Cayman selected to host regional vet’s conference

(CNS): The Cayman Islands will be welcoming hundreds of animal doctors and experts in 2014 when it hosts the 2014 CbVMA Biennial Conference in the Cayman Islands.  The announcement that Cayman will be holding the next conference was announced at the 27th Biennial Caribbean Veterinary Medical Association (CbVMA) Conference which was held in Trinidad in November. Along with the news that Cayman will be host for the specialist conference the local delegation also heard that Dr Nigel Elliott of the Cayman Islands was elected as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer to the association’s Executive Council. Dr Alfred Benjamin also received a special award to acknowledge his many years of support to the conference. 

At the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Conference, the Cayman Islands received the CbVMA Ceremonial Mace from the Trinidad and Tobago Veterinary Association.  The Ceremonial Mace is a new tradition for the CbVMA to be passed on to the country which will be the next CbVMA Biennial Conference host.  The mace will be kept on display at St. Matthew’s University.

Dr Alfred Benjamin also received a special award at the Closing Ceremony to acknowledge his many years of support of the CbVMA conference. 

A spokesperson said the local veterinary medical association was looking forward to hosting the 2014 conference which is a first for Cayman’s veterinary community
This conference boasted over 200 participants from the Caribbean, Central & South America, the USA, Canada, and South Africa.   The Cayman Islands delegation included Dr. Alfred Benjamin, Dr. Kanyuira Gikonyo, Dr. Brandy Darby, and Dr. Brendan Lee, all of whom are active members of the Cayman Islands Veterinary Medical Association.

Most of the conference was dedicated to academic sessions for veterinarians, providing continuing education in the areas of companion animal, food-producing animal, equine and marine animal medicine and surgery, veterinary public health and more.  There was a strong emphasis on animal welfare issues, as well as promotion of the One Health concept, which is essentially a multi-disciplinary approach to solving global health issues.

This was also the first CbVMA Conference to provide continuing education sessions for the veterinary technician.  The TTVA received accreditation from the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) as a provider of Continuing Education (CE) thereby allowing the participating veterinarians to receive internationally recognized CE credits.