Wet and Wild! Second MOAAR Symposium Draws Crowd of 100

November 15, 2019

Dr. Field speaks to the crowd behind a podium in Lynn 1136 — As the keynote speaker, Dr. Cara Field shared about her unique experiences as a marine mammal veterinarian.

With a focus on the skillsets needed to treat aquatic, amphibian, and reptilian patients, the 2^nd biennial Medicine of Aquatics, Amphibians, and Reptiles (MOAAR) Symposium at Lynn Hall was a success, attracting an audience of nearly 100. Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Medicine Club hosted the event on Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10. Roughly half of the attendees were veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing students from Ball State, IUPUI, Kansas State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ohio State, University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of St. Francis, and University of Wisconsin. They were joined by many Purdue Veterinary Medicine students, who also took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about exotic animal medicine.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Cara Field of The Marine Mammal Center, opened the symposium Saturday morning with an engaging lecture about her experiences in medicine and rehabilitation of aquatic animals. Additional speakers included Dr. Angela Lennox, Dr. Roberta Wallace, Dr. Frank Paladino, Dr. Carrie Ullmer, Dr. John Griffioen, Dr. Julia Becker, Dr. Jennifer Langan, Dr. Jennifer Strasser, Dr. Joseph Scimeca, Dr. Lori Corriveau, Dr. Steve Thompson, Joe Richichi, and Abigail Rosenblum.

Participants had the ability to select from a wide variety of lecture topics in two concurrent tracks ̶ one on amphibians/reptiles and one on aquatic animals. A sampling of lecture topics included penguin medicine, reptile pharmacology, cetacean medicine, and common diseases in cephalopods. The symposium also offered wet labs for participants on emergency and critical care in reptiles, diagnostic techniques in fish, reptile hematology, and dogfish and ray anatomy. A lecture and tour of the Hellbender research facility at Purdue was also available to attendees.

Members from the Hoosier Herpetological Society brought a variety of reptiles for attendees to see. Participants had the opportunity to learn about and interact with the different reptiles on display, which ranged from snakes and lizards to a tortoise and even a caiman! Symposium sponsors included SAVMA (AVMA All for Students grant), the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association, Lafeber Company, Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition, Pangea Reptile, and Purdue Graduate Student Government.

Attendees listen attentively in Lynn Hall Room 1136 — MOAAR attendees listened to a lecture by keynote speaker Dr. Cara Field about medicine and rehabilitation of aquatic animals.

Writer(s): Maya Sanaba, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

Annual Purdue Veterinary Conference draws veterinary professionals from across the country for learning and fun

The 2026 edition of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference attracted attendees from around the U.S. for three days of educational sessions covering an array of topics. With the overall theme of “One Health: Modern Veterinary Medicine,” the conference September 23-26 on the Purdue University campus drew more than 450 veterinarians and veterinary technicians, plus faculty, staff and students. Sessions taught by a total of 65 speakers, including many Purdue Veterinary Medicine clinicians and veterinary technicians/technologists, enabled conference-goers to earn up to 23 continuing education credit hours.

Significant Gift from Jordan Smelski Foundation will fuel Purdue Veterinary Medicine research on deadly brain eating amoeba

A researcher in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology has received a generous gift of more than $100,000 from the Jordan Smelski Foundation for Amoeba Awareness and Mr. Steve Smelski to support research of the deadly amoeba Naegleria fowleri. Christopher Rice, PhD, assistant professor of parasitology and principal investigator of the Rice Research Group, leads a research team seeking to discover and repurpose drugs against primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but typically fatal infection caused by Naegleria fowleri.

Purdue veterinary student receives Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship awarded by AKC Humane Fund

The AKC® Humane Fund, Inc.℠ has announced the 2026 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship, celebrating the human-canine bond, and one of the recipients is Purdue veterinary student Tiffany Chang of the Class of 2027. Chang is one of only five students chosen for the scholarships.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Unites with Purdue United Way Campaign

With the goal of raising $700,000 by November 4 to support local nonprofit organizations that help individuals and families in Greater Lafayette, the Purdue United Way campaign took off September 23 with an official campaign launch on the front lawn of the Purdue Memorial Union. Purdue Veterinary Medicine, along with the university’s other colleges and units, will participate with the help of PVM faculty and staff ambassadors working to make it easy for people in the college to respond, whether by giving, or by indicating that they do not wish to give. As part of the PVM drive to support the campaign, Dean Bret Marsh and his wife, Polly, are contributing a match for campaign contributions from college faculty and staff. Additionally, a drawing will be held to select winners from those who contribute.

“Paws Up” – for Dr. Yasumasa Iimori – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we commend Yasumasa Iimori, DVM, PhD, who is a resident in Emergency and Critical Care in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.