The Equine Veterinary Seminar is an annual event for Ukrainian vets and usually held in Kiev. Due to the challenges of 2020 volunteers and delegates were unable to attend in person. The decision was made to hold the seminar online and we were delighted to be able to continue to support the project.
The seminar was held in December over three days, three sessions each day covering Dermatology, Orthopaedics and Ophthalmology/Oncology. 40 Vets from across Ukraine and some from Russia joined the web-based seminar and benefited from the in depth but practically based lectures delivered by Professor Derek Knottenbelt and BEVA Trust volunteers Alex Thiemann, Dr Ellen Singer.
Alex commented; I have had a great morning virtually “meeting” Olga Polataiko who was our contact and translator and technical support Yuriy Khota.
The topics they wanted included: allergies, urticaria, allergen detection, new approaches to treatment of allergic dermatitis for the first topic, and the second lecture on pastern dermatitis in heavy horses and I broadened that to include several parasitic diseases that affect equine skin.
I have really enjoyed the experience- it was good CPD for me to create the presentations and find out about Ukraine, and interesting to do the whole session with a translator. I also really enjoy looking at dermatology cases and have built up a good set of images that was great to share.
Ellen also commented; On December 15th, I participated in an on-line seminar with the Association of Specialists of Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine (ASVMU), delivering two talks to the group. The organisation of the meeting was good and the delivery was easy.
Simultaneous or subsequent, translation does slow down the process but provides time to think more slowly about word choice and explanations, particularly when speaking to people with a different primary language. Also, it is always eye-opening to be translated into a language that doesn't resemble English as there is always a slight wonder whether the translation is accurate but judging from the questions asked the translation was good. Participating in CPD is always rewarding and although in a different format that traditionally, the talks were well-received and I was able to impart some useful information to the group.