Animal Medical Center hosts 2013 Zoobiquity conference in NYC

In an effort to inspire greater collaboration between physicians and veterinarians, more than 30 thought leaders in veterinary and human medicine will gather for a day of discussions and clinical rounds at the 2013 Zoobiquity Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Rockefeller University and the Bronx Zoo in New York City. More than 300 clinicians and scientists are expected to attend. The Animal Medical Center (AMC) of New York City is one of the event sponsors.

Elaine A. Ostrander, PhD, a cancer geneticist, National Institutes of Health investigator and keynote speaker at the conference, was instrumental in completing the canine genome map in 2005. Although less recognized than the Human Genome Project, the canine map gave researchers a blueprint with potential for human use since the gene codes for dogs could be matched, one for one, with their human counterparts. “Using the dog genome sequence in combination with the human genome sequence will help researchers to narrow their search for many more of the genetic contributors underlying cancer and other major diseases,” Ostrander said in an AMC release.

Other research and cases to be highlighted at the conference include:

> Eating disorders (binge eating) in a beagle and a middle-aged woman

> Neurodegenerative disease in a 10-year-old boxer and a 45-year-old man

> Anxiety disorder in a pit bull and a 25-year-old woman

> Malaria in penguins and people.

During the morning session at Rockefeller University, veterinarians and physicians will compare diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the areas of cancer, psychiatry/behavioral disorders, infectious disease and neurological-cognitive dysfunction. Afternoon sessions will include “walk rounds” at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.

Previously this year, a Zoobiquity Conference was held in Los Angeles in January, and another event took place in Kansas City in August in conjunction with CVC Kansas City. The founder of the Zoobiquity movement, human cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, MD, has written a book on the subject (see the related links below) and will also be at the conference.

The 2013 Zoobiquity Conference is sponsored by the Animal Medical Center-NY, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles. For detailed information, including a program and a list of speakers, visit zoobiquity.com.