February 15, 2021

The two candidates for 2021-22 AVMA president-elect—Drs. Grace Bransford and Lori Teller—addressed the AVMA House of Delegates on Jan. 8 during the HOD’s regular winter session.

The recorded presentations were aired during the virtual meeting, the last time the HOD will have convened before the regular annual session this July, when delegates elect the 2022-23 AVMA president.

This is the first women-only race for AVMA president-elect in the Association’s history.

Dr. Bransford is a 1998 graduate of the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a small animal practitioner in Marin County, California.

From 2018-20, Dr. Bransford was AVMA vice president. She has been involved in AVMA volunteer leadership for more than 20 years, serving on numerous councils and committees.

“This is a time of rapid, exponential change for issues facing our profession, and I feel well prepared and equipped to meet them,” Dr. Bransford said.

She cited her career experience, including 10 years in the advertising world and 17 years as a practice owner. As vice president, she represented the AVMA to veterinary students, faculty members, and deans around the world.

Dr. Teller is a clinical associate professor of telehealth at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, from which she graduated in 1990.

She currently chairs the AVMA Board of Directors and was a founding board member of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative, dedicated to helping develop female leaders in veterinary medicine.

The AVMA president is the public face of the profession, Dr. Teller said, responsible for communicating and advancing the profession’s goals within a variety of forums.

“I have amassed the vast experience needed to communicate with our members, our students, our stakeholders, our legislators, the public, and the media,” she said. “And I believe that I am the most qualified to serve you and our members as the next AVMA president-elect.”