EMC faculty, students and alumni have played an important role in the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine from the beginning of the consortium. The IAAAM has been and continues to be a pioneering international organization supporting the development of the aquatic health field. This year’s IAAAM Annual Meeting (April 5-9, 2015) in Chicago, Illinois was yet another opportunity for aquatic health specialists from around the world to come together and discuss advances in the science of keeping our aquatic treasures healthy in captivity and the wild across the globe.
NCSU ties at the 46th IAAAM Meeting, Chicago, Ill. Front (L-R) Drs. Greg Lewbart, Lori Westmoreland, Christie Hicks, Amanda Ardente, Eric Anderson, Tres Clarke, Maria Serrano. Standing (L-R) Stephen Smith, Gregg Scott, Julie Cavin, Craig Harms, Jeff Applegate, JB Minter, Allison Tuttle, Andy Stamper.
EMC presence was once again very strong and important. In the photo above are several past presidents of the organization as well as certainly many future presidents. The annual meeting this year was earlier than usual, putting it at a very challenging time in the teaching semester for NCSU, which meant that some EMC aquatics people had to stay home and take care of routine business. This included two former IAAAM presidents, Dr. Michael Stoskopf and Dr. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf as well as our most senior aquatic resident Dr. Brianne Phillips, who have all been participating vicariously through the reports back by Dr. Lewbart and others at the meeting.
Presentations by NCSU alumni and faculty covered the entire taxonomic spectrum of aquatic health. Presentations included – Microbes and the Aquarium (Stampler); Sedation of Atlantic Purple Sea Urchins (Applegate); Mesomycetoa in tetras (Westmoreland); Treatment of Eimeria Southwelli in Cownosed Ray (Clarke); Medical Management of Blacknosed Sharks (Cavin); Vitamin D in Green Sea Turtles (Scott); Blood gas baselines in marine iguanas (Lewbart); Carapacial necrosis in cold-stunned sea turtles (Harms): Metabolomics measuring purines in diet of captive and free-ranging bottlenosed dolphin (Ardente). Dr. Lewbart chaired the invertebrate session and Dr. Harms chaired the session on sea turtle medicine. A great showing of breadth and depth.