AVMA president-elect candidates make their case
Aspros, Brown explain why they’re best-suited to lead the Association
On July 15, the AVMA House of Delegates will choose between Dr. Douglas G. Aspros of Pound Ridge, N.Y., and Dr. Gary S. Brown of Princeton, W.Va., as the Association’s next president-elect. Both candidates are practitioners and small business owners with extensive experience in organized veterinary medicine, including leadership positions within the AVMA. In the following interviews, each candidate explains why he should lead the Association.
Dr. Douglas G. Aspros”It’s critical that we continue the progress we’ve made in transforming AVMA into a modern, strategic, and effective organization. It will be my mission to see AVMA adopt a leadership role—not merely a reactive one— in facing the problems that confront veterinary medicine.”
—DR. DOUGLAS G. ASPROS,
2011 AVMA PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATE
Why are you running for president-elect?
Dr. Aspros responds:
I know it sounds corny, but behind this run is my love of animals and the people who work with them.
I’m deeply committed to veterinary medicine, and I believe that AVMA plays an essential role in safeguarding our profession.
The profession is facing serious threats as we enter our 150th year, and AVMA is one of our most important tools. For too long, we’ve been complacent and slow to adapt to an external environment characterized by rapid change. AVMA has made significant strides towards becoming a more contemporary organization, but we need to keep up the pace if, in the future, we’re to fairly serve our members and the profession.
If elected, what do you want to accomplish?
It’s critical that we continue the progress we’ve made in transforming AVMA into a modern, strategic, and effective organization. It will be my mission to see AVMA adopt a leadership role—not merely a reactive one—in facing the problems that confront veterinary medicine.
What do you see as the AVMA president’s role?
Our president needs to be more than a cheerleader for the Association, more than just a booster. The president must be a credible face for the profession in all its complexity and be able to represent AVMA and veterinary medicine—both to our members and the world at large—as a learned, serious, and ethical profession.
What qualifies you for the position?
Experience and perspective.
I grew up in New York City, and my first job was as an upstate dairy farmhand at the age of 16. I was a research assistant at a USDA Agricultural Research Service laboratory through college and have been a companion animal veterinarian and practice owner ever since.
I’ve been a leader in public health in my county for nearly 25 years and am currently serving as president of the Westchester County Board of Health.
I’ve served on the board and as president of both my local and state associations. After several years on Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine Advisory Council, and with a deep interest in veterinary education, I was elected to the AVMA Council on Education. There, I was afforded the opportunity to evaluate, in depth, veterinary educational programs across the county and around the world, from the very oldest to the very newest.
I served for five years as a director of the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, responsible for the licensing examination in the U.S. and Canada and, for the past few years, as a reviewer and item writer for the NAVLE.
Last summer I completed a term as an active and influential member of the AVMA Executive Board. In my capacity as District I representative to the board,
