Q4 2024 AVMA House of Delegates Report

By Debra Nickelson, D.V.M., AAIV Delegate to the AVMA HOD

What does representation in the House of Delegates mean for members of the American Association of Industry Veterinarians?  AAIV is one of many allied organizations represented in the House of Delegates. Other allied organizations are the species groups, government groups, specialty groups, and our favorite, SAVMA.

Your delegates, Dr. Tim Smaha and I look at each resolution and information topic with eyes and ears for the interest of animal and human health companies, especially regarding the veterinarians who work or may want to work with these companies. We discuss the topics with the AAIV board of directors at our monthly meetings and often survey the mailing list for insight. 

Also, AAIV invites candidates for AVMA President-Elect and AVMA Vice-President to virtually join a board meeting to present their candidacy and answer questions. As candidates are announced a year before the actual election, we welcome your comments before we cast the AAIV vote. 

In addition, AAIV looks for open positions on AVMA councils, committees and task forces in which industry veterinarians would do well to serve. Stay tuned for possible positions in our future newsletters. Some of these require nomination from AAIV, but most do not require any group’s nomination. So please nominate yourself if you are interested in serving. 

Twice a year, the entire House of Delegates meets for two days, and the allied groups start at 6:00 AM the first day. That day ends with the district meetings at about 8:00 PM or so. The second day is a bit shorter but still important. 

Please send any comments or questions to AAIV at industryvet@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your support and we are here for you.