After nine years leading the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Dr. Ron DeHaven is stepping down. His last official day in the office is August 12th, following the AVMA Convention 2016.
“It’s been a wonderful ride during some tumultuous times but has always been an absolute honor to serve the profession in this capacity,” DeHaven told JAVMA.
When Dr. DeHaven joined the AVMA, he spent the first several years advancing the Association’s strategic priorities of animal welfare, quality veterinary education, and advocacy.
By 2010, with veterinarians struggling through the recession, the AVMA’s attention turned toward the profession’s economic health. Partners for Healthy Pets was created to encourage regular wellness visits, and soon thereafter, the AVMA Veterinary Economics Division was established.
In 2014, AVMA leadership responded to a decrease in the percentage of U.S. veterinarians who were Association members by implementing the first stages of a strategy management process aimed at turning the AVMA into an organization focused on meeting the needs of veterinarians across every discipline.
“Hopefully, people will say it was a time when we started to create the new AVMA that was member-focused, that it was the beginning of a transformational change within the profession to focus on preventive care first, and that I was totally devoted to the profession,” DeHaven said.
If requested, Dr. DeHaven has agreed to remain as the Association’s chief executive officer until his successor is in place.
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