This year’s Veterinary Leadership Conference (VLC) was a great experience that I would recommend to all veterinarians of any experience or position in Hawaii. The VLC is organized in a way to help “rising leaders, presiding leaders, and experienced leaders” in private practice and professional organizations such as the HVMA.
A big focus on the leadership presentations this year was on personal wellness. A growing concern that the AVMA is trying to address by spreading awareness, providing resources for outreach and management of mental health conditions/concerns, and education in techniques for prevention and risk reduction.
The HVMA’s generous support was a great experience and I would encourage any newer veterinarians to reach out for the 2021 VLC for the opportunity to attend with support. The AVMA and HVMA both are bending over backwards to support our amazing profession and it’s our role to reach out and use all of their resources.
Our 66th annual conference was a great success. Thank you to all who attended and those present in spirit. It was a time to catch up with old friends, meet new colleagues and learn in our ever-changing field. The connections with one another are a large part of our “why” as the HVMA and we are fortunate to have such a connected community. If you want to learn more about finding your “why” I highly recommend watching Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on the subject, or even better, read the book Start with Why. If you have suggestions for future speaker topics, entertainment or anything you think would make the conference even more incredible in the future, please let us know.
Membership renewal is now open and I encourage you to renew early and encourage your colleagues to do so as well. Don’t forget that new graduates are eligible for waived or reduced fees depending on your graduation year! Your dues enable us to host great CE in addition to our other efforts including providing scholarships for veterinary and veterinary technician students, advocate on behalf of the veterinary profession in Hawaii, and give back to our community.
Some of the activities we are working on this winter are monitoring the state legislative session, participating in the AVMA HOD January meeting, judging at the upcoming 63rd Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair (HSSEF), and reviewing our wellness committee functions. If you are interested in participating in any of these functions, please let us know as we can always use more volunteers!
On behalf of the board I wish you good health and well-being in the upcoming decade and I hope to hear more from you on what we can do to support you as a Hawaii veterinarian.
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
Registration is now open for our 66th Annual Conference, which will be held November 7-10, 2019 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. We are again offering RACE-approved CE with a great speaker and subject lineup including, dentistry, infectious disease, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and more. We will also be offering a daylong equine track on Friday Nov 8th for the large animal practitioners. Register early and save.
The annual meeting for HVMA members will be Saturday, November 9 and all members are welcome and encouraged to join us even if you cannot attend the entire meeting. And this year’s cocktail hour and social on Saturday evening will be another great time for all, don’t miss it.
Another thing the HVMA board has been involved with is updating our agreement with Hi-EMA to provide support to those in need in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency. Did you know we participate at the state level as advisors on animal-related emergency sheltering? If you are interested in being involved with disaster assistance and planning, please fill out a quick survey or email us. Even if you are not able to volunteer, prepare yourself, your family and practice in case of a natural disaster. The AVMA has a disaster resource page with many great resources https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/disaster/Pages/disaster-aid-veterinarians.aspx.
Finally, be sure to visit our classifieds if you are looking to advertise your services as a relief veterinarian or are in need of a veterinarian or other staff member. This is a fantastic resource available for members!
Aloha,
Aleisha Swartz, DVM President, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association
Our goal is to get as many eligible techs grandfathered in as RVTs as possible. So far only 3 have done it! This is the YEAR to get them studying. That way they can take the VTNE in 2020 and beat the 2021 cut-off. Study sessions are on the HVTA website and on the Events tab of our FB Page.
We have a FAQ page for anyone who might have questions about grandfathering.
Last, we have Clinic/Facility Membership that allows clinics and hospitals to show support for HVTA, post jobs, and we put their clinic name/logo into our newsletter.
Submitted by Sam (Craddock) Geiling, RVT, President, Hawaii Veterinary Technician Association
The University of Hawai`i at Hilo invites the public to the 6th International Scientific Workshop on Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease), held January 5-8, 2020, at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. Dr. Richard Malik (PhD, DVM) of the University of Sydney’s Centre for Veterinary Education will be leading discussion sessions for veterinarians on detection, treatment, and prevention of rat lungworm disease in domestic animals, wildlife, and livestock. There is no fee, but all attendees must register by September 1st at https://hilo.hawaii.edu/conferences/rat-lung-worm-2020/. Case study presentations are also welcome; abstracts due September 1st. For additional information, contact rlwlab@hawaii.edu.
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!
Dr. Jenee Odani (kneeling). Also pictured: Blaine Ishizu and Dr. Kim Kozuma (HDOA)
Dr. Jenee Odani graduated from the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She can’t believe that she’s already 20 years out of school since she vividly remembers her first day of orientation in Surge IV! She completed a diagnostic pathology residency at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System and is a board-certified veterinary anatomic pathologist. She grew up on Maui and graduated from H.P. Baldwin High School where she was the captain of the debate team, then attended UH Mānoa for two years before graduating with a B.A. in Zoology from the University of Washington.
She has had a lifelong love of cats, starting with a silver-tipped Persian named Lady Ming of Tara to her newest, Joey, a bottle-raised buff bicolor with a bobbed tail. She was also obsessed at various times of her life with horses, snails, and ants. She has served as the UH Mānoa Extension Veterinarian since 2016 and currently has projects with shrimp disease diagnostics, small ruminant infectious diseases including parasites, bovine semen certification, food animal continuing education, and poultry diseases. Prior to joining the UH Mānoa Cooperative Extension Services, she was with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Laboratory.
Her professional interests include infectious diseases, especially foreign animal and zoonotic diseases, fish/shrimp diseases, diagnostic methods, and quality management systems. She was the previous Chair of the Hawaii Veterinary Licensing Board and is currently the advisor for the UH Mānoa Pre-Veterinary Club where she mentors bright, eager, pre-veterinary students.
She lives in Pearl City with her husband (Norman) and son (Nicholas) and is active with the Shotokan Karate International Federation-Hawaii (has the rank of Shodan) and Boy Scout Troop 147. Please contact her if you are interested in learning how to make Kadomatsu this December!
In celebration of both National Pet Week and Be Kind to Animals Week during May 5-11, 2019, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association proudly presents Hawaii Pet Expo 2019, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 & 12 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Neal Blaisdell Center.
Hawaii Pet Expo encourages responsible pet ownership and strengthening the unique bond between people and their pets through educational displays, live animal demonstrations, and the latest in pet products and services.
This year’s theme is “More than a Pet, More than a Friend … Family.” As always, pets are welcome. Dogs must be leashed and pets must be in good health and under their owner’s control at all times.
This event is free to the public, but donations of nonperishable food items will be accepted at the door to benefit the Hawaii Foodbank. Parking at the Neal Blaisdell Center is $6.
We are still looking for volunteers! All veterinary staff and family members are welcome to join in the fun. Sign up here.
The 30th annual Pet Expo is coming up on May 11 and 12, 2019 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall. This year’s theme is More than a Pet, More than a Friend … Family. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to assist with this large event. Volunteers are needed to put on this HVMA sponsored event; please click here to sign up for a shift.
The conference committee is hard at work planning this year’s annual conference on November 7-10, 2019. We have a great lineup of speakers on topics you requested, including dentistry, cardiology, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, canine rehabilitation and more. Registration will open in July so keep an eye out for early registration. If you would like to assist with conference planning we would love your help! Please email contact@hawaiivetmed.org to find out how to assist.
Did you know that the HVMA supports students in the veterinary field through scholarships? HVMA funds scholarships for pre-vet students at the University of Hawaii, veterinary students at Colorado State University and Washington State University, and veterinary technician students at Windward Community College.
Thank you for renewing your membership which helps us continue our efforts such as Pet Expo, the annual conference, and more.
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