Dr. Ted Cohn's long history of leadership within the veterinary profession has led him to a new adventure, as he was recently named AVMA president-elect during the association's annual convention held in Chicago.

Cohn, a resident of Denver, Colo., who has deeply ingrained himself in the AVMA, AAHA, and several other veterinary organizations through his solid leadership, won the president-elect position in an uncontested race, the AVMA said.

Following his year as president-elect, Cohn is expected to take the reins as AVMA president at the 2014 annual convention, which is scheduled to be held in Denver.

Cohn said he will look to the AVMA's members to help him continue the advances that the association has made over the past 150 years.

"I believe for that historical leadership to continue, we must rededicate ourselves to the understanding that not only must our leaders have the vision, knowledge, skills, and courage to solve the serious problems currently confronting our profession, but most crucially that we must continue to enjoy the broad support and trust of our 84,000 members," Cohn said. "Let us never forget that this is their association; we are only fortunate enough to be here, to serve as brief caretakers and guides to the future."

Long history of veterinary leadership

Cohn has spent more than 35 years promoting veterinary excellence - both within his AAHA-accredited University Hills Animal Hospital and throughout the profession as a whole. 

According to the AVMA, Cohn earned his DVM degree from Tuskegee University in 1975 and later moved to Colorado, where he has continued to focus on the future of veterinary medicine. Cohn's many leadership activities have included:

• Past president of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association
• Elected to the AVMA Executive Board in 2006
• Member and chair of the AVMA Informatics Committee and several task forces prior to his Executive Board election
• Represented Colorado veterinarians for seven years on AVMA's House of Delegates
• Served as vice chair of the Task Force on Future Roles and Expectations
• Chaired the Task Force on Strategic Planning, as well as the Economic Vision Steering Committee
• Held positions of both vice chair and chair of the Executive Board
• Has served as board member and treasurer of the American Assistance Foundation since 2008

In addition to his diverse roles with the AVMA, Cohn has long contributed his valuable leadership as an AAHA member. Cohn was named AAHA's Western Region Practitioner of the Year in 1997. He also served on the AAHA leadership council from 1996 to 2008 and was an AAHA media spokesperson.