Dr. Michelle Hawkins, VMD, DABVP (Avian Practice), professor in the Department of Medicine & Epidemiology, recently completed her leadership of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV). She served as the organization’s president for the past year. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hawkins is also a clinician in the veterinary hospital’s Companion Exotic Animal Medicine & Surgery Service and director of the California Raptor Center.

Dr. Hawkins helped the AAV host their annual meeting this past week. The 2017 AAV Conference was held in Washington, D.C. At the event, Dr. Hawkins met with other members of the AAV leadership team to develop their strategic plan, and also participated heavily in the conference forums.

She presented three topics at the meeting:
•    “Chlamydial infections in birds of prey”
•    “Comparative pharmacokinetics of fentanyl citrate in red-tailed hawks and Hispaniolan Amazon parrots”
•    “Pain management in birds”

In addition to these lectures, Dr. Hawkins hosted a “Meet the AAV Board” session and moderated the plenary session.

The AAV is an international professional organization of practitioners advancing and promoting avian medicine, stewardship, and conservation through education of its members, the veterinary community and those they serve. The group was established in 1980, and is comprised of veterinarians from private practice, zoos, universities and industry, as well as allied personnel, technicians and students.

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