
2026 Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV) Conference
November 23 @ 8:30 am - November 25 @ 5:00 pm AEDT

Save The Date – The 2026 Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV) Conference, Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 November, 2026 at the Novotel Melbourne on Collins.
In 2026, UPAV are again teaming up with the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Australasian Committee (AAVAC) to bring you two back-to-back conferences, same state, same city and same venue!
Call for Abstracts
We are inviting submissions for 30-minute abstract presentations (inclusive of question time) for both the veterinary and dedicated nursing streams at this year’s conference. We encourage you to share this opportunity with any colleagues or veterinary nurses who may be interested.
Abstracts should focus on exotic companion mammals, herpetological, aquatic and/or other unusual pets and may cover topics in medicine, surgery or related areas of veterinary practice. Case reports, case series and focused topic presentations are all welcome.
Submissions will be reviewed and selected based on relevance, audience interest and overall program balance. The convening committee reserves the right to accept or decline submissions and to invite additional topics or presenters where appropriate.
We are also inviting submissions for 60-minute masterclass presentations (inclusive of question time), designed to provide in-depth, practical insights into specific topics.
Please submit your abstract only of your proposed presentation for consideration to elaine.robertson@ava.com.au by Monday, 18 May 2026.
We are excited and honoured to announce that Associate Professor Dr Vladimír Jekl will be our International Keynote speaker in Melbourne for our 2026 UPAV conference.
Lock the dates of 23 – 25 November 2026 into your diaries, we can’t wait to welcome you all!
More information coming soon.
Who should attend
Veterinarians, Recent Graduates & Vet Nurses
Learning outcomes
Further details
The Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians group was formed in 2003 and was initially known as the Unusual and Exotic Pet (UEP) group. The name was changed in 2013 to Unusual Pet and Avian Veterinarians (UPAV), merging UEP and the AVA Avian groups.
The group promotes discussion about the medicine and surgery of pet species other than dogs and cats such as lizards, avian, turtles, frogs, native Australian mammals, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice, ferrets and even tarantulas.
https://www.ava.com.au/member-services/my-ava-groups/unusual-pet-avian/
Details
Novotel Melbourne on Collins
270 Collins Street
Melbourne,
Victoria
3000
Australia
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