Pre-Meeting Workshops

8am-12pm
*Additional fee required.
Chair: Adam Stern, DVM DACVP (AP) FF-VFP

This workshop will focus on the principles and application of veterinary forensic pathology in the investigation of suspected crimes against animals. During this workshop, emphasis will be placed on the broader public safety implications of animal cruelty investigations, as some cases encountered will be associated with interpersonal violence and, even, human fatalities. Presentations during this workshop will include investigations involving human-animal interactions (animal attacks), concurrent human and animal fatality cases, intentional intoxications. Speakers will discuss case findings and the importance of integrating scene findings, medical history, and autopsy results to reach their conclusions. We will emphasize how thorough forensic pathology can contribute critical evidence in high-stakes cases where the findings may intersect with broader violent crime investigations involving human victims. The workshop will also address the role of the forensic pathologist within the legal system. Topics will include preparation of forensic reports, collaboration with investigators and prosecutors, and effectively communicating scientific findings in court to judges and juries.

Intended audience: anatomic pathologists, clinical pathologists, pathology trainees, and veterinary students who may encounter cases of legal importance.

Presenters
Samantha Polk, BVMS MS
University of Florida

Adam Stern, DVM DACVP (AP) FF-VFP
University of Florida

8am-12pm, 1:30-5pm
*Additional fee required.
Chairs: Katherine Olstad, DVM DACVP (AP); Mary Duncan, BVMS PhD MRCVS DACVP (AP); Mathew Starost, DVM PhD DACVP (AP); Forgivemore Magunda, BVSc MPH PhD DACVP (AP) DABT

The 2026 Primate Workshop will highlight neuropathology, a discipline that can be challenging across all career stages yet represents a critical intersection between naturally occurring disease, aging biology, and translational research in non-human primates. The program is designed for a broad audience that includes veterinary students, anatomic pathology residents, fellows, and early- to late-career anatomic pathologists working across academia, industry, government, and the zoo and wildlife sectors. The workshop will combine expert keynote presentations with case-based presentations to provide practical diagnostic frameworks while showcasing spontaneous disease processes and emerging applications relevant to nonhuman primates.

Review case histories and mystery slides on the Mystery Slides Sessions page, to be posted in the weeks immediately preceding the Annual Meeting.

Intended audience: veterinary students, anatomic pathology residents, fellows, and early- to late-career anatomic pathologists working across academia, industry, government, and the zoo and wildlife sectors.

8-8:30am
Introductions
Katherine Olstad, DVM DACVP (AP)
UC Davis, California National Primate Research Center

8:30-9:30am
Diagnostic Neuropathology in a Research Setting
Gabrielle Pastenkos, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)
National Biomedical Research Institute at UC Davis

9:30-10am
Break

10-11am
Primate Brains, Shared Tumors: A Comparative Diagnostic Approach to CNS Neoplasia
Fausto Rodriguez, MD
UCLA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

11am-12pm
Bridging the Gap: Physiological and Experimental ADRD Neuropathology in Rhesus Macaques
Giovanne Diniz, BS PhD
UC Davis, California National Primate Research Center

12-1:30pm
Break

1:30-2:45pm
Case Presentations
Case 1: Cynomolgus Macaque
Lauren Himmel, DACVP (AP)

Case 2: Rhesus Macaque
Monica Jimenez

Case 3: Capuchin Monkey
Augusto Carlos Jimenez-Romero

Case 4: Western Lowland Gorilla
Jennifer Price

Case 5: Rhesus Macaque
Flavio H. Alonso, DVM PhD DACVP (CP)

2:45-3pm
Break

3-5pm
Case Presentations
Case 6: Owl Monkey
Martha Hensel, DACVP (AP)

Case 7: Blue-eyed Black Lemur
Emma Ferraro, DVM

Case 8: Black and White-Ruffed Lemur
Megan Crawford

Case 9: Gorilla
Jessica Streauslin

Case 10: Rhesus Macaque
Anne Lewis, DACVP (AP)

8am-12pm, 1:30-5pm
*Separate registration required. This workshop is offered for pathologists involved in training program leadership only.
Chairs: Amy C. Durham MS VMD MSEd DACVP (AP); Molly E. Church MS VMD PhD DACVP (AP)
6.5 non-medical CE credits

This full-day workshop will be composed of two offerings: The morning will focus on the nuts and bolts of the Training Program Accreditation (TPA) application. The first half of the workshop will start with an introductory, lecture-style TPA overview, followed by structured small-group workshop activities. Training Program Accreditation Committee (TPAC) members and program directors (PDs) from the first cycle of applicant programs will facilitate small-group, roundtable discussions. TPAC members and Cycle 1 PDs will share their experiences with the review and application processes, respectively. There will be intermittent larger group discussions throughout the session. Attendees will be provided with workbooks and should expect to have some work product on their application at the end of the workshop.

The afternoon will focus on how residency program resources can be shared across programs to foster collaboration and create the optimal learning environment for all trainees. Attendees are asked to submit brief responses to several prompts as part of their pre-meeting preparation. These reflections are intended to help identify program strengths and unique assets, as well as any limitations or unmet training needs. To maximize the value of the workshop, attendees are encouraged to review the Core Competency Framework and the Training Program Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual in advance. The workshop will be structured to allow programs to explore partnership models to fill gaps collaboratively and build sustainable cross program networks for shared training, resident remediation, faculty development, and resource exchange.

Intended audience: program directors and Diplomates involved in training.

Workshop facilitators
Janet Beeler-Marfisi, DVM DVSc DACVP (CP)
Pompei Bolfa, DVM MSc PhD DACVP (AP)
Emily Corbin, DVM DACVP(AP) ACVPM
Allison Gerras, DVM DACVP (AP)
Samantha Schlemmer, DVM MS DACVP (CP)
Heather Shive, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)
Kevin Woolard, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)
Tamara S. Hancock, DVM MS PhD DACVP (CP)
Erica Barkei, DVM DACVP (AP)
Emily Graff, DVM PhD DACVP (CP)
Liz Rose, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)
Abigail R. Armwood, DVM PhD DACVP (AP) DABVP
Davis Seelig, DVM PhD DACVP (CP)
Karen Terio, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)

8am-12pm, 1:30-5pm
*Additional fee required.
Chairs: Jennifer Matlow, DVM MS DACVP (CP); Kathy Freeman, DVM PhD DECVCP, FRCPath, MRCVS; A Russell Moore, DVM MS DACVP (CP); Donald Meuten, DVM PhD DACVP (AP/CP)

Research in human and veterinary medicine shows that clinicians receiving pathology reports misunderstand roughly one-third of them — not just the interpretation/diagnosis, but the pathologist’s intended degree of confidence in it. This workshop approaches quality improvement opportunities in reporting from both the human and veterinary medical perspective, with an emphasis on cytopathology and including complementary efforts in histopathology. The morning will overview the evolution of existing approaches for increasing report clarity and consistency, followed by an afternoon of interactive discussions using prepared and participant-contributed cases to explore general strategies for report standardization. The workshop will conclude with open discussion on priorities and next steps for veterinary cytopathology reporting with identification of synergistic opportunities across cytopathology and histopathology.

Intended audience: clinical pathologists, anatomic pathologists, pathology trainees, clinical practice veterinarians, and veterinary students: all current and future producers and consumers of cytology and histopathology reports.

Supported by IDEXX

8-8:45am
Introduction to Report Variability & Standardization — Pathologist and Clinician Perspectives
Jennifer Matlow, DVM MS DACVP (CP)
IDEXX, Inc.

Rosemary Newton, DVM
Quakertown Veterinary Clinic

8:45-9:45am
Evolution of Cytopathology Reporting Standardization in Human Medicine
Ritu Nayar, MD
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

9:45-10:30am
Standardization in Veterinary Histopathology Reporting: Cancer Guidelines and Protocols
Don Meuten, DVM PhD DACVP (AP/CP)
North Carolina State University

10:30-10:45am
Break

10:45-11:30am
Structure as a Tool, Not a Straitjacket: Navigating Bound Terminology in Veterinary Cytopathology
Julie Green, DVM MS
Veterinary Medical Informatics Dept., Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

A Russell Moore, DVM MS DACVP (CP)
Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

11:30am-12:15pm
Cytopathology Personal Confidence Modifiers
Kathleen Freeman, DVM BS MA PhD DipECVCP FRCPath MRCVS
Veterinary Information Network

12:15pm-1:45pm
Break

1:45-2:30pm
Implementation of Cytopathology Structured Reporting in a Diagnostic Lab Setting
Strahinja Medic, DMV PhD MS FRCPath
Vetpro, Specialized Veterinary Laboratory

Anna Meredith, BSc DVM DACVP (CP)
Unavia Veterinary Diagnostics

2:30-3pm
Interactive Session I: Report Breakdown and Analysis

3-3:10pm
Break

3:10-4:10pm
Interactive Session II: Description and Interpretation Building

4:10-4:20
Break

4:20-5pm
Interactive Session III: Wrap Up, Envisioning the Process and Conclusions

8am-12pm, 1:30-5pm
6.5 CE credits provided by the Davis-Thompson Foundation
*Additional fee required.
Chair: Kelsey Fiddes, DVM DACVPM DACVP (AP)

Pathology of the respiratory system, especially of the interstitial lung diseases, creates considerable difficulty for diagnostic pathologists due to the complexity of lesions, overlapping histologic features of the many conditions affecting the respiratory tract, and development of new knowledge of these diseases. Our speakers will present a workshop based on their extensive experience in respiratory pathology which include authorship of book chapters and scholarly articles on respiratory diseases.

Attendees will review the anatomy of the respiratory system and the patterns of diseases affecting it. Focusing on interstitial lung diseases, they will develop insights into the diverse morphologic patterns, pathogenesis, and causes of these diseases, followed by a review of specific interstitial lung diseases affecting companion and food-producing domestic mammals. Finally, there will be an interactive case-based discussion with digital microscopy files available to registrants before the workshop. These case-based discussions will be used to illustrate the approach used by the presenters to identify patterns and differential diagnoses for respiratory diseases.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to outline the approach to and identify the normal anatomy of the lung in domestic species, identify patterns of lung disease, and define the terminology associated with pulmonary pathology.

More information.
Intended audience: veterinary students, interns, residents, graduate students, and anatomic pathologists.

8-8:15am
Welcome and Introductions

8:15-9am
Anatomy and Histology of the Lung in Domestic Animals
Katie Mulka, DVM PhD DACVP (AP)
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

9-10am
Gross and Histologic Patterns of Lung Disease
Francisco Carvallo, DVM DSc DACVP (AP)
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

10-10:30am
Break

10:30-11am
Terminology and Different Patterns of Interstitial Lung Disease
Francisco Carvallo, DVM DSc DACVP (AP)
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

11am-12pm
Pathogenesis and Morphology of Interstitial Lung Disease
Jeff Caswell, DVM DVSc PhD DACVP (AP)
University of Guelph

12-1:30pm
Break

1:30-2:30pm
Specific Interstitial Lung Diseases of Small Animals
Taryn Donovan DVM DACVP (AP)
Schwarzman Animal Medical Center

2:30-3:15pm
Specific Interstitial Lung Diseases of Large Animals
Jeff Caswell, DVM DVSc PhD DACVP (AP)
University of Guelph

3:15-3:30pm
Break

3:30-5pm
Case Presentations