THE WORLD AQUATIC VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WAVMA): A GLOBAL RESOURCE FOR AQUATIC VETERINARIANS

WAVMA was formed in 2006 as a not-for-profit Professional Association to serve the rapidly expanding discipline of aquatic veterinary medicine throughout the world. The mission of the Association is to serve the discipline of aquatic veterinary medicine in enhancing aquatic animal health and welfare, public health, and seafood safety in support of the veterinary profession, aquatic animal owners and industries, and other stakeholders.  To fulfill this mission the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association has established the following objectives:

1. To serve aquatic veterinary medicine practitioners of many disciplines and backgrounds by developing programs to support and sustain members, and the aquatic species industries that they serve.
2. To identify, foster and strengthen professional interactions among aquatic medical practitioners and other organizations around the world.
3. To be an advocate for, develop guidance on, and promote the advancement of the science, ethics, and professional aspects of aquatic animal medicine within the veterinary profession and a wider audience.
4. To optimally position and advance the discipline of aquatic veterinary medicine, and support the practice of aquatic veterinary medicine in all countries.

 WAVMA is dedicated to providing c ontinuing e ducation & p rofessional development (CEPD) and life-long learning opportunities in aquatic veterinary medicine for its members and others. This is currently met through a number of world-renowned educational programs like the WAVMA Certified Aquatic Veterinarian (CertAqV) and WAVMA Certified Aquatic Veterinary Nurse/ Technician (CertAqVNT), the WAVMA WebCEPD program,  and the Pitts Education awards program. A significant focus of WAVMA is  global veterinary and para-veterinary  student education through efforts of the Education and Student Committee , and establishment of student chapters around the world.  WAVMA has been privileged to host Dr Gillian Taylor (South Africa) as President 2022, and Dr Nelly Isyagi (Uganda) as current Regional Director for Africa. This has encouraged the association to expand its focus into Africa and the hope is that this  influence will continue to grow and expand with time.