The Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) at Purdue University held its first annual breakout session during the 2018 Purdue Veterinary Conference with the intent of giving conference attendees more opportunities for interaction with ADDL diagnosticians. More than a dozen attendees took a shuttle from the Purdue Memorial Union to the ADDL building at the College of Veterinary Medicine Friday afternoon, September 21. Once there, they were treated to a demonstration by Dr. Yava Jones-Hall, associate professor of veterinary pathology, which included extensive discussion about veterinary field necropsy, sample collection, sample preparation and packaging, and shipping techniques.
Afterward, the group convened in the conference room for a luncheon, when the attendees were joined by additional faculty, including Dr. Kenitra Hammac, section head of veterinary diagnostic microbiology, and Dr. Rebecca Wilkes, section head of molecular diagnostics. The attendees also heard from Dr. Craig Bowen, ADDL veterinary diagnostician, who gave a presentation on the many updates completed by the ADDL in 2018, including a new website and new submission forms. Dr. Bowen then conducted a Q&A session between the guests and the ADDL faculty and staff.
Dr. Bowen was pleased with the attendance and is already brainstorming ideas for next year. “We received plenty of positive feedback and had many valuable interactions with the attendees,” Dr. Bowen said. “We hope to build on the success of this first session and look forward to providing opportunities for more hands-on experiences for our veterinarians and other veterinary professionals in the future.”