Category: Conference Update

2024 Annual Conference Nearing

Join us for continuing education and camaraderie with your fellow local veterinarians and vet techs!

November 6-10, 2024
Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

Labs & Workshops 11/6-11/7
Lectures & Exhibit Hall 11/8-11/10
HVMA Hui Annual Business Meeting 11/9
Lucky Strike Social 11/9

Lecture topics include behavior, cardiology, anesthesia, soft tissue surgery, exotics, and more! 

Registration is still open for attendees. 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, exhibit hall details, speaker info, and our conference schedule. Please join us for great RACE-approved CE (Program # 20-1252830), our lively exhibit hall, food, and fellowship, and get to know your local vet community! 

2024 HVMA Conference Registration Now Open

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! 

2024 Annual Business Meeting Notice

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.

HVMA 2024 Conference Labs

This year we are providing hands-on lab experiences with orthopedic repair and behavioral animal handling skills, as well as hosting a workshop on palliative care for chronic pain and end of life cases.

General conference registration is not required for lab registration. However, general conference registration is required for any lecture or exhibit hall entry. If you are interested in a lab that is at full capacity, please email us to be put on the wait list.

Orthopedic Lab – Wednesday Nov 6, 2024
Advanced CCL repair in Dogs with Excessive Tibial Plateau Angle (TPA)

Instructors: Brian Beale, DVM, DACVS & Don Hulse, DVM, DACVS
Sponsored by Movora/Veterinary Orthopedic Implants

Now that you have mastered surgical correction in routine cases of CrCL injury in dogs, are you ready to tackle more difficult patients? Routine extracapsular repair of CCL tears often fail in dogs having an excessive slope of the tibial plateau. This course will introduce you to 3 straight-forward techniques that can be used successfully to treat these patients. Additional training is suggested to develop the techniques more completely. We will demonstrate a new planning application (vPOP PRO) that can be used on your phone, computer or tablet to plan any orthopedic problem. Surgical treatment of this condition can be simple and rewarding.

Course Objectives:
1. Understand the effects of an excessive angle of the tibial plateau (eTPA) in dogs with CCL tears.
2. To learn how to plan and perform a modified cranial closing wedge osteotomy (mCCWO) to stabilize dogs having CCL and eTPA.
3. To learn how to plan and perform a double-cut TPLO to stabilize dogs having CCL and eTPA.
4. To learn how to plan and perform a CORA-based leveling osteotomy (CBLO) to stabilize dogs having CCL and eTPA.

Schedule:
8:30 CCL tears with excessive TPA
9:00 Simple correction using mCCWO
9:30 Break
9:45 Lab 1 – mCCWO on plastic bone
11:30 Double-cut TPLO
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Lab 2 – Double-cut TPLO on plastic bone
2:30 CBLO
3:00 Lab 3 – CBLO on plastic bone
4:30 End of course

Orthopedic Lab – Thursday Nov 7, 2024
CCL Injury with Patellar Luxation in Dogs

Instructors: Brian Beale, DVM, DACVS & Don Hulse, DVM, DACVS
Sponsored by Movora/Veterinary Orthopedic Implants

Toy and large breed dogs are commonly affected by medial patellar luxation and concurrent CCL tears. Successful treatment requires proficiency in decision-making, planning and execution of appropriate surgical techniques to avoid recurrent luxation. This course will focus on techniques used to treat concurrent MPL and CCL tears using the latest technology to simplify repair and give the best outcome.

Course Objectives:
1. To learn how to plan and perform a trochlear groove prosthesis.
2. To understand the effects of concurrent MPL and CCL tear in dogs.
3. To learn how to plan and perform basic MPL repair techniques in dogs.
4. To learn how to plan and perform an isometric CCL repair in dogs undergoing MPL repair.
5. To learn how to perform a TTT with TPLO or CBLO

Schedule:
8:30 Making decisions when MPL and CCL tears occur together
9:00 The basics of MPL – Groove deepening and TTT
9:30 Break
9:45 Optimizing extracapsular CCL repair and MPL
10:15 Lab 1 – Extracapsular CCL repair and MPL on plastic bone
11:30 Combining MPL repair with TPLO and CBLO
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Lab 2 – MPL and TPLO/CBLO on plastic bone
3:00 Patellar groove prosthesis (PGR)
3:30 Lab 3 – Patellar Groove Prosthesis on plastic bone
4:30 End of course

Chronic Pain and End of Life Palliative Care –
Thursday Nov 7, 2024 10am-12pm

Instructor: Carolyn Naun, DVM, CHPV

Do you wonder if you could be doing more for your patients with chronic pain or illness? Are you looking for ideas to maximize a pet’s comfort when they’re terminally ill, but it’s not yet time for euthanasia? This workshop will work through some cases together and explore how a multimodal approach to care can help you best serve your geriatric and end of life patients and support their owners. Open to vets, vet techs, and support staff. Capacity: 20

Behavior Lab: Low Stress Handling –
Thursday Nov 7, 2024 1pm-3pm

Instructor: Ariel Fagen, DVM, DACVB

Hands-on workshop with mannequins to practice canine and feline restraint and handling techniques that are both safer and low stress. Open to vets, vet techs, and support staff.

Register at https://hawaiivetmed.org/events/2024confreg/

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Notice of 70th Annual Business Meeting

The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association’s Annual Business Meeting (HVMA Hui) will be held on Saturday November 11, 2023 from 12-1pm at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel Prince Jonah Room. All veterinarians are welcome to attend, though only active members are permitted to vote. You do not need to be a conference attendee to come to the Hui.


The Bylaws Committee has proposed a change to Article 3, Section 3, regarding Special Meetings. This section currently reads:

“Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or by any three Members of the Board by submission of written notice to each Member of the Board at least fifteen days prior to each meeting.  A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a Quorum for the transaction of business.”

To allow for more timely response to emergency situations and acknowledge technological advances in modes of communication, the proposal is to change Article 3, Section 3 to read:

“Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or by any three Members of the Board by submission of uniform written notice, including electronic communication, to each Member of the Board at least 24 hours prior to each meeting.  A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a Quorum for the transaction of business.”

70th Annual Conference – Registration Open!

This year the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association’s 70th annual conference will be held in-person from November 9-12th, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel.

We are welcoming back our colleagues from Japan for the first time since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic shut down international travel. In addition to Japanese-translated sessions, we will have hands-on laboratories on orthopedic surgery, point of care ultrasound, and successful CPR techniques.

Lecture topics include ophthalmology, neurology, dentistry, emergency and critical care, swine and ruminant medicine and surgery, business, and wellbeing.

HVMA will also hold our 70th Annual Business meeting on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 12pm. This meeting is open to active HVMA members as well as any interested veterinarians in Hawaii.

Please check here for conference schedule, lab information, and accommodation information. Registration is now open; we hope you will join us this fall!

Recover CPR Lab at HVMA

When an arrest happens, are you and your team prepared??
Get certified in RECOVER CPR at the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association Conference on Thursday November 9, 2023.
You’ll learn all of the concepts of effective CPR:
Rapid Diagnosis
Chest Compressions
Ventilation
Drugs and Defibrillation

Hands on and interactive! Become more confident, competent, and connected with your team!
Register Now!

LEARN BY DOING!
Hands on practice of chest compressions and ventilation.
Pull it all together with high fidelity simulators with pulses, heart / lung sounds, and more.

Pre-registration is required! Sign up today!

Thursday November 9
8.00 AM-10.00 AM Basic Life Support Group 1
10.15 AM – 12.15 PM Basic Life Support Group 2
1.15 PM – 5:15 PM Advanced Life Support

Join us at the HVMA Conference in Honolulu!

2020 HVMA Conference Cancelled

Dear HVMA Members,

Thank you so much for your positive feedback and support for our annual conference. We sincerely want to meet your expectations and provide the same quality CE and warm fellowship that we have in the past. We regret that we have decided to cancel our 2020 Annual Conference (November 12th-15th) due to multiple factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, including limited capacity in our exhibit hall and lecture rooms to accommodate physical distancing requirements, increased risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2 in an indoor convention involving many people from outside of Hawaii, and the unknowns of the COVID-19 situation in the fall.

HVMA will hold our Annual Business Meeting virtually on November 14, 2020, and will also be offering monthly CE webinars starting in July 2020. We will be planning to hold our next full in-person Annual Conference during November 11-14, 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for virtual CE topics or other ways the HVMA can support you. May you, your veterinary teams, and your families stay well and safe during these challenging times.

Aloha,
Your HVMA Board

Letter from the President – Oct 2019

Aleisha Swartz, DVM

Dear Friends,

I hope to see each of you soon at our annual conference at the Hilton Waikiki Beach on November 7-10, 2019. We are fortunate to host AVMA President John Howe and District 10 representative George Bishop at the conference this year. Dr. Howe’s areas of focus for his tenure as president are member needs, veterinary technicians and One Health. Please give them a warm welcome if you see them. Even if you are not attending the conference for CE be sure to join us for our annual meeting at noon on Saturday.

Mental health and wellbeing concerns for veterinary professionals have been in the national news recently. Awareness of the increased risk for burnout, substance abuse, depression and suicide ideation in our profession is hopefully a first step toward finding solutions for this crisis. The AVMA has many resources for veterinarians on personal and workplace wellness, and the HVMA has a wellness committee to assist members in need. 

In 1976, Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute in the US, developed a model of wellness that included six dimensions of health: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, and social. Since then others have added three more to create the nine dimensions of wellbeing: financial, creative and environmental. Each dimension is interconnected and collectively contributes to our overall wellbeing, and when one area is lacking, the others and overall wellbeing are affected. I encourage you to follow the links to read and learn more about these areas and take a self-assessment to identify areas where you might focus your self-care.

For this message I want to focus on the social dimension. One stated purpose of the HVMA is to promote the spirit of community among members of the veterinary profession. Our annual conference is a time to get together and catch up on what is happening with one another: the success and challenges of our friends and colleagues we may not see as often as we would like to. It is also a chance to make new friends and welcome new colleagues into our community. Brené Brown, best-selling author and published researcher writes the following in the introduction to her book Daring Greatly: “the surest thing I took away from my BSW, MSW, and Ph.D. in social work is this: Connection is why we’re here. We are hardwired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.” This includes connection with colleagues in the workplace. In Dare to Lead she says this about her research: “Daring Leaders must care for and be connected to the people they lead. The data made clear that care and connection are irreducible requirements for wholehearted, productive relationships between leaders and team members.” She defines a leader as “anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” As veterinarians, we are all leaders and we must strive to build connection in our work and social lives to build resiliency.

I hope you can all take a moment during the next month to talk story and build those connections with one another. By doing this we will be taking a step in the right direction to improve our well-being. Please reach out to a colleague, friend, or professional if you are suffering. We are here to help one another. And if you are interested in learning more so that you can help those at risk, visit the AVMA’s website on Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) training. There is currently a pilot program that will provide training to learn how to identify and refer colleagues who are at risk.

Aloha,

Aleisha Swartz, DVM
President, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association

Conference Registration Open

Registration is open for our 66th Annual HVMA Conference, which will be held from November 7-10, 2019 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. We are again offering over 80 hours of RACE-approved CE (up to 27 credits for vets and 16 credits for vet techs) and bringing in world-renowned speakers covering a variety of topics including cardiology, oncology, sports medicine, equine medicine, soft tissue surgery, infectious disease, exotics, essential oils, wellness, the opioid crisis, and emergency & critical care.

Our wet lab offerings include orthopedic labs by Brian Beale and Don Hulse, a small diameter endoscopy lab by Carrie Palm and Sean Hulsebosch, dental radiograph positioning and interpretation labs by Kevin Stepaniuk, and a laser lab by Yukiko Kuwahara.

During the conference, we will hold our annual HVMA Hui on Saturday November 9 at 12:00pm during lunch. You do not need to be a conference attendee to come to the meeting. During the meeting, we will provide an update on what the HVMA has been doing this past year as well as overview any important legislative and island news. If you are interested in sharing anything during this time, please email us.

Also on Saturday November 9 from 6-8pm we will be hosting our annual social cocktail party. Tickets to this event are $60 or complimentary with full conference registration.

Register online for early bird pricing by September 15th. Remember to log in to your HVMA online account to register at the reduced member rates. If you have forgotten to renew your membership for 2019, it’s not too late! We hope you and your staff can join us!