AVMA Global Health Summit puts practical innovation in focus
Bottom line
AVMA is using its 2026 Global Health Summit to frame innovation as a practical, profession-wide issue, not just a technology story. The daylong summit is scheduled for July 13 during AVMA Convention 2026 in Anaheim, California, and dvm360 reports the agenda will span AI, sustainability, antimicrobial stewardship, One Health, and new care models. In an AVMA statement cited by dvm360, summit chair Shannon Mesenhowski said the goal is to address fast-moving challenges, including workforce pressures, antimicrobial resistance, sustainability, and education, while also examining solutions such as AI and collaborative care delivery. The summit offers up to 6 hours of in-person CE and is followed by a Global Health Networking Reception recognizing AVMA service and public service award recipients. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the signal here is that AVMA is putting operational issues and global-health themes on the same stage. The official schedule shows sessions on innovation to address global challenges, sustainability, wildlife conservation and spillover surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship across continents, and One Health communication in veterinary education. That lineup suggests the association sees future-ready practice as broader than clinical updates alone, tying everyday care delivery to public health, workforce design, responsible antimicrobial use, and environmental sustainability. (s1.goeshow.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether AVMA turns these summit themes into follow-on guidance, CE products, or policy work on AI, antimicrobial stewardship, and new care models after the Anaheim meeting. (axon.avma.org)
AVMA’s 2026 Global Health Summit is set to spotlight a broad definition of veterinary innovation, with programming that moves well beyond gadgets and into workforce strategy, public health, sustainability, and antimicrobial stewardship. The summit takes place July 13 as part of AVMA Convention 2026, which runs July 10-14 in Anaheim, California, and attendees can earn up to 6 hours of in-person CE. dvm360 characterized the event as a showcase for AI, sustainability, antimicrobial stewardship, One Health, and new care models. (dvm360.com)
That framing reflects a wider shift already visible in the convention program. dvm360’s broader guide to the meeting said editors found growing attention to economic pressures, workforce issues, infectious disease preparedness, policy, and translational research across the convention. Another dvm360 analysis found affordability and spectrum-of-care programming more than doubled from 2025 to 2026, suggesting AVMA’s meeting planners are leaning into practical access and delivery questions alongside traditional clinical education. (dvm360.com)
The summit schedule backs that up. According to the official AVMA Convention agenda, the day opens with “Innovation to Address Global Challenges in Veterinary Medicine,” presented by Lori Teller, DVM. Other sessions include “Sustainability,” led by Heather N. Fowler, VMD, MPH, PhD; “Connecting Wildlife Conservation, Illicit Trade Mitigation, and Spillover Disease Surveillance,” led by Chelsea Van Thof, DVM; “Antimicrobial Stewardship Across Continents,” featuring speakers from the CVMA, FVE, and AVMA; and “One Health & Public Health Communication: Global Considerations and Capacity Building for Veterinary Medical Education.” The summit also includes a late-day session titled “Specialists Without Borders: Unlocking the Connective Power of Excellence.” (s1.goeshow.com)
In comments cited by dvm360, Shannon Mesenhowski, chair of the AVMA Committee on International Veterinary Affairs, said the theme reflects how quickly many parts of the profession are changing. She pointed specifically to global workforce issues, antimicrobial resistance, practice sustainability, and education, as well as solutions such as AI, collaborative models for delivering care, and lessons from other countries and regions. That matters because it positions innovation less as a vendor category and more as a systems question for the profession. (dvm360.com)
The broader context also makes the summit’s agenda timely. In May 2026, the World Health Assembly adopted an updated Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance for 2026-2036, emphasizing a strengthened One Health approach, responsible antimicrobial use, surveillance, prevention, and sustainable systems. AVMA’s decision to feature a cross-continental antimicrobial stewardship session comes as veterinary, human, environmental, and food-system stakeholders are all under pressure to show measurable progress on AMR. (who.int)
There’s also a notable wildlife-to-companion-animal throughline in the Anaheim meeting. Mark Penning, BVSc, Disney’s vice president of Animals, Science and Environment, delivered the convention keynote arguing that better animal care comes from trust-based relationships and collaborative teams. AVMA and Disney also used the convention to draw explicit links between wildlife medicine principles and everyday pet care. That doesn’t mean the summit is becoming consumer-facing, but it does suggest organizers are trying to connect big-picture innovation themes to the clinical and behavioral realities veterinary teams see every day with pet parents. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this summit is a useful read on where organized veterinary medicine thinks the pressure points are heading. AI is on the agenda, but so are sustainability, AMR, workforce design, education, and cross-sector communication. AVMA has already been building out related programming through its Axon platform, including sessions on the ethical and legal implications of AI, evaluating AI tools in practice, and using AI to improve efficiency. Taken together, that suggests AVMA is trying to move members from curiosity to implementation, while keeping attention on governance, ethics, and practical workflow fit. (axon.avma.org)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether these summit themes produce durable outputs after the convention, such as new guidance, recurring CE, policy priorities, or stronger international collaborations, especially around AI use, antimicrobial stewardship, and workforce-sensitive care models. (dvm360.com)