Support for International Travel to the 2006 WDA Meeting

Although people in the western world are beginning to understand the importance of wildlife health, those in the developing world that live with and depend on wildlife for survival have long understood these connections. However, the advances in our understanding of wildlife have not necessarily spread to those that need them the most.

The Wildlife Conservation Society Field Veterinary Program has generously donated three bursaries of US$1500 each to assist wildlife health professionals from the developing world to attend the 2006 Wildlife Disease Association meeting in Storrs, CT (conference website here). The Wildlife Disease Association is the globe's premier organization focussed on wildlife health, and consequently this is a great opportunity to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

If you know of someone who might benefit from these bursaries, please forward the announcement (here it is). Given the difficulty non-US scientists have in obtaining visas to enter the US, the sooner the better!

Damien

Conference Announcement: Advancing Global Health: Facing Disease Issues at the Wildlife, Human, and Livestock Interface

This should be a good meeting for professionals involved in wildlife disease issues (at least I hope so as I'm helping organize it!)

Damien

Advancing Global Health: Facing Disease Issues at the Wildlife, Human, and Livestock Interface

The 55th Annual Meeting of the Wildlife Disease Association in conjunction with the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians will be held August 6-10, 2006 on the main campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, USA.

With news headlines that make avian influenza, SARS, Ebola, and West Nile virus household words, it is apparent that the health of wildlife is inextricably linked to that of people and domestic animals. Diseases that cross the wildlife, human and livestock interface have enormous health, economic, and social ramifications. Consequently, there is a great need to improve collaboration and communication among wildlife, livestock and human health practitioners. The Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) and the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (AAWV) invite members from a variety of human and animal health disciplines to attend a conference entitled "Advancing Global Health: Facing Disease Issues at the Wildlife, Human, and Livestock Interface". This meeting will bring together animal and human health practitioners in one forum to discuss these increasingly challenging issues.

Who should attend and/or submit abstracts?

Ecologists, veterinarians, medical practitioners, biologists, researchers ... Any professional with an interest in animal and human health.

The University of Connecticut is located in a rural setting midway between the major metropolitan areas of Boston and New York City. Meeting participants will enjoy the peaceful beauty of this rolling-hills campus setting with all the advantages of New England's top ranked public university. As the host site of the 2006 Conference, the University is proud to showcase the results of "UCONN 2000", an unprecedented 10-year, $1 billion renovation and construction program to rebuild, renew, and enhance the University of Connecticut and its facilities.

For more information, please visit the conference website at:

http://www.conferences.uconn.edu/wildlife/ or email Damien Joly at wda.2006@gmail.com