AVA Conference 2026: Program now live!

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is pleased to announce that the full scientific program for the AVA Conference 2026 is now live, as the conference makes an exciting return to Brisbane for the first time since 2018.  

Running 18–21 May 2026, it promises a reinvigorated format, a world-class lineup of speakers, and more opportunities than ever to connect, learn, and be inspired. 

Featuring over 40 sessions daily, the program invites delegates to immerse themselves in the 2026 theme, ‘Connection, Collaboration, and Knowledge’, with a focus on neurology, behaviour, and knowledge exchange. 

What’s New 

Get ready for an exciting refresh in 2026, with program enhancements designed to elevate learning, connection, and enjoyment throughout the conference. 

• An expanded program to now include 8 streams (up from 7 in 2025) 

• Better breaks, extended exhibition hours, and no lunchtime sessions to allow everyone time to recharge and connect. 

• The THRIVE Veterinary Wellness sessions and Research Day have now been integrated into the main program, enriching the experience for all attendees.  

• Join the Vet and Industry Connect night on Tuesday to discover the latest products and innovations  and the AVA Awards Gala Dinner - bigger and better - moves to Wednesday for a mid-conference celebration not to be missed. 

Keynote Speakers and Sessions

A standout feature of the 2026 program is the impressive lineup of keynote speakers bringing their global expertise to an Australian audience: 

Dr David Hayman - New Zealand:   

David is the Percival Carmine Chair in Epidemiology and Public Health and Co-Director of the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory in the School of Veterinary Science, Massey University. He has a veterinary degree from Edinburgh, an MSc from Kent, and a PhD from Cambridge. His research focuses on the ecological and epidemiological drivers of zoonotic disease spillover and how environmental change and human activities influence emerging infectious diseases. 

Sessions: 

• Bridging Scales: From local surveillance to global pathogen mapping (Research) Tuesday 19 May 

• Modelling Disease Dynamics in Wildlife (Wildlife) Tuesday 19 May 

• One Health in Practice (One Health) Wednesday 20 May 

• Plenary - Ben Cunneen Memorial - Viral Spillover and the Ecology of Emerging Infectious Diseases (Plenary) Thursday 21 May 

Dr Holger Volk - Germany:  

Holger is currently Professor of Small Animal Diseases and the Head of Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Visiting Professor of Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery, Royal Veterinary College, London and Affiliate Professor of Veterinary Neurology, University of Copenhagen. Internationally known for his work in the field of SARS-CoV-2 Medical Scent Detection Dogs, neuropathic pain and epilepsy, he has been chairing the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force, which published seven consensus statements for canine and feline epilepsy and was a co-chair of the recent published ACVIM consensus statement about medical treatment of epilepsy and emergency seizures, and ECVN consensus about movement disorders. 

Sessions: 

• Pulse 60: Management of neurological emergencies (Small Animal Neurology) Tuesday 19 May 

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Principles of Vestibular Disorders (Small Animal Neurology) Tuesday 19 May 

• Thinking better than a neurologist: my 10 hacks for the perfect neurological examination in cats and dogs (Small Animal Neurology) Tuesday 19 May 

• It looks like a seizure, but it ain’t a seizure: how to differentia neurological paroxysms (Small Animal Neurology) Wednesday 20 May 

• My 10 favourite hacks for epilepsy management (Small Animal Neurology) Wednesday 20 May 

• Walk like an Egyptian: neurological gait disorders from front to bottom (Small Animal Neurology) Thursday 21 May 

Dr Joe Mayhew – New Zealand 

Joe is a clinical equine veterinarian with interests in large animal neurology and comparative neuropathology. After 3 years in practice in New Zealand, followed by graduate studies at UC Davis and Cornell, and then clinical, research and teaching experience on staff at the Universities of Florida, Cambridge, and Edinburgh, he returned to New Zealand and is currently Professor Emeritus in the School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, and is a private veterinary consultant in New Zealand. Joe has published in veterinary neurology, equine medicine, and comparative neuropathology. Currently he is editor of the EVNZ journal, the Equine Veterinary Practitioner, and the 3rd edition of his textbook Large Animal Neurology has been published this year with Rob MacKay from the University of Florida. 

Sessions: 

• What I do and don't look for in my neurological examinations (Equine) Tuesday 19 May 

• When might you need more fancy imaging and CSF sampling? (Equine) Tuesday 19 May 

• Those jolly wobblers (Equine) Wednesday 20 May 

• Funny looking face: Horner signs, facial paresis and sweating patches. Is it sleep, seizure or syncope? (Equine) Thursday 21 May 

Dr Marion Desmarchelier - Montreal, Canada 

Marion was a Clinical Professor of Wild, Exotic and Zoo Medicine at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island from 2010 to 2014. Subsequently, back in Quebec, she combined her work as a clinician in zoological medicine with a second residency, in animal behavioural medicine. Marion is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (2009), the European College of Zoological Medicine (Zoo Health Management) (2014) and the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (2018). She is an associate editor of the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine and was a contributor to the latest edition of the reference book Fowler's Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine. 

 

Sessions: 

• Behind the growl: from pathophysiology to compassionate care’ (Small Animal Neurology) Tuesday 19 May 

• One Health, one brain (One Health) Wednesday 20 May 

• What's new in psychopharmacology (What’s New) Wednesday 20 May 

• Paws, claws, and cause: decoding cat behaviour one case at a time (Behaviour) Wednesday 20 May 

• Tails of insight: clinical cases in dog behaviour medicine (Behaviour) Wednesday 20 May 

• Silent clues: decoding feline behaviour and urinary health (Urology) Thursday 21 May 

• Equine psychopharmacology: the good, the bad and the ugly (Equine) Thursday 21 May 

As Australia’s premier veterinary conference, the AVA Conference continues to set the benchmark for first-class continuing professional development, created by vets for vets. Whether you’re a practitioner, researcher, or student, this is the must-attend event of 2026.  

Save the date and start planning to be part of the profession’s biggest reunion. Registrations open early 2026. And while you’re preparing to attend, don’t forget to arrange coverage for your clinic by posting on Career Connect.