Magical Town of Izamal
14th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics: Planning Our Future
CONFERENCE PLAN
Objectives To provide a global forum for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior and
senior investigators, as well as health policymakers to exchange information that can advance
the fields of veterinary epidemiology and public health, and other disciplines in the health and
social sciences—with emphasis in two thematic priority areas of public health importance: (i)
One Health research, practice, and education as a holistic approach to reduce disease burden
in human and animal populations and to protect the environment; and (ii) climate change and
health in animal and human populations—awareness and solutions. The chair of the scientific
committee of ISVEE 14 has received approval to coordinate with the Editor in Chief of Elsevier |
Preventive Veterinary Medicine (PVM) to disseminate methods, results, and discussion of five
keynote plenary presentations—including the two thematic areas identified above; manuscripts
will be submitted, peer-reviewed, and published no later than August 2016.
Specific program, agenda, and keynote speakers ISVEE 14 will be held in Merida, Yucatan,
Mexico during November 3-7, 2015. The program includes five keynote plenaries, 430 oral and
≥ 400 poster presentations. The keynote plenaries will be focused on: (i) one health; (ii) climate
change; (iii) animal health economics; (iv) national veterinary services; and (v) animal welfare.
In addition, the program includes two mini-symposia on One Health (Tuesday) and National
Veterinary Services (Friday). The five-day program tentative schedule is the following:
Monday November 2nd 2015
10.00h-20.00h Registration | Hotel Fiesta Americana | Room Izamal, 2nd floor.
10.00h-20.00h Computer Test Room for PPT presentations | Room Santa Lucia, 2nd floor.
18.00h-19.30h Welcome Cocktail | Fiesta Americana | Terraza Montejo, 2nd floor.
Tuesday November 3rd 2015
Opening Ceremony | Convention Center XXI Century | Room Progreso
9.00h Chorus of Maya Children
9.10h Welcome remarks: Symposium president and scientific committee chair
9.20h Welcome remarks: Governor of the state of Yucatan
9.30h Keynote | One Health: Jonna MAZET
10.30h Coffee
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Time
11.00-12.00
12.00-13.30
13.30-15.30
15.30-16.30
16.30-18.00
Room: Mérida
Scientific Session A
200+100 people
Block 1: 4 OP*
Block 2: 8 OP
Block 3: 6 OP
18.00-19.00
*Oral Presentations
Valladolid
SS B
200+100p
4 OP
Izamal
Progreso
SS C
SS D
200+100p
400+400p
4 OP
4 OP One Health
Lunch
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP One Health
Coffee and Poster Viewing
6 OP
6 OP
Panel Discussion
on One Health
Poster Viewing
EkBalam
SS E
200p
4 OP
8 OP
6 OP
Wednesday November 4th 2015
8.30h Keynote | Climate Change and Health—Awareness and solutions: James HANSEN
9.30h Coffee
Time
Room: Mérida
Scientific Session A
200+100 people
Block 1: 8 OP*
Valladolid
SS B
200+100p
8 OP
Izamal
Progreso
EkBalam
SS C
SS D
SS E
200+100p
400+400p
200p
10.00-12.00
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
12.00-13.30
Lunch
13.30-15.30
Block 2: 8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
15.30-16.30
Coffee and Poster Viewing
16.30-17.30
Block 3: 4 OP
4 OP
4 OP
4 OP
4 OP
17.45-23.00 Social gathering in Izamal, which is located 70 km NE of Merida. Dress is casual.
Departure time is 17.45h from the Convention Center; arrival is 18.45h. Dinner is
19.00-21.30h. Departure to Merida is 22.00h and arrival time is 23.00h
*Oral Presentations
Thursday November 5th 2015
8.30h Keynote | Improving the use of economics in animal health – challenges in research,
policy and education: Jonathan RUSHTON
9.30h Coffee
Time
Room: Mérida
Valladolid
Izamal
Progreso
EkBalam
Scientific Session A
SS B
SS C
SS D
SS E
200+100 people
200+100p
200+100p
400+400p
200p
10.00-12.00
Block 1: 8 OP*
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
12.00-13.00
Lunch
13.00-14.30
ISVEE 14 Business Meeting
14.30
Delegate Free Time
*Oral Presentations
Friday November 6th 2015
8.30h Keynote | Current and new models that make national veterinary services more efficient:
Cristóbal ZEPEDA and Vitor GONCALVES
9.30h Coffee
Time
Room: Mérida
Valladolid
Izamal
Progreso
EkBalam
Scientific Session A
SS B
SS C
SS D
SS E
200+100 people
200+100p
200+100p
400+400p
200p
2
10.00-12.00
Block 1: 8 OP*
8 OP
8 OP
12.00-13.30
13.30-15.30
Block 2: 8 OP
8 OP
Lunch
8 OP
8 OP Nat Vet
Services
8 OP
8 OP Nat Vet
8 OP
Services
15.30-16.30
Coffee and Poster Viewing
16.30-17.30
Block 3: 4 OP
4 OP
4 OP
Panel Discussion
4 OP
on Nat Vet
Services
19.30-1.00
ISVEE 14 Banquet at Quinta Montes Molina (400 meters from Fiesta Americana,
on Paseo Montejo). 19.30-21.00h String Orquestra; 20.00-21.00h Dinner; 21.1522.00h Folkloric Ballet; 22.15-23.00h Awards; 23.00-1.00h Live music (salsa).
*Oral Presentations
Saturday November 7th 2015
8.30h Keynote | Animal Welfare: Aline SCHUNEMANN
9.30h Coffee
Time
Room: Mérida
Valladolid
Izamal
Progreso
Scientific Session A
SS B
SS C
SS D
200+100 people
200+100p
200+100p
400+400p
10.00-12.00
Block 1: 8 OP*
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
12.00-13.30
Lunch
13.30-15.30
Block 2: 8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
8 OP
15.30-16.30
Coffee and Poster Viewing
16.30-18.00
Block 3: 6 OP
6 OP
6 OP
6 OP
18.00-19.00
Poster Viewing
19.00h
ISVEE 14 Ends
Total number of oral presentations = 84 + 100 + 40 + 96 + 110 = 430
Total number of poster presentations ≥ 400
EkBalam
SS E
200p
8P
8 OP
6 OP
The two mini-symposia will be structured in four parts. Part 1 will include a keynote plenary
addressing a thematic area of interest One Health (Tuesday) or National Veterinary Services
(Friday). Part 2 will include oral and poster presentations in thematic areas. Part 3 will be a
Panel Discussion. In Part 4, keynote speakers will prepare and publish in PVM a manuscript
addressing thematic areas of interest. In Part 3, the Panel Discussion’s format is the following:
 A member of the organizing committee of ISVEE 14 will introduce a Designated
Moderator: Fernando Mardones, UC Davis (One Health) or Katharina Stärk, University
of London (National Veterinary Services).
 The Designated Moderator will introduce the panellists, and describe the purpose,
format and rules of the Panel Discussion session. Panellists will include the keynote
speaker and 3-4 panellists selected by the scientific committee of ISVEE 14.
 The Designated Moderator will ask questions to panellists following established rules:
o An adhoc scientific subcommittee of ISVEE 14 will prepare key questions the
Designated Moderator should ask the panellists.
o ISVEE delegates can come prepared with additional questions for consideration.
o Each panellist will have 3-5 minutes to answer each question.
 Digital recording. Panel sessions will be recorded and archived for future use.
 The Designated Moderator will conclude the panel with summary and closing remarks.
Speakers, topics, problems, and contributions the conference might stimulate Keynote
speakers are: Jonna MAZET, professor of epidemiology and disease ecology and director of
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the One Health Institute at UC Davis and elected to the National Academies’ Institute of
Medicine. The topic of interest is One Health research, practice, and education. A question of
interest is: what innovative research, public policy, and education initiatives are needed to
reduce disease burden in human and animal populations and to protect the environment? This
presentation is expected to foster a global network of researchers and graduate programs and
new approaches to reduce disease burden in animal and human populations. James HANSEN,
formerly director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is an adjunct professor at
Columbia University’s Earth Institute. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in
1995. The topic is climate change and health: awareness and solutions. One broad question of
interest is: what innovative research is needed to understand and mitigate the effects of climate
change on animal and human population trends, disease burden, and to enhance the food
systems of the future? This presentation will stimulate our base of graduate students, postdocs,
young and senior scientists to engage in research and education projects with a concentration
in climate change. Jonathan RUSHTON, professor and agricultural economist at the University
of London. A question of interest is how economics should be used in animal health research,
policy, and education. This presentation will explore ideas in terms of looking at animal disease
impacts, assessments of food systems and improving educational needs. Cristobal ZEPEDA,
veterinary epidemiologist specializing in risk analysis and international animal health policy. He
is the Veterinary Attaché for USDA-APHIS in Mexico City; and Vitor GONCALVES, veterinary
epidemiologist specialized in planning of animal health public policy and an associate professor
at the University of Brasilia. This will be a team presentation on current or new models that can
make national veterinary services more efficient. An expected contribution is a gap analysis and
new trends in national veterinary services, and the role(s) of institutions of higher education in
preparing new graduates with specific competencies required to fill future vacant positions in the
public sector. Aline Schunemann, professor emerita at the National Autonomous University of
Mexico (UNAM) will address the thematic area of animal welfare—challenges and opportunities
to improve animal welfare in our animal food supply systems.
Logistical arrangements for the conference The main sponsor of ISVEE 14 is the
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. We have reserved and confirmed the use of the Convention
Center “Siglo XXI” (21st Century) as the venue for the symposium. The Convention Center has
four large rooms that can accommodate ≤ 1000 people (each) and one room that can
accommodate 200 people. In addition, there is a large room for commercial expositions, which
will be adapted for display of posters and lunch breaks. This capacity is adequate for the size of
this symposium. The Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán will organize a task force of 20
bilingual (Spanish-English) student-volunteers to assist ISVEE delegates during registration,
scientific sessions, social activities, and as local source of information. We have hired a local
company (ControlTUR with offices in Merida) to assist with local on-site logistics (ie,
transportation of ISVEE delegates to/from the Convention Center, rooms’ set up, audio-video
systems, screens and projectors, computer systems, microphones, tables and chairs, podiums,
coffee breaks and personnel, and expo area. and translation services English:Spanish:English.
We have hired a national company (Coe-Truman Technologies with offices in Chicago) to obtain
a license and use OASIS (an On-line Abstract Submission and Invitation System). Instructions
for submission of abstract are posted here: http://isvee2015.org/abstracts-and-posters/authorsinstructions/. The abstract submission site has been formulated, tested, and it will be ready for
ISVEE Delegates to upload their abstracts from November 4th, 2014 until March 31st, 2015:
http://www.abstractsonline.com/submit/login.asp?mkey={6753AA4B-4EFD-470C-B925C66F22F0712C}. Finally, we have hired Pauwels Congress Organizers | PCO with offices in
The Netherlands to facilitate communication with ISVEE delegates and on-line registration. PCO
is the company that organized ISVEE 13 Maastricht 2012. Registration will open in April 2015.
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Conference justification, need, timeliness, and usefulness Our world is changing. Human
population growth is predicted to increase nearly 50% to 11 billion by 2050, and climate change
and changing land use can have an impact on local and global food systems, interactions
among humans, wildlife and domestic animals, as well as local, regional, and global public
health alerts. Approximately 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are
diseases of animal origin, and 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic. In addition, changes in
surface water supply caused by climate change can have devastating implications on human
and animal health and survival, particularly in Africa, where much of the population relies on
local rivers for water. More recently, the Ebola Epidemic challenged the capacity of local,
national, and international health systems in West Africa, Europe, and North America. Countries
with low-income economies are vulnerable, in part, because there is a shortage of
epidemiologists, who are trained to assess the risk of and management of diseases that can
impact the health and economy of an affected country or region. These challenges require
health and education sectors to build local, national, and regional capacities and strategies for
early diagnosis and control of diseases in populations, and to protect the environment. In
response to these challenges, ISVEE 14 Yucatan 2015 will deliver a symposium that will
provide a global forum for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior and senior
investigators, as well as health policymakers to exchange information that can advance the
fields of veterinary epidemiology and public health—with emphasis in one health and climate
change
Strategies for involving the appropriate representation of women, minorities ISVEE 14 will
have appropriate representation of women and minorities in the planning, implementation of,
and participation in the symposium. We expect about 50% of all delegates will be women
(particularly graduate students and young scientists). Nine of 20 (45%) scientific committee
members and 15 of 45 (33%) designated reviewers of scientific abstracts are women. The
group of 65 scientists represents universities and institutions from all six geographic regions of
ISVEE (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia). Two of five
keynote plenary sessions will be featured by women scientists (Jonna Mazet and
ToBeAnnounced). We will recruit 45 session moderators by August 2015, after we produce the
first draft of the scientific program. As of November 20th, 2014, there are 24 moderators
confirmed (10 men and 14 women). The organizing committee of ISVEE 14 will offer a minimum
of 10 bursaries to graduate students and delegates from countries with low-income economies
(according to a classification of the World Bank). The bursaries will pay for registration (includes
lunch and banquet) and hotel accommodation (includes breakfast). Bursary recipients will pay
their own airfare. We expect donations from societies of veterinary epidemiology in all six
regions of ISVEE which will allow the organizing committee of ISVEE 14 to offer five to 10
additional bursaries for a total of 15 to 20. An ad hoc committee (one women scientist and three
male scientists) will evaluate applications, and gender representation will be considered.
Plans for child care and types of family care at the conference site ISVEE delegates will
have access to child care services with bilingual personnel (Spanish and English) at the
Convention Center or at private child care services available in the city of Merida. Child care
services will be coordinated by the local company ControlTUR.
The organizing committee, name and credentials of key participants The organizing
committee includes Alfredo Dajer, DVM, MPhil (professor of epidemiology, president of the
University of Yucatan, and president of the organizing committee of ISVEE 14), Jose Williams,
DVM, MSc, PhD (professor of epidemiology, president-elect of the University of Yucatan
effective January 1st, 2015, and vice-president of ISVEE 14), Dave Hird, DVM, MPVM, PhD
(professor emeritus at UC Davis and international adviser of ISVEE 14), Fernando Mardones,
DVM, MPVM, PhD (post-doc at UC Davis and international adviser of ISVEE 14), and Jorge
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Hernandez, DVM, MPVM, PhD (visiting scholar at the University of Yucatan from 1994 to-date,
professor at the University of Florida from 1998 to-date, and chair of the scientific committee of
ISVEE 14). The scientific committee includes 20 members and 45 designated reviewers
representing the six regions of ISVEE http://isvee2015.org/news-announcements/importantdates/. We will select 45 session moderators by August 2015. All participants have agreed to
participate via email communications (on file).
Expected size and composition of the audience, as well as the method of selection We
expect ~ 800 delegates (including ~ 400 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior
investigators from countries with high-, middle-, and low-income economies). We will select
430/1200 abstracts for oral and ≥ 400 for poster presentations by using a 15-point scoring
evaluation system http://isvee2015.org/abstracts-and-posters/authors-instructions/ (see sections
6 and 7). Briefly, the scoring system is based on four criteria: (a) innovation and methods (1-5
points), (b) preliminary data, results, conclusions (1-5 points), (c) relevance (1-5 points), and (d)
other criteria (3 extra points). Delegates from regions typically under-represented in ISVEE
(Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, South East Asia) have
been encouraged to submit well prepared abstracts for oral presentations. A well-prepared
abstract should have a minimum score of 9 to qualify for 3 extra-points. Overall, abstracts
graded with a total score of ≥ 12 by two reviewers will be selected for oral presentation.
Abstracts submitted for poster presentation will be accepted without peer-review. Finally, we will
organize a graduate student competition for the best two oral and two poster presentations;
awards will be presented at the symposium’s gala dinner.
Strategies for publicizing the conference to all interested participants ISVEE 14 Yucatan
2015 is advertised through different channels of communication including: (a) group e-mail
communications using an existing database with names and emails of 791 delegates who
attended the last symposium in year 2012; (b) communications with societies of veterinary
epidemiology in all six regions of ISVEE; (c) the symposium website www.isvee2015.org; (d)
newsletters and announcements sent by the symposium organizer (Pauwels Congress
Organizers) and are posted on the symposium’s website www.isvee2015.org. The first
Newsletter was published in August 2014. Subsequent Newsletters will be posted and
distributed to all ISVEE members every month from November 2014 to December 2015.
Announcements of previous conferences under the same sponsorship In general,
announcements of previous ISVEE symposiums have been posted on-line 12 months before
and 12 months after the symposium has been held. Plenary sessions of ISVEE 10 (Chile 2003)
were published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, volume 67, Issues 2-3 (2005). In ISVEE 14,
the website www.isvee2015.org will remain active at least until December 2016.
Related conferences held on the subject during the past three years ISVEE is the only
conference that provides a global forum for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior and
senior investigators, as well as health policymakers to exchange information that can advance
the fields of veterinary epidemiology and public health, and other disciplines in the health and
social sciences. Our society meets every three years in one of the six regions of ISVEE. In
2012, the symposium was held in Maastricht, Netherlands. The main theme was “Building
Bridges, Crossing Borders”. The program included five keynote plenaries: (a) A bridge between
molecular research and veterinary epidemiology; (b) The link between climate change, global
warming and animal diseases; (c) The applications of social media and social networks in
epidemiology; (d) Epidemiology in veterinary practice; and (e) The link between epidemiology
and food safety and food security. An on-line, evaluation survey was conducted few weeks after
the symposium ended. The response rate was 238/791 or 30%. Most delegates scored the
scientific content and keynote plenaries as very good (score 4, using a scale of 1 to 5). Most
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delegates agreed that five simultaneous, scientific sessions and publication of short abstracts
(250 words max) in the proceedings were adequate. There were some limitations. Two of five
venue rooms were small (120 people max) and overcrowded, there were not enough oral
presentations (n=357), scientific committee members were from Europe only, and venue was
too far away from the airport. In ISVEE 14, our main theme is “Veterinary Epidemiology and
Economics: Planning Our Future”. We want ISVEE 14 to be different by fully embracing public
health as an important priority of veterinary epidemiology and economics in our future. In
addition, we will continue enhancing awareness on the ramifications of human population
growth and climate change in our research, policymaking, and education efforts as we move
forward into the 21st century. Our scientific program will include 430 oral presentations and two
mini-symposia on One Health and National Veterinary Services. While previous ISVEE
symposiums have included mini-symposia as part of the program, ISVEE 14 will offer a more
structured framework for discussion and exchange of information. Each mini-symposium will
include a keynote plenary, oral and poster presentations, a Panel Discussion, a designated
moderator, and a manuscript will be published in PVM. The scientific committee includes 65
international scientists representing men and women from all six regions of ISVEE. The venue
will be the Convention Center XXI Century in Merida; a 15-20 min drive from the airport or
downtown.
For more information, please contact Jorge Hernandez (chair of the scientific committee of
ISVEE 14) via e-mail at [email protected].
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