Foundations of Avian Medicine and Nutrition Symposium

About the Conference

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Conference Overview

Foundations of Avian Medicine and Nutrition is one-day, virtual symposium. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate for 5 RACE-approved continuing education credit hours from the Office of Continuing Education at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS).

The speaker lineup includes leading avian practitioners and other recognized experts and presentations will be interspersed with question-and-answer sessions. The agenda will provide a practical progression through the foundations of avian medicine and nutrition.

We will begin with an overview of avian care and clinical decision-making, followed by a nutrition primer covering the most important dietary considerations for captive psittacines and other avian species. A dedicated session on avian emergency medicine will focus on patient assessment, stabilization, and other essential techniques for managing critical cases.

Our sponsors, Harrison’s Bird Foods will share information about their philosophy and work to improve captive parrot diets, support parrot well-being and aid avian conservation. After lunch, participants will explore how research on wild and captive parrot foraging behavior and welfare can inform husbandry and nutritional management. The symposium will conclude with a practical feeding session focused on translating these concepts into clear, actionable dietary recommendations.

Continuing Education

This conference offers 5 hours of RACE-approved live, interactive CE.

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Registration Pricing

• $100 for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and avian aficionados living in the US, Europe, Australia and other nations with “Advanced Economies”
• $20 for veterinarians and other participants living and working in nations with Emerging and Developing Economies
• $20 for students from all nations

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Agenda

Each talk will consist of 45 to 50 minutes of presentation and 10 to 15 minutes of question and answer.

Time*	Topic	Presenter
9:00 a.m.	Introduction to avian medicine	Stephen Fronfield, DVM
10:00 a.m.	An avian nutrition primer	Liz Koutsos, PhD
11:00 a.m.	The avian ER	Tia Greenberg, DVM
12:00 p.m.	Sponsor’s Corner: Harrison’s Bird Foods	HBF Representatives
12:30 p.m.	Lunch Break
1:30 p.m.	Lessons learned: Insights from studies of captive and wild parrots	Don Brightsmith, PhD
2:30 p.m.	The Parrot Plate: Practical tips for avian feeding	Jonathan Stockman, DVM
3:30 p.m.	Final question and answer session	Expert Panel

*All times are USA CDT (Central Daylight Time).