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Specialty Symposium 

Wednesday kicked off with the Opening General Session, The US Veterinary Specialist Workforce: Key Historic Trends, Current Status, and Thoughts for the Future presented by James Lloyd, DVM, PhD. Specialty Networking Luncheons and Business Meetings for cardiology, large animal internal medicine, neurology, nutrition, small animal internal medicine and oncology were held early in the afternoon. The Technician Program for specialty technicians also began in the afternoon with Technician Case Reports, Sponsored by 

Welcome, New Diplomates!

The day wrapped up in the evening, when attendees came together for the Specialty Symposium Reception and New Diplomate Ceremony, Sponsored by , ,  and . Each specialty recognized new boarded Diplomates with a total of 207 new Diplomates welcomed to the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ - the largest class yet! 

The first official day of the 2026 ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum was filled with educational sessions and networking! Thursday's events kicked off with the Keynote Address, Why We Sometimes Make Poor Decisions—and What We Can Do About It presented by Dr. Itiel Dror and Sponsored by . Those unable to attend in person were able to tune in via livestream or will be able to watch the on-demand recording in mid-July.

The Exhibit Hall opened on Thursday morning, giving attendees the chance to discover exhibitors and check out areas like the Bark Park, Sponsored by SAGE Veterinary Centers part of  ; the Cat Lounge, Sponsored by ; the Wellbeing Zone, Sponsored by ; and the Knowledge Corner, Sponsored by , , , , , ,  . At the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Hub, attendees chatted with ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ staff and learned more about membership, , and the .

The evening wrapped up with the Wine and Cheese Happy Hour, bringing attendees and exhibitors together for food and drinks to cap off an eventful day.

Networking and Lounges

Throughout the live event, attendees were able to network and relax in these dedicated areas: Candidate Lounge Sponsored by , Specialist Lounge Sponsored by and Technician Lounge Sponsored by and .

Friday was marked by several highly-anticipated events, including the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, where we honored the recipients of the:

• Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence
• Lee & Inge Pyle Distinguished Service Award
• William R. Fenner Early Career Award for Outstanding Service
• Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Large Animal Internal Medicine
• Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Oncology
• Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Small Animal Internal Medicine 
• ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Cardiology Pacemaker Resident Research Abstract Award
• ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Resident Research Abstract Award, Sponsored by

The Companion Animal Research Exchange Sponsored by and the Large Animal Research Exchange connected colleagues with similar interests in specialty medicine, while learning about ongoing research projects and programs. Presentations were in a five-minute rapid format with brief Q&A after. 

In the evening, Colleagues and Cocktails: Connecting Communities, Sponsored by , , , , and  brought attendees together for drinks, networking and celebrating diversity in the veterinary profession with participating Vet Med Affinity Groups; the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, , , and .

Resident Research Abstract Awards Sponsored by 

Today marked the final day of the in-person 2026 ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum in Seattle, and what an incredible week it has been! Over the past few days, attendees participated in hands-on learning opportunities, specialty-focused sessions, networking events, and discussions featuring the latest research and clinical advancements across veterinary medicine.

The learning doesn't stop here!

Join us for Live Virtual Day

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 24, and join us for six additional sessions focused on this year's theme, The Spectrum of Care. We look forward to continuing the conversation and bringing even more educational opportunities directly to you.

Explore on-demand content

More than 150 sessions from the live event in Seattle have been captured for on-demand viewing and will be available from mid-July through October 31, 2026. You can also access more than 60 additional on-demand sessions available now, including the dedicated Spanish-language track featuring four sessions presented entirely in Spanish.

Did you know?

As part of our commitment to improving the lives of animals and people through veterinary education, discovery, and medical excellence, leftover water bottles and notebooks from the conference were donated to , supporting education and creativity within the local community.

Complete Session Evaluations

Please be sure to complete session evaluations. Your feedback is very important to us and is essential to helping us plan future conferences. If you had trouble submitting an evaluation onsite, please try again. The technical issues have been resolved, and evaluations are now available.

Take the post-conference survey

We hope you enjoyed your 2026 ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum experience! Please complete the post-conference survey as you wrap up your conference experience. We use your input to improve the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum every year! 

See you next year at the 2027 ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum in Montréal, Québec, Canada!

Join us June 24–26, 2027, with Specialty Symposium taking place June 23. Watch for the 2027 Call for Sessions, opening in late July/early August.

Thank you to Destination Canada for their support of the 2027 ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Forum.

dvm360
 

June 12, 2026-

June 12, 2026-