During the summer of 1997, I was fortunate to represent the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine at the Smith-Kilbourne Foreign Animal Disease Course, held at Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC). The course was created to enhance awareness among tomorrow's veterinarians of the potential threats that foreign animal diseases pose to domestic livestock populations. The curriculum is a series of lectures and discussions covering fourteen major exotic animal diseases along with hands-on training.