Bailey, Thompson run for District II AVMA Board seat

Two members of the AVMA House of Delegates—Drs. Michael Bailey of Pennsylvania and Robert Thompson Jr. of Delaware—are candidates for District II representative on the AVMA Board of Directors. They are running to replace the current Board chair, Dr. Mark Helfat, when he completes his six-year term as liaison for the largest, by AVMA membership, of the 11 AVMA Board districts this July.

Voting by eligible AVMA members in District II—Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—begins March 1 and ends at midnight March 31. Paper ballots will be distributed to AVMA members for whom the Association does not have email addresses. Members may also cast their votes electronically. The AVMA will email District II members with directions and a link to a secure voting website. Results will be posted online April 1.

More information about the AVMA Board election, including biographies and candidate statements for Drs. Bailey and Thompson, is posted here.

Dr. Michael Bailey

Dr. Bailey has served as Pennsylvania’s alternate delegate in the AVMA House of Delegates since 2016 and is immediate past president of the Pennsylvania VMA. He has also been on the PVMA executive committee and board of trustees for eight years. The board-certified veterinary radiologist lives in suburban Pittsburgh with his wife, Terri, and works as a radiologist and project manager for Idexx. After graduating from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1982, Dr. Bailey spent time on the faculties at Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tuskegee universities. At Tuskegee, he was also director of the veterinary teaching hospital and head of diagnostic imaging.

From 2003-2004, Dr. Bailey was an AVMA Congressional Science Fellow in Washington, D.C. Afterward, he worked in private practice and guided imaging quality and safety improvement efforts at a large corporate practice until 2016, when he joined Idexx.

Dr. Bailey says he offers a wealth of experience and knowledge in leadership and in national and international academic and professional education global exchanges with colleagues in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and Australia.

“District II and the (AVMA have) much to gain from strong representation from an individual who understands and highlights the wide-ranging, emerging opportunities, the diversity, and trends that exist for the veterinary profession in District II and nationally, while also understanding the impact of these opportunities on the local, national, as well as the international stage, always using the concept of one health as the driving principle,” Dr. Bailey said.

Dr. Robert Thompson Jr.

Dr. Thompson has represented Delaware in the AVMA HOD since 2004, first as alternate delegate, now as its delegate. The 1985 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is owner and medical director of a companion animal practice with approximately 50 employees, located in northern Delaware, where Dr. Thompson lives with his wife, Barbara.

He grew up on a farm in Hazlettville, Delaware, helping run his family’s Standardbred horse-racing business. Since receiving his VMD degree, Dr. Thompson has assumed several leadership positions with the Delaware VMA, advancing up the association’s executive ladder, including holding the offices of vice president and president. He is also a member of the Delaware Animal Response Disaster Preparedness Team.

“As a candidate for District II director … I offer 13 years of experience on the AVMA House of Delegates and the internal operations of the AVMA,” Dr. Thompson said. “I have been a loyal supporter of the AVMA Political Action Committee and have been to numerous AVMA legislative fly-ins in Washington, D.C., to lobby for AVMA-backed policies and laws.” He also noted his support for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.

“If elected to the AVMA Board of Directors, I would proudly be an advocate and fiduciary representative to the District II members, and the benefits, services, and well-being they seek,” Dr. Thompson said.