Leininger reinstated on COE

A controversial figure on the AVMA Council on Education has won reinstatement to the entity after a 17-month hiatus.

The COE voted this past July to reinstate Dr. Mary Beth Leininger of Lawrence, Kansas, to the council.

Dr. Leininger was removed from the COE after making comments during a reference committee meeting at the 2014 AVMA House of Delegates regular winter session. At the time, the HOD was deliberating on whether to support the COE continuing to accredit veterinary colleges outside the U.S. and Canada.

Dr. Leininger backed the resolution that said the COE should not consider those schools for accreditation. She questioned whether the COE had the resources to do so, and also, how the COE evaluates schools with the distributive model of education. At the March 2014 COE meeting, she was dismissed.

Dr. Leininger told JAVMA in January 2015 that she had been removed because of allegations that her statements broke the council’s code of conduct and constituted an improper conflict of interest.

Dr. Leininger worked through the AVMA’s standard appellate process, which culminated in the Board of Governors holding a hearing and reviewing the COE’s decision.

Results of the hearing are confidential, but afterward, the COE reconsidered its decision, ultimately reinstating Dr. Leininger.

Dr. Leininger missed the fall 2015 COE meeting because of a prior engagement but plans to attend the spring meeting in March, at which she says she wants to talk about resource needs.

“The ability to be a part of discussions on new processes and ideas in veterinary education is exciting. The council does some of the most important work of the profession,” Dr. Leininger recently told JAVMA.

Her term expires in July 2018.