Welcome to the 48th Annual Conference of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, hosted by Dolphinaris. Thanks so much to Dr. Leonardo Ibarra and his team at Dolphinaris for an incredible amount of work to ensure that we have a fantastic conference.

I describe the IAAAM conference to people as an annual gathering of 400 or so of my best friends in the world. And that’s exactly what this is. I’m so proud of this organization, and of all of our members who share a passion for aquatic animals, scientific discovery, innovation, and teaching — we’ve all worked so hard to help those under our care. Though we may have different ideas and come from different places, we all share those core values. So, once again, welcome friends!

In this world where numbers of species continue to decline, where wild spaces shrink, and the impact of humans is felt everywhere, we need people like you to share your expertise and knowledge now more than ever. We need to break down walls instead of build them.

Our plenary talk by Dr. Armando M. Jaramillo Legorreta is about the decline of the vaquita — yet another marine mammal species that may disappear in our lifetime unless we all come together and help now. We have a session in Spanish, with translation, so folks can share in whichever language they feel most comfortable. We have workshops that will take advantage of the beautiful area in which our conference takes place and some of the fantastic facilities that call Cancun home. While you are here, I hope you will take some time to get out and explore, maybe make some new friends from other places, and keep on sharing your ideas and inspiration.

So many people helped put this together that it’s impossible to list them all, but without Pam Tuomi, Lisa Murphy, Cindy Sherwood, John Jones and Meg Boera, we would be nowhere. Your IAAAM Board has been hard at work for you and I can’t thank them enough. We are jam-packed with posters and oral presentations thanks to our Session Chairs. Those folks are listed on the next page; please make sure you say “Hi” to all of them. We are one of the most student-friendly veterinary organizations and that tradition continues thanks to Drs. Katie Colegrove and Allison Tuttle, who have organized student workshops, student awards, the auction to raise money for our students, and of course we have a large number of student presentations. It’s our students that will ensure the IAAAM remains an incredible, sharing organization into the future.

I cannot wait to see you guys!

Martin Haulena
IAAAM President-Elect