CVMBS Faculty Member Elected Incoming President Of AVMA
Story by Megan Myers, CVMBS Communications
Dr. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor of telehealth at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS), has been elected as the incoming president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Teller will serve as president-elect for August 2021-2022 and then as president for August 2022-2023. She will be the AVMA’s first female president to have raised a child while in practice, as well as one of two candidates from the first female-only race for the position.
“Texas A&M University has a long history of producing leaders at the national level. We are extraordinarily proud that one of our own will once again lead the profession of veterinary medicine,” said Dr. John August, dean of the CVMBS. “On behalf of all of my colleagues in our College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, I wish Dr. Teller every success in her new roles. We are very proud of this latest recognition of her many contributions to veterinary medicine.”
As president-elect, Teller will assist AVMA president Dr. José Arce, serve on the board of directors, and be the presiding officer at all house of delegates sessions.
Her priorities for the AVMA include increasing support for veterinarians and veterinary support staff to reduce burnout and create a steady job market.
“The veterinary profession continues to grapple with issues around well-being,” Teller said. “Veterinary medicine is hard, and our issues are serious, but we can still take joy in what we do every day and have fun working together to make things better. I love being a veterinarian—I knew at the age of 6 that this is what I wanted to do, and, to this day, I cannot imagine doing anything else. I would do it all over again, and I plan to share that passion and enthusiasm with my colleagues and our students.
“I will continue to help the AVMA advance our initiatives to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the veterinary profession. This is something that will take time and we must continue to move forward,” she said. “I will also help the veterinary profession adapt to the increasing usage of telemedicine, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and other new technologies, so that we can appropriately incorporate these things into our patient care and remain on the cutting edge.”
Teller was elected during the AVMA house of delegates meeting in Chicago, held from July 29 through Aug. 1. She was installed and assumed her new position during the first regular meeting of the board of directors on July 31.
Teller joined the CVMBS in 2018 as the first full-time telehealth veterinarian in academia. She leads the college’s Virtual Vet telehealth program at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and prepares veterinary students to use telemedicine in their future careers.
She has been a member of the AVMA since 1990 and recently served as vice chair and chair of the board of directors. Teller has also served as chair of the State Advocacy Committee and has been a member of the house of delegates and several other committees.
In July 2017, she played a key role in formulating the AVMA’s official policy on telemedicine.
She has also served as president of both the Harris County and Texas Veterinary Medical Associations (TVMA). She received the “Visionary of the Year” Award from the Southwest Veterinary Symposium in 2019 and the TVMA President’s Award in 2007, 2009, and 2016.
The AVMA has had only three other female presidents in its history, one of whom was Dr. Bonnie Beaver, a professor at the CVMBS and the college’s first female faculty member.
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For more information about the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
