CAAMS Biennial Workshops

In 2022, a grassroots effort, recognizing a need for collaboration to advance antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal medicine, planned an in-person meeting to identify the barriers and opportunities for implementation of antimicrobial stewardship in practice. In August 2023, the Inaugural Small Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Workshop was held at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Findings from the workshop were published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), including an overview of the status of antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control activities in veterinary schools (Granick et al., 2024) and a summary of the workshop outcomes (Fellman et al., 2024). As a result of the workshop, several working groups formed by volunteers were established, focusing on research, education, the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs, and the creation of stewardship resources. These efforts led to the formalization of the Companion Animal Antimicrobial Stewards (CAAMS) as an official ISCAID committee in 2025.

A second workshop was held in May 2025 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Representatives from veterinary schools and key partners convened for an in-person workshop on companion animal antimicrobial stewardship. During this meeting, working groups provided updates, including progress made and challenges faced in the implementation of hospital stewardship programs, research opportunities and needs, and antimicrobial stewardship curriculum. The workshop fostered engagement among professionals, highlighted current stewardship efforts, and drew attention to actionable ideas to implement clinical stewardship programs. A half day was focused on infection prevention and control using carbapenem-resistant organisms as a model.

The next biennial CAAMS workshop will be held in 2027. Date and location to be announced.

Past Workshops

2025 at North Carolina State University – 104 attendees representing:

• 34 veterinary schools
• 6 government entities
• 6 private practices
• 3 industry partners
• NIAMRRE

Thank you to our 2025 workshop sponsors Dechra, Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis.

2023 at the University of Minnesota – 65 attendees representing:

• 23 veterinary schools
• 1 US government entity
• 1 private practice
• 2 industry partners
• NIAMRRE

Thank you to our 2023 workshop sponsors the Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance, Mars Veterinary Health, Zoetis, and Merck Animal Health.