On behalf of the AAZV Scientific Program Committee, I am pleased to welcome you to Prague and the 2018 Joint EAZWV/AAZV/Leibniz-IZW Conference!

I would like to acknowledge the other members of the AAZV Scientific Program Committee - Kristen Phair, Sam Rivera, Alicia Hahn, and Samantha Sander -, our European colleagues from the EAZWV - Stephanie Sanderson, Hanspeter Steinmetz, Hugo Fernández Bellon, Sabine Öfner, Kim Gruetzmacher - and IZW - Alex Greenwood, Kristin Mühldorfer, Josepha Prügel, Steven Seet, Stefanie Lenz, Heribert Hofer - for their combined tremendous efforts in developing this conference. EAZWV, AAZV, and IZW have put together what is sure to be a valuable and enjoyable scientific program and conference experience!

The Scientific Program Committee strives to provide you with the very best opportunities for continuing education. We recruit experts from the field to provide high quality workshops to allow you to refine and develop your skills or learn about topics with which you are less familiar. This year we have worked in conjunction with our gracious hosts at the Prague Zoo - Jaroslav Ńimek, Roman Vodička, Lucie Ńańková and Miroslav Bobek - to provide a diverse offering of valuable and unique learning opportunities including avian handling, advanced anesthesia, great ape health, and infectious disease modeling. We are also honored to have invited speakers provide us with plenary masterclasses in their area of expertise throughout the conference. Topics will include zoo ethics, disaster management, avian pathology, and small mammal medicine. We will hold an assortment of interesting roundtable discussions for your learning and engagement. Participants will be able to select from animal welfare, EEHV, Conservation, and ZIMS. We are excited to offer these opportunities, and others, and hope you will find them helpful in your practice.

The majority of the scientific program relies on the contributions you have made to our field and to our conference! It is your commitment to sharing the knowledge you have gained through your research and practice that makes the scientific program so valuable. The oral presentations and posters that you have contributed to our scientific program will provide personal benefit to all of us individually and will collectively advance the care of managed zoological animals and wildlife across the globe!

I encourage you to provide the Scientific Program Committee with feedback on the content of this and future conferences. We welcome your suggestions of important topics of focus, potential future speakers, and how to improve the conference. Please remember to complete the conference survey to provide this needed feedback, and you are further invited to contact us directly to discuss any suggestions in more depth.

I thank the American College of Zoological Medicine for certifying the continuing education credits, which provides conference attendees with up to 26.5 credit hours for the oral program and up to 8 credit hours for workshops. The Scientific Program Committee appreciates the direction and support of the AAZV Executive Committee, including President Mike Adkesson and President Elect Julie Napier, and we especially thank the members of the AAZV office, including Executive Director Rob Hilsenroth, Adine Nicholson, and Kathy Judge Blacklock for their amazing work and leadership throughout the conference planning process!

Enjoy the conference, your experience exploring Prague, and networking and engaging with colleagues and friends throughout the week!

Best regards,

Allison D. Tuttle, DVM, Diplomate ACZM
Chair, AAZV Scientific Program Committee
Vice President of Biological Programs, Mystic Aquarium

2018 Scientific Program Committee

EAZWV Scientific Program Committee

Scientific Program Chair
Hugo Fernández Bellon

Scientific Program Co-Chair
Hanspeter W. Steinmetz

AAZV Scientific Program Committee

Scientific Program Committee Chair
Allison Tuttle

Scientific Program Co-Chair
Sam Rivera

Scientific Program Committee Co-Chair
Kristen Phair

SPC Workshop Chair
Alicia Hahn

SPC Workshop Co-Chair
Samantha Sanders

IZW Scientific Program Committee

Scientific Program Co-Chair
Kristin Mühldorfer

Scientific Program Committee Co-Chair
Alex Greenwood

2018 Local Host

Prague Zoo
Roman Vodička