2025 MVMA Spring CE Conference (In-Person)


Sunday, May 4, 2025
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (EDT)

Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center


1657 Worcester Road Framingham, MA 01701 United States
Category: MVMA CE Event

Join us in person for our Spring CE Conference at a new venue: the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center! Enjoy six hours of concurrent education sessions, explore the exhibitor showcase, network with colleagues, and more!

Conference flyer and paper registration

Destination Health Clinic will have an RN on-site at the MVMA conference to provide rabies and tetanus vaccines and blood draw for rabies titer testing.  Appointment is required and each person must register for their own appointment time. Payment will be taken at time of service. Credit card, debit card, or HSA card accepted. No cash or check. Once an appointment is scheduled they will send an email with additional information along with a consent form.

Register for vaccine/titer appointment HERE

Rabies Titer (Endpoint): 
Cost: $215
*Results will be returned in 3-4 weeks 

Rabies Vaccine (Human Use)
Cost: $535/dose

Tetanus (Tdap) Vaccine
Cost: $60 

If an MVMA member can’t make the conference but still wants to participate Destination Health will honor the same pricing in any of their three offices and you can contact them separately for an appointment. 

Questions? Call Destination Health Clinic with at 508-784-6602 or email: admin@destinationhealthclinic.com

PLEASE NOTE: There is NO hybrid/virtual option for this event. This is an in-person conference.


Track 1

Urology and Nephrology (6 CE)
Mary Labato, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

Leptospirosis and AKI - A Consensus Statement Update
This lecture will provide a brief review of the pathophysiology of acute kidney injury. The focus of this presentation will be one of the leading causes of AKI in New England - Leptospirosis. Attendees will review the etiopathogenesis of Leptospirosis, the diagnostic tests that are available and treatment options, including updates from the most recent ACVIM consensus guidelines.

Extracorporeal Therapies 101: What You Need to Know and How To Refer a Case
This presentation will review for audience members unfamiliar with extracorporeal therapy the basic definitions and concepts. The difference between hemodialysis and other types of extracorporeal therapies available. The presentation will also provide guidelines as to what types of cases would benefit from extracorporeal therapies and when and where to refer a case for treatment.

Unraveling Urinary Biomarkers: Isn’t BUN and Creatinine Enough?
This lecture will review what is a biomarker. What are the sites of origin for biomarkers of urinary track function. Importantly, which biomarkers are commercially available and what they tell us and should we be using them will be discussed. You decide if they are right for your practice.

Management of CKD In Dogs and Cats - What’s New Out There?
Chronic Kidney Disease is a common problem in both dogs and cats, accounting for 1-3% of all cats and 0.5 to 1.5% of all dogs.  Updates to the IRIS Guidelines for management of CKD will be reviewed.  There are a number of new management options which may help with long term management and these will be highlighted.


Track 2 

Neurology Made Easy - A Step-by-Step Approach to Common Neurological Presentations (6 CE)
Simon Platt, DVM, BVM&S, MRCVS, DACVIM (Neurology), DECVN

In this series of 6 presentations, we will use video footage to address (i) How to do a neurological exam in 5 minutes, (ii) The acute head tilt patient (iii) Brain on fire - CNS inflammatory disease (iv) Seizures in dogs and cats - Pt 1 (v) Seizures in dogs and cats - Pt 2 (vi) Disc disease - what the latest with steroids and rest? In these sessions we address practical investigation, and treatment options for common neurological challenges, using spectrum of care approaches in dogs and cats. We will address how advanced testing may or may not help in specific cases, understanding prognosis, treating for the treatable and what to consider when it all goes wrong.


Track 3

Veterinary POCUS: Enhancing Diagnostic Confidence through Visualization  (6 CE) 
Søren Boysen, DVM, DACVECC

“When something is visualized, the truth of its occurrence or existence can no longer be doubted  - Seeing is Believing”! This is particularly true with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), which markedly increases practitioner confidence by directing stabilization, therapy and further diagnostics! These sessions will cover the application of abdominal, cardiovascular, pleural space and lung POCUS and how POCUS can be used to direct clinical decision making,  therapy, and further diagnostics in emergency patients. 


MVMA Cancellation Policy
14 days prior to conference - 50% refund
No refunds issued within 14 days of conference

At this time, the MVMA is not requiring vaccinations, boosters, or masks at in-person events. We will continue to adhere to the public health restrictions set forth by individual communities and will alert you of any changes to this policy. Complimentary face coverings will be offered at the registration desk for those who would like them.


Thanks to our Sponsors!

Click on the company logos to learn more!


Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center


Speaker Bios

Mary Labato, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

Mary Labato, D.V.M., DACVIM, joined Tufts University in 1987 and is the associate chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences. A board-certified veterinary internist at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, she specializes in kidney and bladder disorders, with a focus on acute kidney injury, dialysis, and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Labato, a graduate of Tufts’ inaugural veterinary class in 1983, lectures on nephrology and urology and teaches fourth-year students during clinical rotations. She is president-elect of the American Board of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology and a founding member of the American College of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology.


Simon Platt, DVM, BVM&S, MRCVS, DACVIM (Neurology), DECVN

Dr. Simon Platt qualified from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1992. Dr. Platt was a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Georgia until 2022 and now co-leads the teleneurology team at VetOracle as well as being the Medical Director for Hallmarq Advanced Veterinary Imaging.  Dr. Platt has authored or co-authored over 200 journal articles and 50 book chapters, is the co-editor of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Neurology and the Manual of Small Animal Neurological Emergencies. Currently, Simon also serves as Editor in Chief of the NAVC journal Today’s Veterinary Practice. Dr. Platt was made a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018 for meritorious contributions to the veterinary profession. 


Søren Boysen, DVM, DACVECC

Søren obtained his DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in Canada, completed an internship at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) in Canada, and a Residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) in 2003. Former chief of veterinary ECC at the University of Montreal (2003-2008) he helped establish veterinary ECC in the province of Quebec. In January 2009 Søren accepted a position at the University of Calgary to help with curriculum development for the newly formed college of Veterinary Medicine, where he is currently employed as a Full Professor in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care.  A recipient of numerous teaching, research, and speaker excellence awards, he has become an internationally recognized educator. A founding member of the veterinary emergency and critical care ultrasound (VECCUS) working group he continues the promotion and education of veterinary ECC and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) globally through his numerous contributions to research, book chapters, journal publications, and work with various ACVECC, ECVECC, VECCS, ECVECC, and VetCOT committees. With the help of many great colleagues from Tufts and around the world, he co-developed the small animal FAST exam in 1999, followed by abdominal POCUS, and pleural space and lung (PLUS) exams, and continues to pioneer novel ultrasound training techniques and workshops for non-specialist practitioners. Along with POCUS, his research interests include veterinary education/simulation, hemorrhage, coagulation, resuscitation, and perfusion.

For More Information:

Laurie Despotopulos

Laurie Despotopulos

Association Administrator, Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA)