Massachusetts practice owner John de Jong, DVM, has assumed the post of president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, replacing Michael J. Topper, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP.
The changeover occurred in July at the AVMA convention in Denver.
Dr. De Jong chaired the AVMA board of directors in 2015-16 and was the District I representative from 2010 to 2016.
The companion animal veterinarian owns Newton Animal Hospital. He was the founder and former chief surgeon of the low-cost spay/neuter clinic at Merwin Memorial Clinic in Allston, Massachusetts, the AVMA reported.
Dr. de Jong is a 1985 graduate of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
In line to replace Dr. de Jong in July 2019 is John Howe, DVM, who manages North Country Veterinary Clinic in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The AVMA House of Delegates chose him as president-elect during the Denver convention.
Dr. Howe, a 1977 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, serves as the District VII board representative for Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
His duties as president-elect include assisting Dr. de Jong, substituting for him when necessary, presiding over all sessions of the House of Delegates and serving as a voting member of the board of directors, according to the AVMA.