Veterinary scene down under: One veterinarian's trip to Antarctica, plus AVA’s annual veterinary conference

Erin Davis, BVBiol, BVSc, BFMgt, MVS (Con Med), works on the International One Health team at Wildlife Health Australia, the independent coordinating body for wildlife health in Australia. Earlier this year, she traveled on a 2-week ship voyage to Antarctica run by Homeward Bound Projects, part of an initiative to inspire collective leadership action to tackle global sustainability issues.

“The trip was the culmination of a 12-month science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine [STEMM] transformational leadership initiative, in which 124 women and nonbinary people from more than 24 different nationalities journeyed together to Antarctica. I learned an enormous amount from the trip and the people I attended it with! Antarctica really is like no other place on earth, and I doubt anyone could come back unchanged from such a trip,” Davis said to dvm360®.

Erin Davis, BVBiol, BVSc, BFMgt, MVS (Con Med), in Antarctica (Image courtesy of Davis)

“From learning about the wildlife to the climate, geography, history, land, and oceans, and the work being done in the region by amazing scientists and support staff at research stations. How glaciers form, move, and impact the environment around them. How the wildlife, from the smallest krill to the penguins and other seabirds, to seals and the megafauna, whales—all exist in a delicate balance that is easily disrupted.”

With the One Health approach recognizing the interconnectedness between the health of people, animals, and the environment, Davis’ Antarctic adventure brought into focus the importance of her work in the One Health area.

“The connections I made with my fellow travelers and the experiences we shared together in Antarctica were incredibly beneficial to my work in One Health. The trip itself afforded me unique insights into wildlife health in extreme environments, including the dynamics of disease in isolated populations and the impact of human-induced climate change on ecosystem and wildlife health,” Davis said.

“The experience also allowed me to appreciate in person how the impacts of human activities globally affect the entire system that is earth and helped to inspire me toward collective and transformative action to address these issues. This trip helped me to better understand the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and biosecurity interventions in protecting vulnerable species in remote, fragile habitats.”

Davis and the other participants learned about the challenges facing the Antarctic region while using the opportunity to further develop their skills and strategies for driving and leading effective change to ensure a sustainable future for all.

“From climate change to the impacts of tourism and harvesting of marine fisheries stocks to political influences and the Antarctic Treaty to seeing the impact of emerging disease outbreaks in the region—[highly pathogenic] avian influenza [HPAI] in particular—from a One Health perspective, I was able to develop connections with people working in human, animal, and environmental health, including doctors, environmental scientists, engineers, and social scientists, bridging barriers to collective action along the way,” Davis said.

Gentoo penguins and icebergs

“As a veterinarian working to help prepare for diseases of concern to Australia and on the global stage, I delivered a presentation on board to help build awareness of the impact of diseases of concern to Antarctica and globally. This included a presentation on HPAI to the cohort and to expedition staff on the ship, covering what, who, where, and why we should care about this disease from a One Health perspective.”

Homeward Bound is a global transformational leadership initiative, and for Davis, her participation in the trip to Antarctica left her inspired to make real change.

“From the program and participants, I developed my skills in understanding and applying my personal learning styles and how to develop my personal strategy. I also met and [learned] from amazing women and nonbinary participants from many cultures and walks of life in STEM fields,” Davis said.

“The trip also reinforced my understanding of the importance of systems and One Health approaches to help address wicked problems in the world. And importantly, I started to work with others on strategies for how we can work together to address these issues using collective action for transformational change for a more sustainable world.”

Sydney hosts annual Australian Veterinary Association conference
"Cutting Through" is the theme of the upcoming 2025 Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Conference in Sydney from May 12-15, 2025. Presentations will focus on a range of veterinary topics, including discussions on the opportunities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine, the future of One Health, and how to thrive outside your comfort zone.

“It is Australia's premier veterinary professional development event, and we’re really excited that, this year, it is going to be in Sydney after a 20-year hiatus! The program features an exceptional array of keynote speakers from a wide range of veterinary expertise backgrounds, featuring both visiting international experts and world-leading, home-grown talent,” Sally Colgan BVSc, DipVetClinStud, DACVS, MAICD, AVA president, said exclusively to dvm360.

Sally Colgan BVSc, DipVetClinStud, DACVS, MAICD, Australian Veterinary Association president (Image courtesy of the Australian Veterinary Association)

The conference will feature presentations from Greg Ogilvie, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Oncology), DECVIM-CA; Jaume Fatjo, DVM, PhD, ECVBM-CA, a human-animal bond researcher; and Chris Tan, BVSc, BSc (Vet), PhD, FANZCVS, DECVS-SA, a popular Australian small-animal specialist surgeon.

Throughout the event, conference delegates will be able to participate in a multitude of social activities, including university alumni dinners and special interest group functions, culminating in the AVA Awards Gala Dinner, at which leading members of the veterinary profession will be celebrated.

The AVA board is also keen to showcase the organization’s new strategic plan, and in a new initiative at this year’s conference, board directors will be present at the AVA exhibition stand during the event for a Q&A session to further engage with conference delegates.

“We're really looking forward to meeting our members and engaging with them directly via this innovative Q&A session format. The development of the AVA’s new strategic plan was informed by member consultation, and the plan will deliver our vision and purpose. Our members spoke, we listened, and we’ve acted on that with this strategic plan, which we’re excited to talk about further,” Colgan said.

Further information about the event is available via the AVA website.