It's official: Hendrix new AVMA vice president

By R. Scott Nolen
Published on
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Dr. Charles M. HendrixThe AVMA House of Delegates elected Dr. Charles M. Hendrix of Auburn, Ala., as vice president by casting a unanimous ballot July 15 in Hawaii. Dr. Hendrix ran unopposed, and he succeeds Dr. René A. Carlson, who completed her second and final term as vice president.

"This is a wonderful honor, and I look forward to working with the veterinarians of the future," Dr. Hendrix said after his election. The Alabama VMA nominated him to the AVMA office with support from the Florida and North Carolina VMAs.

Dr. Hendrix is a professor of pathobiology at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and a former AVMA Congressional Science Fellow. As AVMA vice president, Dr. Hendrix is the Association's liaison to the Student AVMA and student chapters of the AVMA and is a voting member of the Executive Board.

During the Candidates' Introductory Breakfast in Minneapolis last year, Dr. Hendrix used a five-point star to illustrate his goals as vice president; each point on the star corresponds to a particular objective: commitment to leadership skills, society, communication skills, health and wellness issues, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The former AVMA fellow, who worked for two members of Congress and in the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, says he constantly challenges veterinary students to consider a career in politics.

Dr. Hendrix has served as chair of the AVMA Committee on Wellness and he continues to be an advocate of healthy living, recommending that veterinarians eat right and exercise for at least 30 to 45 minutes daily.

In addition, Dr. Hendrix supports collaboration between veterinarians and other health care professionals. He believes veterinarians should be proactive and not wait to be asked to participate in local health care situations or interactions. Being proactive, he says, would be to the benefit of two-legged and four-legged patients, all health care practitioners, and the discipline of public health.