Committees

Committees of the Wildlife Disease Association

Get involved in your organization, engage with colleagues across the globe, make a difference in wildlife health and shape the future of WDA? Join a committee! Their work is the beating heart of this association. We invite you to be a part of our exciting new committees this year, it’s as easy as filling out this brief form

If you would like to join a committee, please contact the WDA Executive Manager, exec.manager@wildlifedisease.org.

Ad hoc Committee Reports:
-2021 Strategic Plan Report
-2019 Futures Committee Report

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee seeks nominations and recommends recipients for the:
Ed Addison Distinguished Service Award
Emerit Award
Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award
International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine and WDA joint student Manuscript Award
BioOne Ambassador Award

The committee also adjudicates student awards, including the:
Student Research Recognition Award
Graduate Student Scholarship Award
Terry Amundson Best Presentation (and Honorable Mention) - at the Annual International Conference
WDA Student Poster Award - at the Annual International Conference

This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the WDA Bylaws.

Contact:
Awards Committee Chair - Laurie Baeten - awards@wildlifedisease.org
Awards Sub-committee - Student Awards:
Co-Chair, Stuart Patterson - student.awards@wildlifedisease.org
Co-Chair Leigh Combrink - student.awards@wildlifedisease.org

Budget Committee

The Budget Committee ensures the fiscal responsibility and soundness of the Association. The Committee is chaired by the Treasurer and provides advice to the Treasurer and Council on financial matters. This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the Bylaws.

Contact
Chair - Barb Wolf - treasurer@wildlifedisease.org

Communications Committee

The purpose of this committee is to assist the Communications Officer in establishing and facilitating effective communication between the WDA and its members, key stakeholders in wildlife health and the broader community and effective communication regarding wildlife health by WDA members, encompassing parent body and section activity.

Contact
Chair - Lyndell Whyte - communications@wildlifedisease.org

Conference Committee

The Conference Committee seeks hosts, locations, and timing for WDA’s annual conference, works to support the local conference organizing committee and coordinates the annual international conference auction. The committee also develops approaches to improve member accessibility to conferences (e.g. through virtual participation) and further knowledge sharing opportunities including webinars.

Scope

To secure appropriate sites and dates for annual conferences and present these to Council for approval
To attempt to equitably distribute conference sites based on membership distribution and conference site distribution history
To support the Local Organizing Committee in the preparation of a provisional conference budget at least 6 months in advance of the Conference, and a close-out budget within 6 months following the conference
To provide recommendations to the Local Organizing Committee on virtual and physical accessibility features for the Annual International Conference
To organize the Annual Auction at the Annual International Conference
To develop and conduct knowledge-sharing forums outside of the Annual International Conference, including for example webinars, under the direction of the WDA Officers, Executive Manager or Council
To work closely with other committees to achieve the above

Contact
Chair - Sonia Hernandez - past.president@wildlifedisease.org

Ethics Committee

The purpose of the Ethics Committee is to ensure members abide by appropriate Codes of Conduct and create a safe and welcoming space for all members.

Contact
Chair - Dharmaveer Shetty - ethics.committee@wildlifedisease.org

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee is focused on identifying the needs of members and improving the value offered to them. The committee works to increase the diversity of membership and to ensure that WDA is an inclusive association. This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the Bylaws.

Contact
Chair - Shelli Dubay - membership@wildlifedisease.org

Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee develops a slate of candidates and receives nominations from members to fill positions on Council. This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the Bylaws.

Contact
Chair - Sonia Hernandez - past.president@wildlifedisease.org

Research and Grants Committee

The Research and Grants Committee works to provide support to members in their creation of wildlife health knowledge through strategic research funding and small grants, especially for graduate students and early career researchers. The committee also develops wildlife health training resources for members to facilitate their career development and research effectiveness. This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the Bylaws.

Scope

Developing training and capacity building opportunities for our members and others;
Providing funding to give our members strategic professional and research development opportunities (e.g. early career researcher-focused research grants, training and scholarship funding);
Developing mentoring and networking programs to provide opportunities for our members to upskill and develop critical international professional relationships;
Filling key gaps in wildlife health research and knowledge mobilisation through strategic support (e.g. through our small grants program);
Fundraising to provide for these activities.

Contact
Chair - Kevin Keel - mkkeel@ucdavis.edu / wda.grants@wildlifedisease.org

Student Committee

The Student Committee represents students and Student Chapters around the world. The committee coordinates, develops and supports activities to foster the growth of our future wildlife health professionals. This committee is a standing committee of the WDA as specified in the appendix to the Bylaws.

Contact
Chair - Fernando Vilchez-Delgado - student.activities@wildlifedisease.org

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