AVMA News

AAVMC appoints Reid as new CEO

Dr. Stuart Reid
Dr. Stuart Reid (Courtesy of the Royal Veterinary College)

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) board of directors announced October 2 that Dr. Stuart Reid has accepted the position of its CEO.

Dr. Reid has served as president and principal of the Royal Veterinary College in London since 2011. He will lead the AAVMC starting August 1, 2025. Dr. Reid had been 2024-25 president-elect of the association but stepped down immediately to avoid any conflicts of interest, according to the announcement.

Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe left as AAVMC’s CEO at the end of June to become global vice president of veterinary education at Mars Veterinary Health. Since then, Dorothy Gray, AAVMC chief operations officer, has served as interim CEO.

Following a thorough search, the AAVMC board selected Dr. Reid. He previously served as dean of the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine from 2005-2011. An alumnus of Glasgow’s veterinary school, he became one of its youngest professors in 1996. Before then, he had experience in the private and public sector, working in Africa, the U.S., and Australia.

Dr. Reid has been a long-time champion for One Health, with his research interests focusing primarily on zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance. He is recognized by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as a specialist in veterinary epidemiology, as well as an expert in veterinary public health by the European Board of Veterinary Specialists.

Dr. Reid was president of the RCVS, the professional regulator in the U.K., in 2014-15. He led major governance changes and the implementation of the honorary “Doctor” title for U.K. veterinarians. He also chaired the Mind Matters Initiative of the RCVS, which aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of those in the veterinary team.

He has twice served as secretary for the AAVMC board.

“I am delighted to be joining the AAVMC and to play a role in developing and promoting academic veterinary medicine on the international stage. Building on Dr. Maccabe's tenure and working with the AAVMC Board and Assembly of Deans, there has never been a time of greater need for veterinary professionals. I look forward to resolving the challenges faced by our academic institutions and strengthening the profession and relationships with our stakeholders,” Dr. Reid said in the announcement.

AAVMC members include 34 veterinary colleges in the United States accredited by the AVMA Council on Education along with five in Canada and 18 internationally.

A version of this story appears in the December 2024 print issue of JAVMA