Granstrom promoted to AVMA executive position

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As director of the AVMA Education and Research Division, Dr. David E. Granstrom has logged thousands of miles to participate in site visits for the AVMA Council on Education. Fortunately for him, he’ll have to travel only a few feet for where he’s going next.

Dr. Granstrom
Dr. David E. Granstrom (Photo by R. Scott Nolen)

Dr. Granstrom was announced as the Association’s new associate executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Aug. 5.

He will provide staff support to the AVMA House of Delegates, House Advisory Committee, and Judicial Council. In addition, he will work directly with many of the AVMA divisions, on top of collaborating with strategic plan goal managers and serving as liaison to the AVMA Group Health & Life Insurance Trust and AVMA PLIT. He succeeds J. Karl Wise, PhD, who retired as of Aug. 1 (see page).

Dr. Granstrom said, “It’s an honor to follow in his footsteps to serve our great profession in this capacity. Fortunately, (AVMA CEO) Ron DeHaven has assembled an exceptional staff to support AVMA operations. I’m looking forward to working with them to continue moving the profession forward. I’ve greatly enjoyed working with the Council on Education and am pleased that my new position includes continued involvement with the Education and Research Division.”

Dr. Granstrom has been director of the Education and Research Division since March 2008. His responsibilities included overseeing AVMA policies and programs related to education, research, accreditation of veterinary colleges, certification of graduates of foreign colleges of veterinary medicine, and recognition of veterinary medical specialties.

His tenure coincided with a transformative period for the COE during which members began considering veterinary programs with alternative teaching models, such as those with off-campus clinical teaching sites. Also during this time, the council incorporated into its Accreditation Policies and Procedures manual wording requiring veterinary colleges to teach nonclinical skills, such as client communication, and generate more outcome assessment information, including results of employer and alumni surveys and clinical competency checklists.

Dr. Granstrom aided the COE, too, in receiving continued renewed recognition by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. The COE is still working to meet the DOE standards to extend recognition beyond this year.

Prior to 2008, Dr. Granstrom spent seven years with the Department of Agriculture. From 1997-2001, he served as an assistant director in the AVMA Education and Research Division.

In addition, Dr. Granstrom was an associate professor of parasitology at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science from 1988-1997. There, he founded Equine Biodiagnostics Inc., which was later bought by Idexx.

He has also served as an environmental health officer for the U.S. Air Force Biomedical Science Corps and as a public health officer with the Kentucky Air National Guard Biomedical Science Corps.

Dr. Granstrom received his DVM degree in 1978 from Kansas State University, where he earned a doctorate in parasitology 10 years later. For five years, he owned a practice in Laurie, Mo.