President-elect candidates make their case
When the AVMA House of Delegates convenes this August in Washington, D.C., delegates will decide whether Dr. Gary Brown or Dr. Douglas Kratt will be 2019-20 AVMA president-elect. Over the past year, the two candidates have traveled from meeting to meeting, each making the case for why he should be next in line for the AVMA presidency. In the following interviews, they share their views of the AVMA and veterinary medicine. Their responses have been lightly edited.
Dr. Brown:
Q. Why do you want to be AVMA president?
A. The AVMA leads a profession dramatically transformed by unprecedented internal and societal change. AVMA has embraced these changes but must also strive to creatively see beyond the horizon, ensuring our 93,000-plus members can be best served by their primary professional association. The known changes include the obvious internal demographic and professional segmentation trends, but also external trends such as the embrace of pervasive technology and new practice models.
Having served on the Board of Directors in a variety of roles, I've been privileged to help transform AVMA to best serve today's members and today's profession. Our membership and renewal statistics reflect the success of our current strategy and focus. Indeed, member satisfaction is the highest it's ever been. Still, substantive challenges remain, and we need experienced leadership committed to making our profession and the AVMA as inclusive, attainable, and sustainable as possible.
My goal is to continue to contribute to the profession that I love and that has given me so much. As president, I will continue to spread the message of the value of AVMA membership to all audiences and to present the AVMA as the gold standard for professional society effectiveness worldwide.
In my career, with 30 years of mixed animal practice behind me, I remain acutely aware of the professionally diverse character of our profession and the challenges our many members face. And as a member of four state VMAs and two allied organizations, I'm fortunate to have a broad understanding of the goals and needs of our state and allied associations.
Dr. Gary Brown
Q. What qualities and skills do you bring to the position?
A. The AVMA leadership positions previously entrusted to me each offered lessons as well as preparation for service as AVMA president-elect. The opportunity to work alongside many talented and knowledgeable leaders has provided an intimate familiarity with AVMA's strategy and goals and the opportunity for personal mentorship. These experiences and the leadership investments made in me by others have fostered relationships and skills necessary to deliver AVMA messaging to all audiences.
With eight years of service in the House of Delegates and eight more on the Board of Directors as vice president and District V representative, it would not be boastful to say I've acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of AVMA. That, along with service as liaison to nearly every AVMA allied organization, council, and committee, has given me a broad understanding of AVMA structure and relationships with other organized veterinary medical organizations. Further, listening to and working closely with our industry partners, veterinary colleges, state and federal agencies, state boards of veterinary medicine, state VMAs, and AVMA staff has deepened my understanding of the veterinary professional universe and its complex architecture.
Finally, while working closely with others, often on difficult issues, it doesn't hurt to be easygoing and have a ready sense of humor. Those who know me well, I believe, agree that I strive to make others comfortable and our shared work pleasant. Every team member, regardless of specific role or title, should always be working toward our common goals. As president-elect, I will continue to embrace that ethic while recognizing individual strengths.
Q. What distinguishes you from your challenger?
A. The comprehensive AVMA leadership experience I've had is necessary preparation for service as AVMA president-elect and, eventually, as AVMA president. Serving as chair of the Board of Directors involves working closely and daily with veterinary leaders and also with AVMA staff and has been extremely rewarding.
In my career, with 30 years of mixed animal practice behind me, I remain acutely aware of the professionally diverse character of our profession and the challenges our many members face. And as a member of four state VMAs and two allied organizations, I'm fortunate to have a broad understanding of the goals and needs of our state and allied associations.
Finally, in my personal interests, which include aviation and orthopedic surgery, I've had to maintain self-discipline and an attitude of lifelong learning, attributes which I know have enhanced other aspects of my life and leadership. I have a deep sense of gratitude for the personal and professional opportunities life has provided me.
Q. Please describe the challenges facing veterinary medicine and how, if elected, you would work within the AVMA to overcome them.
A. The challenges facing veterinary medicine and the impact of those challenges on individual veterinarians vary depending on perspective. The leadership of today's profession requires a clear perception of what's important to the professional while remaining mindful of the broader image of the profession itself. We must remember that our service role is broad—that we must prioritize the needs of patients and clients, staff and colleagues, society, and ourselves.
Challenges such as technological innovation, student debt, corporate practice and consolidation, member wellness, serving diverse clientele, access to care, and increased product and services marketplace competition are beyond AVMA's ability to solve alone. As an Association, we must collaborate with all stakeholders to create solutions and answers for our members and for our profession on these and other challenges. Approaches must be well reasoned and strategic, looking at the entire professional landscape. As chair of the AVMA Board of Directors, I am proud to have led our ongoing efforts to address these important issues. Much work remains to be done.
Through listening, collaborating with all stakeholders, and taking well-reasoned action, the AVMA will continue in its central leadership role. This requires engaging the entire profession, including veterinarians in all phases of their career, from preveterinary education through retirement. Through the development of new interorganizational relationships, better outcomes on today's and future challenges are more likely.
If elected, I will advance the interests of AVMA membership through advocacy, education, and especially communication. Indeed, the primary role of an AVMA president is communication, and communicating effectively contributes to our members' satisfaction and success.
Q. What about opportunities?
A. Having previously served as vice chair and now chair of the AVMA Board of Directors, I've been part of the evaluation of our current challenges as well as opportunities. As a leader, I've worked to transform many difficult conversations into constructive exercises that lead to commonly understood goals, a shared sense of duty, and, especially, positive outcomes. Frequently, opportunities for resolution are subtle and sometimes tied to previously overlooked ideas. As chair, I've had the opportunity to explore some of these ideas and take joy in discovering how such gems can increase member value.
Continuous environmental scanning of the profession, including the needs of members and outside stakeholders, deepens understanding of their priorities and, in turn, the ability to fulfill them. Utilizing AVMA staff allows taking basic ideas and transforming them into valued member programs. The ability to guide AVMA towards development of such opportunities begins with involvement, understanding, and experience.
Q. Is there a mistake you made during your career that you learned from?
A. Several years ago, I made a mistake that taught a profound lesson about the inherent goodness in our profession and my colleagues. Walking close behind a sedated horse, I received a near-fatal gut kick. Was it partly because it was 9 p.m., I still had two more farm calls, and I was a solo practitioner? Regardless, I couldn't help but notice that the doctors caring for me, while competent, displayed little compassion.
Awakening eight hours after lifesaving abdominal surgery, I soon learned that colleagues from three states had organized rotations to keep my practice going. They diligently took care of my clients and their animals. Later, these veterinarians humbly declined my attempt at repayment.
What did I learn? Veterinary medicine is the greatest profession in the world. Veterinarians and technicians are the most caring, understanding, and compassionate medical professionals there are. I think of this experience often and remember how I was treated in my time of need. This keeps me from dismissing others' struggles, and I am therefore committed to the well-being of all my colleagues.
Q. What has surprised you about running for president-elect?
A. There have been very few surprises, but plenty of noteworthy moments that deserve mention. Individual members, state VMA leaders, and their staff were very welcoming and enthusiastic about my candidacy. They also seemed comfortable expressing their thoughts and asking questions. I found that my AVMA background helped me to provide them answers or, if not, to advise them where the necessary information and support could be found. That has been very rewarding.
Q. When you look back at the end of your presidency, how will you know that you had an impact?
A. Helping the AVMA to make progress towards its strategic goals as a member of our leadership team will be my highest measure of success. A president cannot be successful or impactful alone, as that is not their role. Maximizing our teammates' strengths and thereby building a more robust organization will benefit every AVMA member. Team success is the best measure of personal success.
Q. What is your elevator speech about why the HOD should elect you?
A. The AVMA president-elect is a member of the team that establishes and supports AVMA's strategic plans and goals, and broad AVMA experience is the best preparation for it. In developing that experience, valuable working relationships with all stakeholders in veterinary medicine are also created. The role of AVMA Board chair offers the most extensive and intimate knowledge of AVMA of any leadership role. It has enabled me to become more effective in collaboration, in negotiation, in helping individual members, and in having confidence in my ability to provide effective servant leadership to AVMA.
Q. Anything else you want to address?
A. The professional, financial, emotional, and social well-being of veterinarians and veterinary technicians are essential for our profession and for the AVMA to thrive. These characteristics not only make individuals and individual practices more successful but will also save lives, as so much of what we do links the professional and personal, deep within our character. That character includes what we have in common as well as what makes us different, and it's important to recognize that well-being is also linked to embracing those differences. A fully inclusive, welcoming, and diverse profession will benefit our patients, society, and the world and make us so much stronger. My breadth of leadership and veterinary and life experiences have prepared me for this moment and will enable me to further our goals.
Dr. Kratt:
Q. Why do you want to be AVMA president?
A. I am fortunate to be a veterinarian and part of such an incredible profession. It seems only fair that I pay back the profession that has afforded my family and me such opportunities to grow. While volunteering in multiple leadership roles with the AVMA and Wisconsin VMA, I learned to embrace a servant leadership style, to enjoy challenging myself, and to focus my energy on a greater good rather than personal gain. I wake up each day and set about putting my skill set to use to benefit the most people, whether that means my clients, my family, my community, or my AVMA colleagues.
I can think of no better way to positively impact the professional lives of veterinarians than by engaging with our national association and helping to move all of us through this incredible time in our profession together.
Having grown while serving in numerous leadership positions in the Wisconsin VMA—as well as many of the AVMA's volunteer leader positions—I have a unique and multifaceted perspective of our profession. Each of these opportunities over the past years helped sharpen my leadership skills and taught me how to work in unison with colleagues, even those with whom I disagreed.
Dr. Douglas Kratt
Q. What qualities and skills do you bring to the position?
A. I have learned the value of a supportive and mentoring attitude, especially towards my colleagues and students, working to recognize others' needs and address those before my own—so that, when I make a decision, it is for the right reason, not necessarily the easiest reason. I am not afraid to be an advocate for change. Accountability is essential, for a team and a leader. I actively seek feedback from colleagues and listen to others to genuinely understand their point of view so that we may take action together towards a solution. Just as collaboration is critical to clinical success for a veterinary care team, at the AVMA, we are all stronger when we work together.
I am excited by the future for our profession and our organization, and I am confident that, by incorporating all the diverse voices in the AVMA, we can handle the unforeseen challenges that are sure to come up down the road.
Q. What distinguishes you from your challenger?
A. Having grown while serving in numerous leadership positions in the Wisconsin VMA—as well as many of the AVMA's volunteer leader positions—I have a multifaceted perspective of our profession. Each of these opportunities over the past years helped sharpen my leadership skills and taught me how to work in unison with colleagues, even those with whom I disagreed. As chairman of the AVMA House of Delegates' Roles and Responsibilities of Delegates Subcommittee and chairman of the House Advisory Committee, I was part of a cultural shift in the House of Delegates. A transformation that moved toward increased transparency and improved, more-direct representation of members. During my term on the HAC, we instituted one of the more effective environmental scanning tools in the history of the AVMA: the Veterinary Information Forum. The forum promoted even further engagement with members and more open debate on issues facing the membership.
As a delegate and HAC chair, particularly during somewhat contentious times, I was required to serve as not only a spokesperson but also an intermediary to facilitate heated discussions among passionate colleagues. As chair, I was accountable for those actions. It was important that I owned the issue and the decisions that were made, while still making sure that all voices were acknowledged.
Q. Please describe the challenges facing veterinary medicine and how, if elected, you would work within the AVMA to overcome them.
A. There are many challenges and opportunities facing us, but I have chosen a few to give my thoughts.
Student and new-graduate debt:
It is time to develop a financial academy to fill the gap for veterinarians. Such a continuing education opportunity should provide not only business education, but also personal financial education opportunities and resources. This initiative could easily be the next iteration of the current AVMA Economic Summit. The academy should work in conjunction with existing partnerships, including the AVMA Trust, such that the event would be revenue neutral. Additionally, a resources cache could be built to be available as a tool for members when the next economic downturn occurs. I even feel that this plays a role in the discussion of consolidation within our industry, but that is another topic entirely. As AVMA president-elect, I would work with the Student AVMA and Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges to hear the concerns of students and recent graduates and enlist them in helping to support our colleagues facing dire financial circumstances. However, as with all pilot programs, we need to be sure to build in some metrics by which we can assess performance to continue to improve the resources and opportunities that we provide to members to address this very high-profile issue.
Diversification of our profession:
We need to define what diversity means in veterinary medicine, the gap in the profession we are looking to fill, and how that may change in the next decade. As a service industry, it is vital to assess our current veterinary consumer and how those demographics are changing. Once we bring the focus back to the animals we provide care for and the clients we serve, the gaps in diversity that need filling will become apparent. And by veterinary consumer, I mean the pet owner, the stable manager, the horse owner, the livestock producer, the zookeeper, the public health system, and all the components of our society touched by veterinarians. Once we have this information, we need to work with AAVMC, American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association, and other organizations that already work in this space—the pipeline into our profession—to enthusiastically recruit compassionate, intelligent, and driven individuals to join our ranks. We should look at expanding these recruiting initiatives into middle schools and high schools—to reach students who may not even be aware of veterinary medicine as a possibility for a fulfilling career.
We should also take a good look at the AVMA's strategic initiatives to ensure that these efforts are having an inclusive effect on the continued diversification of our profession. Inclusivity can be a difficult concept to quantify, but augmenting the existing metrics allows leadership to make better strategic decisions. If we work to actively foster a more-inclusive environment in the AVMA, beginning with the top, diversity will be a natural byproduct.
Telehealth and artificial intelligence:
Telehealth is already a reality for many of our colleagues in human medicine and in rural settings. Artificial intelligence is starting to creep into our workspace. We need to work together to define how telehealth and AI integrate into our profession. It is crucial for the AVMA to lead in these areas rather than allowing others outside of veterinary medicine to determine our future. The human health field is driving these issues because consumers are demanding it. The AVMA needs to continue educating veterinarians in these areas. We can view this as an opportunity for market expansion for veterinary medicine, an opportunity to meet our clients where they spend a fair amount of their time—on their phones, tablets, and computers. To date, veterinarians have largely assumed a defensive position on telehealth and AI rather than seeing them as opportunities. The keys to successful integration are understanding how to monetize telehealth and, most importantly, understanding how it impacts the standard of care and interacts with state definitions of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Veterinary medicine incorporates a vast array of disciplines, and telehealth and AI could have a positive impact on all of them, but only if done with animal care and welfare in the front of our minds. The AVMA should continue to serve as the leader in this space, bringing together groups including AAVMC, the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, and others, such as our colleagues in the human health field.
Mental health and well-being:
Mental health and well-being are issues for all professionals, but especially for veterinarians. We are incredibly compassionate and empathetic people—it's why we do what we do. Mental well-being is a challenge that can be managed and not fixed. However, no veterinarian should be facing this challenge alone. Not every veterinarian has the same circumstances, lifestyle, or pressures. The incredible career diversity within veterinary medicine means that each professional may feel as though they are alone. There are so many issues that play a role in a veterinarian's mental health and well-being, such as economics, work-life integration, practice consolidation, social media trolls, job satisfaction, and burnout. We need to continue to work both inside and outside our industry to give our members the tools they need to become more emotionally resilient and financially savvy so that we can begin to address this difficult topic.
Q. What about opportunities?
A. Much of what I talked about in the previous question can also be viewed as opportunities. I think some prominent items could be a financial academy for both business and personal finance. On top of a certificate program, allowing participants to submit their key performance indicators on a schedule and evaluate them with people or groups in the same demographic would be beneficial. We should look for opportunities for leveraging the AVMA Trust to offer more member benefits, potentially to include student loans, purchasing groups, and investment services. Another opportunity is a continued focus on building the grassroots advocacy that has been started, using individual members meeting with representatives when they are home in their districts. Collaboration with the state or allied groups that would like to do similar projects should also be explored. Strong advocacy and involvement by our members are good for the AVMA and great for our profession.
Q. Is there a mistake you made during your career that you learned from?
A. I have made too many mistakes to mention. I am sure that I am not the only veterinarian to struggle with taking things personally and feeling as though I must fix all problems. Early in my career, when I knew everything, I was quick to judge or diagnose and give the solution or treatment. Then, I started to listen with an open mind, to fully understand the scope of the problem. I would ask questions, so I understood different viewpoints. I learned that I did not know everything and by connecting with people, big issues could be addressed. Making mistakes is human, but so is learning and adapting.
Q. What has surprised you about running for president-elect?
A. There is incredible variety of decision-making processes among different constituent organizations. They are very different. This variety certainly brings challenges to the candidate. The amount of politics in the process has also been surprising. Sometimes, it is not about the candidates, but other unrelated issues happening in the state or organization that determine the delegate's vote. I am not one to talk about myself easily, but I did not realize how difficult it would be for me. Talking about myself makes me genuinely uncomfortable. I was also surprised at how much self-doubt it brings on, how much introspection becomes part of every day. It is another thing that has brought about growth.
Q. When you look back at the end of your presidency, how will you know that you had an impact?
A. Did I make a difference to the AVMA and the members? Did I represent the profession well? Did I spend most of my time listening, or was I too busy barking? I would hope that I would not need to wait until the end of a term in office to receive constructive feedback from members, the Board, and the House of Delegates. Did I have a positive impact on individual veterinarians? If I can look in the mirror and know that I worked as hard as I could each day as president, then that is all I can do.
Q. What is your elevator speech about why the HOD should elect you?
A. I have served in the HOD for the past eight years and know many of you. Serving as a leader in the AVMA has never been about me, it has always been about the profession, about serving the WVMA and AVMA, and about exceeding people's expectations. Now, I hope the HOD will choose to allow me to continue by putting me in another position to connect with AVMA members and nonmembers, to listen to their concerns, to answer their questions, to assist delegates in serving as a conduit from the members to the AVMA leadership and back again. I will serve as a liaison for the AVMA, with the veterinary community and stakeholders, both nationally and internationally, while providing strong and driven leadership for the AVMA. As one of my colleagues is fond of saying, "He is Doug. A known entity. What you see is what you get. Ask him a question, and you will get his opinion. Nothing hidden." Allow me to prove that I am who I said I am and who I have shown you I am. Let me continue to serve as I did on the HAC and as the HAC chair, with vision, integrity, and transparency.
Q. Anything else you want to address?
A. I cannot emphasize enough the need for connection of the veterinary medical organizations and collaboration of these groups to solve our shared challenges and identify opportunities for the advancement of the profession. We need to change the narrative from doom and gloom to one of opportunity and emphasizing the myriad of positive aspects of veterinary medicine and being a veterinarian. We cannot do that with smoke and mirrors, but only with initiatives of substance and collaborative effort. Positivity will breed positivity.
If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to me or visit drdouglaskratt.com for additional resources.
Related JAVMA content:
Brown, Kratt set sights on AVMA presidency (Sept. 1, 2018)