Category: Newsletter

2025 HVMA Scholarship Recipients

HVMA would like to congratulate our 2025 scholarship recipients this year! We had a record number of applicants and it was very difficult to choose our awardees. Your dues help to provide these scholarships and support our local veterinary students – thank you!

Kylie Ebisuya
Washington State University

Kylie Ebisuya is a rising third year student at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine who intends to practice in small animal clinical medicine when she returns to Hawaii. She has a strong interest in organized veterinary medicine and serves as the WSU Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) President. She is also a WSU Clinical Skills lab peer instructor, a position that requires strong clinical skills, approachability, creativity, calm demeanor, and the ability to work with all types of people. Kylie received a B.S. in Animal Sciences and a B.A.in Japanese from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While an undergraduate student, she worked at The Pet Clinic in Honolulu and was active in the research laboratories of Dr. Birendra Mishra and Dr. Jenee Odani.

Eric Fukawa
Oregon State University

Eric Fukawa will also be starting his third year at the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University this September.  Eric grew up in Mililani and is a proud graduate of Damien Memorial School Class of 2016.  His aim is to focus on small animal general practice with interest in small animal surgery. Eric is looking forward to coming back to Hawaii to serve his community when he graduates.

2025 HVMA 72nd Annual Conference Registration NOW OPEN

This year we are moving our annual conference back to Waikiki at the Sheraton Princess Ka’iulani Hotel! Labs will be offered on Nov 5-6, 2025, including Essentials for Fracture Repair for General Practitioners and Stabilization of Unstable Joints, Dental Radiography Positioning, Physical Medicine and Pain Management Workshop, and a hands on Laser Lab. See more lab details here.

Multiple track lectures will fill Nov 7-9, 2025, including ophthalmology, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, anesthesia and analgesia, and an equine track on Saturday. Veterinary technician specific lectures will be offered on Saturday and Sunday. The HVMA Hui (Annual Business Meeting) will occur over lunch on Saturday, and we will be holding our annual social event with dinner at the Zoo on Saturday evening.

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. Discounted group room rates at the Sheraton Princess Ka’iulani will be posted soon and must be booked by October 1, 2025.  

Check out our conference page for more information as we will continue to post details such as the conference schedule and speaker bios. Please join us for great RACE-approved CE, our lively exhibit hall, food, and fellowship with your local vet community! 

Letter from the President – Summer 2025

Heather Kihara, DVM
HVMA President

Aloha HVMA members! 

I can’t believe that we are half way through 2025 already! The PetExpo was a resounding success thanks to all of you, Dr. Lissa Kam, her wonderful staff at Ohana Vet Clinic, and her new extended ohana, Veterinary Solutions Inc! Just a few weeks ago, our wonderful AVMA delegates, Dr. Jenee Odani and Dr. Carolyn Naun, represented us at the AVMA convention in Washington DC and helped lobby for important animal welfare changes and discussed important topics like the Veterinary Practice Act Model. We are now looking forward to our HVMA convention in November and trying to find ways to make it better than ever! We will be trying another venue and hope that you will join us for our amazing speakers, wetlabs, and social events at the zoo! 

As a volunteer organization, I like to thank every member for your passion and helping to advance veterinary medicine and animal welfare in Hawai’i! If you would like to see any changes that HVMA can help with, please let us! Please keep in touch with us via email, facebook, or instagram! 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Heather Kihara

One Health Lecture

Species-Spanning Medicine for Humans and Other Animals

Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz will be presenting a One Health lecture sponsored by UH John A Burns School of Medicine. Dr. Natterson-Horowitz is a cardiologist and evolutionary biologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, Harvard University’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and the School of Medicine at UCLA. Her research focuses on evolutionary biology and the natural world as sources of insights for human health and development. A leader in the field of evolutionary medicine, she co-chairs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research (BAHSCR). 

Zoobiquity, her best-selling popular science book co-authored with K. Bowers, was a finalist in the American Association for the Advancement of Science Excellence in Science Books Award, a Smithsonian Top Book of 2012, and a Discover Magazine Best Book of the Year. Her recently published Wildhood chronicles the transition from juvenile to adult biology and behavior across vertebrate species. Dr. Natterson-Horowitz earned her B.A. and M.A. at Harvard University and her M.D. at University of California, San Francisco. 

Her presentation “Species-Spanning Medicine for Humans and Other Animals” will be held at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka’ako.

Friday May 9, 2025
5:30pm
Room 102

RSVP here

Legislative Update – Spring 2025

The 2025 Hawaii legislative session is wrapping up. Here are the bills still winding their way through the legislative process:

It’s easy to stay informed and get involved in our local legislative process!

Toxoplasma Research Study

Dr. Jerrisa Ching Choe is still looking for participants for her study on the risk factors and seroprevalence of human toxoplasmosis in Hawaiʻi. The purpose of the study is to see what risk factors are associated with exposure and/or latent disease against Toxoplasma gondii among human populations in the state. 

To be eligible to participate in the study, volunteers need to be 1) within 18-65 years old, 2) are generally healthy and free of severe comorbidities (e.g. HIV/AIDs, immune-mediated diseases, autoimmune diseases etc.), and 3) have lived in a Hawaiʻi household for at least six months or more at a time. The study involves one visit to the JABSOM campus to complete a questionnaire and have a small amount of blood drawn from them. All participants of the study will be compensated with a $5 gift card to Starbucks or Jamba Juice of their choice! 

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the study, please contact Dr. Jerrisa Ching Choe (PhD Student) directly. Mahalo for your time and consideration!

Hawaii Pet Expo Volunteer Sign-ups

The 33rd annual Hawaii Pet Expo is coming up next month from May 3-4, 2025 10am-4pm. This event will be held at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii and is free to the public.

We are looking for volunteers from the veterinary community to help us make this event a success! If you’re willing to volunteer, please sign up at the link below before Monday, April 21, 2025.

Sign up to volunteer here!

Volunteers needed for:

HVMA BOOTH
• Ask-A-Vet
• Answer questions and encourage public to enjoy the educational displays in the booth

GREETERS
• Pass out programs, poop bags
• Aid in helping attendees with strollers, wheelchairs, etc through turnstiles
• Smile

FOODBANK / INFO BOOTH
• Be able to answer questions, direct vendors and public to booth area
• Lost and found center
• Be able to find security, expo organizers
• Collection and packing of food donations
• Collection of monetary donations
• Coordinate volunteers (show where shirts are and their work areas)

MAKE & TAKE CRAFT BOOTH
• Help kids and adult with crafts
• Encourage participation

SHOW MARSHALS
• Walk around exhibition hall and outside to clean-up spills and accidents (take poop to outside dumpster)
• Mop areas where there has been accidents
• Make sure exhibition hall doors are closed
• Remind pet owners to keep dogs leashed or secured and have cats, birds and pocket pets in carriers for the safety of all pets involved
• Assist exhibitors with removal of trash and put in outside dumpster
• All cleaning supplies provided (poop bags, disinfectants, mops)

SNACK BAR
• Help pet owners create snacks for pets

2025 HVMA Scholarship

The Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association is pleased to announce that the 2025 HVMA scholarship application is now open! The application deadline is April 30th, 2025. 

Interested veterinary students (1st-4th year, US citizens) currently enrolled in an AVMA-accredited doctoral program of veterinary medicine who graduated from a high school in Hawaii are eligible to apply. Please share this opportunity with any students you think may be interested!

Please contact Dr. Jenee Odani if you have any questions. 

2025 Legislative Update

The 2025 Hawaii legislative session is in full swing. Here are some bills HVMA is keeping tabs on this session:

  • HB456 / SB962 Relating to Raw Milk – HVMA opposes
  • HB544 / SB1026 Relating to Pet Insurance – HVMA supports
  • HB1427 / SB1591 Relating to Avian Influenza – HVMA supports
  • SB493 Relating to Veterinarians – HVMA opposes (due to workforce development fee on vet license renewals and logistical challenges of developing new program/fund)
  • SB1021 / HB49 Relating to Wildlife – HVMA opposes
  • SB874 Relating to Veterinary Medicine – HVMA would submit comments that AVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics already requires vets to provide written prescriptions upon request. Would prefer to include language specifying that posting signage in the lobby to inform the client of their right to request a written prescription is sufficient.

Keep an eye out as we may call on you to submit testimony on these bills as hearings arise, particularly SB874.