ABVA Scientific Meeting 2026

Content

Morning Session:

Join us for an engaging and interactive session featuring a journal‑club discussion exploring the scientific evidence behind GV20 (Baihui) acupuncture as a potential sedation technique in veterinary patients. Together, we’ll examine recent studies, consider how GV20 may influence calming and stress‑modulating pathways, and reflect on its possible role within contemporary small‑animal sedation and anaesthesia practice.

Alongside the literature review, we’ll also revisit commonly used small‑animal sedation approaches to help contextualise where acupuncture might sit within a multimodal framework. The session is designed to be highly interactive, encouraging questions, shared experiences, and open discussion about both the promise and the limitations of this emerging technique.

Afternoon Session:

The afternoon will be an open discussion session, led by Jen Porter. Delegates are welcome to bring along details of cases that they would like to celebrate/discuss but we will also look at some structured discussion on the following points:

- The current veterinary climate and the public perception of vets - how is this affecting our acupuncture practice?

- Where are our most common successes/struggles as veterinary acupuncturists? Are they clinical, or are there Human Factors emerging?

- What advice would you give to vets beginning their training and practice in veterinary acupuncture?

 

Pre-Meeting Dinner

The ABVA Council would like to invite meeting attendees to join them for dinner at a local pub on the evening of Friday 20th November. ABVA will arrange the booking. Each guest will pay for their own food/drink.  Further details will be confirmed nearer the time. 

 

 Speakers

Hanna Machin  DipACVAA, DipSIAV MVetMed MRCVS

Hanna graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Padua (Italy). She has always been passionate about anaesthesia, with a particular interest in acute and chronic pain management. During her studies, she completed a three-year course in Veterinary Acupuncture at SIAV (Italian Society of Veterinary Acupuncture).

Hanna completed her residency in Anaesthesia and Analgesia at the Royal Veterinary College (UK), where she also obtained a Master in Veterinary Medicine (MVetMed). She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA).

She subsequently worked at the University of Cambridge as a Clinical Anaesthetist, where she was involved in running the pain clinic service, in which she practised acupuncture. She is currently a Lecturer in Veterinary Anaesthesia at the University of Surrey.

Outside of work, Hanna enjoys cooking (especially baking), caring for her plants, and spending time with her cat.