Q3 2024 AVMA House of Delegates Report

By Timothy Smaha, D.V.M., AAIV Alternate Delegate to the AVMA HOD

The 2024 AVMA convention was held in Austin, Texas, with the House of Delegates meeting on June 20-21. At the meeting, the House of Delegates was updated on the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, heard from outgoing president and vice president, and welcomed the new officers – Dr. Sandra Faeh as President, Dr. Michael Bailey as President-Elect and Dr. Gary Marshall as Vice President.  Furthermore, the initial campaign was kicked off for President-Elect for 2025 with two candidates presenting to the HOD – Drs. Mary Ergen and Jennifer Quammen.

The HOD groups met in reference committees to discuss several resolutions/revisions and further discuss information gathered during the Veterinary Information Forum in January.

The approved resolutions included updates to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, which occurs every five years. The changes included a code of conduct that comprises three sections: 

• Provide competent medical care
• Prioritize patient welfare in balance with client needs and public safety
• Uphold standards of professionalism.

The second vote was to approve a new AVMA policy on the Transportation of Animals. Humane transport of animals should be evidence-based and address the animals handling, equipment, facilities, transport vehicles and must provide for safety of animals and personnel while minimizing stress, injury, and transmission of disease. This guidance was developed in collaboration with veterinarians, animal welfare scientists and transportation experts.

The final resolution was presented to recognize active duty and reserve military veterinarians of the uniformed services. The HOD consensus was that all branches of the uniformed service, including public health and NOAA officers, should be recognized. This resolution was adopted. 

Veterinary Information Forum topics discussed included professional liability insurance for veterinarians. This topic was referred to the Board of Directors to consider two actions. The first action was to investigate the development of reputation management (reputation defense) resources for members. The second action was to collaborate with AVMA PLIT to create an omnichannel approach to educate members on programs and issues related to liability.

Other discussions that will surely be revisited in January include updates to the Model Veterinary Practice Act, License portability (especially for mobile veterinarians or those who have practices in multiple states), and the use of technology and artificial intelligence in veterinary medicine.

There are several open positions on the AVMA Council on Therapeutics and Biologics. Interested members should consider application to the committee if qualifications are met. There also are several openings on committees including the Animal Welfare Committee, Veterinary Leadership Conference (VLC) planning committee and the Clinical Practitioners Advisory Committee (CPAC). Please visit AVMA Volunteer opportunities and open positions for more information on how you can apply and get involved.

You can read about all of the topics and resolutions in the AVMA blog about the HOD meeting here: AVMA Meeting recap.