.avma.org/news/dog-import-requirements-strengthened-prevent-canine-rabies-return
Here are some resources released by the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs.html
Our HVMA Hui annual business meeting will be held on Saturday Nov 9, 2024 at 12pm at the Hawaii Convention Center Room 325. Conference registration is not required to attend the meeting.
We will be voting on several bylaws changes, detailed below:
1. ARTICLE III, Section 2a.
Current:
Location – Each county shall be entitled to a Representative on the Executive Board in accordance with the number of Active Members within that County using the following formula:
1-25 Active Members-One Representative
26-50 Active Members-Two Representatives
51-75 Active Members-Three Representatives
Up to a maximum of four Representatives per County.
Proposed Amendment:
Location – Each county shall be entitled to representation on the Executive Board in accordance with the number of Active Members within that County using the following formula:
1-50 Active Members – Up to two representatives
51-75 Active Members – Up to three representatives
Over 75 Active Members – Up to four representatives
No more than four Representatives will be allowed per County.
2. Section 2(f): Change “serving in Hawaii by the U.S. Army” to “serving in Hawaii by the U.S. Armed forces”
3. Article II, Section 2(c) Reword/reformat for clarity.
Current:
Section 2. Election
a. All elections shall be conducted by written ballot unless there is only one nominee for an office in which case the Active Members registered and voting may instruct the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot for the nominee.
b. To be elected, a nominee must receive a majority of the votes cast.
c. Shall be appointed by the Executive Board.
Proposed:
Section 2. Election
All elections shall be conducted by written or electronic ballot unless there is only one nominee for an office in which case the Active Members registered and voting may instruct the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot for the nominee. To be elected, a nominee must receive a majority of the votes cast.
4. Article III, Section 3. Reformat for clarity and consistency with remainder of document
Current:
The Executive Board shall hold six regular meetings during the period between the Annual Meetings of the Association. These meetings shall be as follows:
1st – immediately following the Annual Meeting
Meetings 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, to be held every other month after the Annual Meeting, i.e. January, March, May, July, and September.
6th – immediately preceding the Annual Meeting
Proposed:
The Executive Board shall hold six regular meetings during the period between the Annual Meetings of the Association. These meetings shall be as follows:
a. 1st – within 45 days following the Annual Meeting
b. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th – to be held every other month after the Annual Meeting, e.g. January, March, May, July, and September.
c. 6th – within 45 days preceding the Annual Meeting
5. Article V, Section 4. Notice; Reword for consistency with electronic communication allowed in rest of bylaws.
Current:
A written or printed notice stating the place, day, and hour of the annual meeting shall be mailed not less than thirty days before the meeting to each member of the Association.
Proposed:
At least thirty days prior to the meeting, uniform written notice, including electronic communication, shall be transmitted to all current members stating the place, day, and time of the annual meeting.
Additionally, this year we will be holding board position elections for the following positions (current nominees below):
President Elect – Alfred Mina
Vice President – Malia Lyons
Secretary – Jamie Furutani
Treasurer – Caren Tamura-Taira
Executive Vice President – Jill Yoshicedo
Kauai Delegate – Melissa Shaw
Oahu Delegate – Gabrielle Asay, Heidi Choy, Erika Sox
Nominations may also be made from the floor during the business meeting.
If you are interested in serving on the HVMA board or nominating a colleague, please email nominating_committee@hawaiivetmed.org.
Do you want to be a part of a research study involving the evaluation of toxoplasmosis in people living in Hawaii? Do you want to make an impact in the community?
If you said YES to either question, Dr. Jerrisa Ching Choe and her research team are looking for healthy volunteers who are between the ages of 18 and 65 years old for our research study.
The purpose of the study is to measure the prevalence of Toxoplasma exposure in Hawaii residents and to evaluate the risk factors associated with human exposure to toxoplasmosis in Hawaii. The information gained from this study will provide insight into how common toxoplasmosis is in Hawaii and will enable us to develop approaches to detect and prevent this disease in our community.
To learn more about toxoplasmosis, please check out our informational brochure.
The study will involve one visit to the John A. Burns School of Medicine campus in Honolulu, HI where study participants will complete a survey and have ~5 mL (1 teaspoon) of blood drawn. The study visit will take approximately 45 minutes. ALL study participants will receive compensation for their time.
If you’re interested in participating in this study, please contact Dr. Jerrisa Ching Choe at jching21@hawaii.edu. If you have any questions about the study, please contact Dr. Sandra Chang at 808-692-1607 or sandrac@hawaii.edu.
Thank you for your interest and consideration. We look forward to seeing you!
Being a veterinarian can be both fulfilling and exhausting. Especially in challenging times. We’re here to help provide resources for you when you need them. Please take time to reach out to someone you trust. The resources below may be opportunities for you to connect and get help.
24/7 National Suicide and Crisis Hotline:
Call or text 988
AVMA Wellbeing Resources:https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing
Veterinary Mental Health Support (formerly VMHI) with Not One More Vet (NOMV) Website: https://www.nomv.org/vmhs/
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