Laboratory Diagnosticians' News Matters

This year’s keynote speaker will feature Raymond Starling. In his role as Executive Advisor, Ray Starling serves as an invaluable resource on public policy and legal developments that have the potential to impact the agri-food value chain. He continues to serve as general counsel of the NC Chamber and president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute as well.



Prior to joining the NC Chamber team, Ray served as chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue where he coordinated execution of the secretary’s policy agenda for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ray focused on regulatory and deregulatory initiatives and acted as a point of contact for stakeholders throughout agriculture and rural communities. He has also served as a principal agriculture advisor to the President of the United States at the White House, chief of staff and chief counsel for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, and general counsel when Tillis was Speaker of the House in the North Carolina legislature. Early in his career, he was general counsel for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

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AAVLD is sad to inform our members that one of our dedicated leaders has passed. Dr. Art Bickford was a lab director, served as Secretary-Treasurer of AAVLD for five years, and was the 2001 Pope Awardee.  He was a national leader in poultry pathology diagnostics and was engaged with numerous professional organizations. He advanced our discipline in many ways and was a wonderful colleague. Rest in peace, Dr. Bickford.  

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Congress has made some progress with developing the FY2024 NAHLN appropriations, as part of the larger Agriculture appropriations bill. Currently, the status is:

• House - NAHLN FY2024 appropriations are proposed at $18.5 Million (includes both APHIS and NIFA lines of funding for the NAHLN). This would be about a $3 Million reduction compared to FY2023 funding levels. The Ag appropriations bill has not been put on the House floor for a vote yet due to wrangling over other provisions in the appropriations.
• Senate - NAHLN FY2024 funding is proposed to stay at the same level as in FY2023. The full Senate has not taken action on the full Ag appropriations bill yet.

Congress is also working on the next 5 year Farm Bill. AAVLD is seeking several changes to the mandatory NAHLN funding that was included in the last Farm bill including:

• Increasing the total annual NAHLN appropriations authorization language to the level of $45 Million
• Specifying $10 Million/yr in mandatory funding for the NAHLN from the Farm Bill (this money would be in addition to annual appropriations funding)
• Specifying that at least 70% of NAHLN mandatory funding from the Farm Bill be used to support ongoing operations of NAHLN laboratories

Given that Congress is on recess now until September and that government funding runs out at the end of September without passage of new appropriations, it currently seems most likely that there could be a government shutdown of some duration or, at best, a Continuing Resolution passed to continue funding the government at FY2023 levels until FY2024 appropriations bills are passed. The same may happen with the Farm Bill funding.

Since the AAVLD annual meeting will be in the Washington, D.C. area, it would be an excellent opportunity to also pay visits to your congressional delegation members' offices at the Capitol to reinforce the value of the NAHLN laboratories and educate them on your needs. A one-page briefing paper on the NAHLN is available from the Government Relations Committee (GRC) to assist you with your visits. If you can make such visits, please let the GRC co-chairs know whom you visit with.

Please let us know if you need anything else.

Regards,

Bruce Akey and Patrick Halbur

Dr. Paco Uzal (San Bernardino Pathology) received a high-level merit advancement to Distinguished Professor. The title of Distinguished Professor is the highest campus-level faculty title that can be bestowed. In the entire history of the university, Dr. Uzal is the first faculty member in the “Professor of Clinical” series at UC Davis to have reached this rank. To be recognized as a Distinguished Professor, a faculty member must have achieved the highest level of distinction in their scholarship, teaching, and public service – with international recognition for their scholarly work and demonstrated excellence in their teaching. Dr. Uzal’s scholarly work in both clostridial infections of animals and racehorse pathology was recognized, as was his sustained continuing and professional education in veterinary pathology. 

Editors: Congratulations Distinguished Professor Uzal, AAVLD is proud of your achievements!

Ohio ADDL is excited to welcome two new section heads this summer:

Ashley Johnson, MS, is our new section head of molecular diagnostics and sequencing.

Ryan Yanez, DVM, DACVP, is our new section head of pathology and histology. Dr. Yanez is a previous recipient of the ACVP/AAVLD Diagnostic Pathology Resident/Graduate Student Travel Award (2022).

Ohio ADDL is also now in the design development phase for a new ADDL building. We plan to break ground on the new facility in the fall of this year (2023) and expect it to be operational in 2026.

For more than two decades, Dr. Lanny Pace was at the helm of the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System. His knowledge and expertise were key to the MVRDLS’s success, and his pleasant demeanor and warm smile endeared him to those with whom he worked.

As executive director of the MVRDLS, Dr. Pace was responsible for operations and personnel at each of the four labs included in the system: The Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Lab (MVRDL) and Poultry Research and Diagnostic Lab (PRDL), both of which are located in Pearl, Miss., the Aquaculture Research and Diagnostic Lab (ARDL) located in Stoneville, and the CVM Diagnostic and Aquatic Lab located in Starkville, all of which fall under the purview of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. The labs are charged with providing much-needed surveillance and diagnostic testing for practicing veterinarians, individual producers, pet owners, and the livestock, aquaculture, and poultry industries throughout the state.

During his 22.5 years of service, Dr. Pace took great pride in ensuring these services not only met but exceeded expectations, and he saw much growth and change.

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July 2023

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The Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation is the official journal of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The mission of the Journal is to educate by informing readers of progress in veterinary laboratory medicine and related fields of endeavor. The key objectives of the JVDI are to promote the science of veterinary laboratory medicine and the betterment of animal and public health. JVDI fully supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in our publishing activities.

Editor-in-chief, Dr. Grant Maxie / https://journals.sagepub.com/home/VDI

“This morning, the sun endures past dawn. I realize that it is August: the summer’s last stand.”

— Sara Baume

2023 Videos worth watching

2023 Speaker video

2023 AAVLD Presidents Message

Eric Burrough, DVM, PhD

Functions of AAVLD Committees

Committees serve multiple functions that are essential to the AAVLD mission. This includes dissemination of the latest scientific information that will advance the many disciplines engaged with diagnostic medicine, including:

AAVLD will soon offer a 'Committee Membership Enrollment Form'. Coming soon.

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• Annual Meeting Proceedings
• Annual Meeting Scientific Presentations (Video and PDF Posters)
• Plenary Sessions
• Testimonials

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Veterinary Jobs - American Association of Veterinary...

The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians offers the top jobs available in Veterinary diagnostic labs. Search and apply to open positions or post jobs on the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians now.

Contact: rozuna@aavld.org

AAVLD membership is open to any individual interested in the disciplines and activities of veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Membership terms are by calendar year (January-December) and membership dues are payable by November 15th of the preceding year (to ensure inclusion in the annual membership directory, eligibility for committee involvement, and receipt of all six issues of the JVDI). Note: In order to receive a discounted rate for the Annual Meeting registration, you are required to be a current AAVLD Member.

2022 Student Travel and

Student Competitive Awardees

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The generous contributions and participation by our Exhibitors and Sponsors is a huge part of our conference success year after year. On behalf of the AAVLD, we would like to thank these companies for their commitment to our organization and helping us to achieve our mission.