CVA President attends Australian Veterinary Association annual conference
CVA President, Dr Peter Thornber attended the 2017 Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) annual conference, held in Melbourne as a guest of the AVA. More than 900 delegates attended http://conference.ava.com.au
There was a strong focus on antimicrobial use and happiness, as our veterinary profession has a high rate of depression and suicide across the globe. It is important to remain connected to friends, family and colleagues and to derive happiness and feel good about what we do professionally and in our private lives.
In 2021 the AVA will celebrate its 100th year, and currently it is developing a vision for the AVA and the supporting strategy to guide the organisation to this milestone and beyond.
The AVA’s vision is to be the health and welfare leader in Australia’s animal industries based on a recognition of the role of veterinarians and their association. The AVA is actively positioning themselves and veterinarians as leaders in the wide range of industries they engage with, and that their members work within. This includes agriculture, animal health, racing, education, pet care, and many more.
The AVA has the following strategic priorities:
– Improving animal welfare
– Planning an effective veterinary workforce
– Ensuring economic sustainability
– Better regulation
– Fighting antimicrobial resistance
The Conference was fortunate to have a number of keynote speakers:
– Dr Mark Schipp, Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, on strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance;
– Dr Andy Roark, on connecting with clients and communicating more effectively;
– Dr Tony Fernando, psychiatrist, on the secret of happiness; and
– Professor Chris Baggoley, veterinary graduate and now Chief Medical Officer, giving a personal perspective on one health.
Dr Thornber was a key speaker in the animal welfare and ethics program and gave a presentation on celebrating fifty years of achievements of the CVA. This powerpoint will be available on the CVA website for use by our members. They are encouraged to promote this at veterinary forums and national veterinary association meetings.
Dr Thornber also gave a speech at the annual general meeting of delegates on the key achievements of the CVA in respect of three main areas. Firstly, continuing professional development, secondly, being a catalyst to bring partners together on global issues e.g. CVA Rabies laboratory in Karnataka, India, and thirdly, being strong advocates for our members and for particular issues and concerns.
