Thanks to Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Club and dedicated faculty, staff and students, nearly 100 in-person and on-line participants got a chance recently to gain valuable knowledge and insight about the Medicine of Mammalian and Avian Species. The two-day educational event known as the MMAS Symposium is a biennial conference, and the 2024 edition held in Lynn Hall November 9 and 10 featured an impressive program that included 22 lectures and several hands-on labs, organized into two tracks focusing on avian and mammalian species. Conducted as a hybrid program, the symposium offered both in-person and virtual attendance options.
The in-person attendees included veterinary students from Indiana University, the University of Findlay, the University of Toledo, the University of Illinois, DePauw University, and The Ohio State University. Participants traveled from across Indiana, as well as Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Virginia to take advantage of the unique learning opportunity. In addition, the virtual audience consisted of 25 participants from around the world, including Poland and the United Arab Emirates.
This year’s MMAS Symposium reflected the passion and commitment of the Purdue veterinary students in the Exotic Animal Club, which has as its mission providing its members with opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, and experience that will equip them to deliver exceptional care to birds and mammals. Throughout the year, the club organizes various educational activities, including lectures and events showcasing the work of specialists in zoos, wildlife, exotic, and aquatic medicine. The club’s faculty advisor, Dr. Steve Thompson, clinical associate professor of small animal primary care, plays an integral role in supporting the club’s initiatives.
The 2024 MMAS program featured two keynote lectures given by distinguished experts. On Saturday, November 9, Dr. Angela Lennox, a Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna and the owner of the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of Indianapolis, delivered a keynote lecture entitled, “30 Years of Exotic Pet Practice: Who Would Have Guessed.” A diplomate of both the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Avian and Exotic Companion Mammal Medicine and the European College of Zoological Medicine in Small Mammal Medicine, Dr. Lennox shared insights from her pioneering career in exotic animal medicine.
The second keynote was given on Sunday, November 10, by Dr. Annett-Carolin Häbich, an avian medicine specialist from Austria. Entitled, “Puzzled by Birds: An Unexpected Flight through Avian Medicine,” her Keynote presentation gave the audience a chance to benefit from her wealth of international experience, which includes service at Loro Parque Foundation in the Canary Islands as well as at her own private practice focused on avian health. During her talk, she shared a comprehensive exploration of holistic approaches to avian medicine, emphasizing her dedication to advancing care standards in the field.
Other sessions covered a number of pet bird species as well as Raptors, Pocket Pet/Guinea Pig Handling and Care, Rabbits, and Unusual Exotic Mammals. Support for the MMAS Symposium was provided by the college’s Constance Spates Endowment for Educational Opportunities with Pet Birds as well as several sponsors, including Community Veterinary Partners, Harrison’s Bird Foods and Oxbow Animal Health.
The MMAS Symposium alternates biennially with the Medicine of Aquatics, Amphibians, and Reptiles (MOAAR) Symposium, another hallmark event organized by the Exotic Animal Club. These symposia exemplify the club’s dedication to advancing veterinary education in exotic and non-traditional species. In particular, the 2024 MMAS Symposium underscored the club’s leadership in fostering professional development and collaboration among veterinary students and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, united by their shared passion for excellence in avian and mammal species.
