July is a special month at Goodnewsforpets because it’s the month of exciting new leadership announcements at AVMA, and there is a host of other conference news in the coming months. In this issue, we cover the new leaders at AVMA announcement, a short article on my responsible AI research, the upcoming Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Summit, and a special guest interview with CWA President Andrea Dorn and the upcoming conference. These are a few things that have my attention right now, and they turn out to be more connected than they first appear.
New Leadership at the AVMA
The AVMA installed its 2026-2027 officers at the Annual Convention in Anaheim. Dr. Jen Quammen of Walton, Kentucky, is the AVMA’s new president. Speaking to the House of Delegates, she said the future of veterinary medicine won’t be built by any one person but cultivated by all in the veterinary community, a line worth sitting with.
Dr. Quammen’s own path is a good illustration of this. She began as a credentialed veterinary technician before earning her DVM from The Ohio State University. Today she serves as chief veterinary officer of Otto and still practices as a relief veterinarian, a combination that puts her at the intersection of technology and organized veterinary medicine while still standing in exam rooms, which is where the conversations the veterinary profession is about to have will actually land.
Dr. Robert H. Knapp of Columbus, Ohio, a third-generation veterinarian, was elected president-elect. Rounding out the leadership are Dr. Richard Sullivan as Board chair, Dr. Amanda Bisol as vice chair, and Dr. Elizabeth K. Boggier as AVMA vice president.
Congratulations to all of them. Read the full profiles here: AVMA elects Dr. Quammen as 2026-2027 President
What 19 Veterinary Leaders Told Me About Responsible AI
The leadership theme carries directly into research I’ve just published here.
Over the past year, I conducted the second phase of an IRB-approved qualitative study with 19 veterinary leaders, including veterinarians, PhDs, C-suite executives, AI patent holders, regulatory staff, and association leaders, averaging 21 years of experience. I presented the work at SAVY 3.0 at Cornell in May, where it received top oral presentation.
Three findings stood out.
Scribes are driving adoption. Diagnostic AI has been in radiology for years, but generative AI scribes are what’s pulling the broadest swath of the profession into AI use, largely because paperwork ranks among the top reasons veterinarians burn out.
Disclosure is still contested. As with many professions, there is no consensus on whether or how to tell clients AI was used. What is emerging is a risk-tiered approach: the higher the stakes, the stronger the agreement that transparency is required.
Pet owners are already using AI. As one veterinary leader put it, we no longer have Dr. Google or Nurse TikTok. Clients arrive having consulted ChatGPT, sometimes with a specific antibiotic in mind. The opportunity isn’t to resist that; it’s to stay the trusted expert who knows the individual patient.
None of this requires waiting for new legislation. Reviewing AI-generated notes before they enter the record, setting a clear disclosure policy, and staying current on AAVSB and AVMA guidance are available today for all veterinarians today.
The full article is here: From Guidelines to Practice: What 19 Veterinary Leaders Are Saying About Responsible AI. A journal article is anticipated for late 2026/early 2027.
Champions of Animal Health in Kansas City
Those same questions are headed for a much bigger stage next month.
The KC Animal Health Corridor hosts its 2026 Animal Health Summit August 31 and September 1 at the Midland Theatre in downtown Kansas City, themed “Champions of Animal Health.” The executive panel brings together leaders from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elanco, Merck Animal Health, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, MWI Animal Health, and Virbac, with sessions on scientific innovation, data intelligence, sustainability, and shifting pet owner expectations.
That last topic is precisely where my research landed, when pet owners arrive having already consulted AI, expectations shift for everyone in the chain, manufacturers included.
More details here: Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Animal Health Summit
Meow Y’all: The CWA Conference Is Open for Registration
Which brings me to a special group of purrfect people who write from the feline perspective about this news.
The Cat Writers’ Association has opened registration for its 32nd Annual Conference, November 6-7 in Fort Worth, Texas. This year’s theme, Meow Y’all: Saddle Up for the Future of Pet Media, could not be better timed. And there’s a milestone worth noting: this will be the first fully in-person CWA conference since COVID, with partners at the Dog Writers Association of America once again joining in the fun and educational content.
There will be two tracks on two days: a General Track on the craft and business of cat content creation, and a Rescue Communication Track with sessions on photographing adoptable pets and writing descriptions that get animals adopted. Friday Fun Night is November 6, and the CWA Communications Award Banquet follows on Saturday, November 7.
Goodnewsforpets is proud to sponsor the CWA Human-Animal Bond Award again this year. The recipient will be announced at the Saturday evening banquet.
Early bird registration closes August 17. Details here: CWA Annual Conference Set for November 6-7
A Conversation with CWA President Andrea Dorn
Finally, we had a chance to visit with Andrea Dorn, doing double duty this year as CWA President and Contest Chair, and she was generous with her time and her stories.
Andrea has been writing about animals for as long as she’s been writing; she produced a neighborhood newspaper in third grade and earned a quarter for it. Ask about the special cats in her life and the list pours out: Misty, Gabrielle’s Galaxy, Misha Baryshnikat, Mewdy Blue, Lady Butterfly. She says she could write a book about them. Actually, she is writing a book about them!
On process, she is refreshingly honest, calling her method scattered, part pantser and part too busy. Her advice to writers is about as direct as it gets: love your cats and make the most of the short time you have with them, then sit in the chair and write. Or go outside and write. Just write.
The speaker lineup she’s assembled reflects CWA’s range: Arden Moore, Amy Shojai, Cat Conrad, Brad Foster, Steve Dale, and Conference Co-Chair Dusty Rainbolt, among others. Her closing invitation is worth repeating: CWA has members in New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, the UK, Germany, and beyond, and if you communicate in any way about cats, she’d like to see you there.
Read the full interview: CWA President Dorn’s Writing Journey, A Call to Join, Attend Conference and More
The Common Thread
A new AVMA president who bridges technology and practice. Research on a profession working out its AI norms in real time. An industry summit built around trust. A conference of pet communicators back together in person. Different rooms, same conversation.
Dr. Quammen had it right: nobody builds this alone. I’ll be reporting from Kansas City at the end of August about the CWA Conference and, of course, we will cover the Goodnewsforpets Human-Animal Bond Award winner in November.
Stay tuned.
Lea-Ann Germinder
Lea-Ann Germinder, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, is president of Germinder & Associates, Inc. and publisher of Goodnewsforpets.com. Claude Sonnet 5.0 was used to edit this blog post, but the work is the author’s own.
