AVMA fills general counsel, assistant editor positions
A lawyer and a veterinary editor joined the AVMA staff this summer.
Isham R. Jones filled the newly created general counsel position in the Office of the Executive Vice President, and the Publications Division welcomed Dr. Aasha K. Sinha as its newest assistant editor.
Jones, who most recently served as associate counsel for the National Association of Realtors, is responsible for managing and conducting the AVMA's legal activities, providing guidance on governance and corporate issues, and overseeing litigation and legal strategies.
"I am excited about serving as general counsel of such a multifaceted organization," Jones said. "I plan to focus on protecting the Association's legal interests and reducing the potential exposure to liability risks. I am also looking forward to providing advice to the AVMA leadership and staff to ensure full compliance with all legal requirements."
After receiving his JD degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1996, Jones worked in the Office of the Missouri Attorney General as an assistant AG and clerked for a state appellate court judge.
Jones' duties as an assistant AG included representing professional licensing boards as general counsel and during litigation of license disciplinary matters. He argued two cases before the Missouri Court of Appeals.
In 1999, Jones joined the Office of the Illinois Attorney General as an assistant AG, and later he worked for an employment law firm representing management. At the National Association of Realtors, Jones provided counsel and guidance to staff and association leadership on a variety of legal issues.
Jones is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association as well as the Chicago Bar Association, for which he currently chairs the Trade and Professional Associations Law Committee.
AVMA CEO W. Ron DeHaven said the Association's legal expenses have risen over the years, and it made fiscal sense to hire an in-house counsel.
"Not only will this reduce our outside legal fees, we are confident that having an in-house general counsel will minimize our legal vulnerabilities and exposure. We are very fortunate to have Isham join our staff. He has an extensive background in association law and is a welcome addition to our AVMA family," Dr. DeHaven said.
Since receiving her veterinary degree from the University of Sydney, Australia, in 1990, Dr. Sinha has spent a number of years in academia and private practice. During her career, Dr. Sinha has been published in many scholarly journals in human and veterinary medicine, and has earned a number of honors and awards.
"I look forward to the challenges of my position as assistant editor at the AVMA," Dr. Sinha said. "The AVMA journals are the mostly widely circulated journals published in the field of veterinary medicine today, and I think that the work that I'll be doing here will complement my background as a surgeon, researcher, and clinician educator."
Dr. Sinha completed an internship in equine medicine and surgery at Kansas State University, a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiopulmonary physiology at Cornell University, and a residency in equine surgery at The Ohio State University. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Dr. Sinha has held appointments as assistant professor of surgery at the University of Prince Edward Island, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and North Carolina State University. For several years, she was director of clinical research for the Division of Sports Medicine in the Department of Orthopedics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
She continues to work part time in equine clinical practice as a consulting surgeon.
"Dr. Sinha is a welcome addition to the AVMA Publications staff," said Dr. Kurt J. Matushek, AVMA editor-in-chief. "Her considerable experience in academia and clinical practice will enhance the relevancy of the JAVMA and AJVR."