This article was originally printed in the March/April 2025 issue of the California Veterinarian magazine.

On January 9–11, 2025, CVMA leadership attended the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago. Representing the CVMA as California’s “emerging leader” was Dr. Elizabeth Grant, a small animal associate veterinarian at Community Veterinary Hospital in Garden Grove, California. Dr. Grant graduated from UC Davis with her DVM degree in 2023. Her parents, Drs. William Grant II and Dayna Wiedenkeller, are both past-presidents of the CVMA.

Taryn DeOilers, the CVMA’s Director of Communications, interviewed Dr. Grant about her experience as the CVMA’s emerging leader at the AVMA conference. Below is a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity.

TARYN DEOILERS: Can you tell me what made you interested in representing the CVMA as California’s “emerging leader”?

DR. ELIZABETH GRANT: During my time in veterinary school, I was the CVMA’s alternate student delegate. I have to acknowledge my parents’ role in organized veterinary medicine. They both really emphasized the importance of giving back to the profession. As a new grad, I had been looking for ways to get involved with the CVMA, but even with my parents’ involvement, it was a bit overwhelming because there are so many ways to do so. This felt like a really good start.

TD: Can you walk me through each day of the conference and what you experienced?

DR. GRANT: The first day had many CE opportunities for leadership. I went to a few different CE sessions, covering everything from how to integrate talking about finances while still being a compassionate veterinarian, to creating a good culture of accountability and addressing toxic work environments.

Later that night, we had the district caucus meeting, where the different geographic districts meet. California is part of District X, which also includes Nevada and Hawaii.

Everyone gave updates on what’s been going on at their state VMAs, and we talked about all the resolutions that would be discussed at the House of Delegates meeting over the next two days. This was such an eye-opening weekend for me, to see how involved so many people are in making decisions through the AVMA and all the different state VMAs.

Over the next two days, my focus was on attending the House of Delegates meetings. We talked about the resolutions, and then they ultimately voted on them. It was fun to watch.

TD: What was your favorite part about the whole experience?

DR. GRANT: My favorite part was hearing the opinions from so many different eterinarians and organizations. When hey talk about a resolution, it’s easy to ave our own opinion on it. But then omeone will stand up who’s part of, or example, the American Association of Avian Pathologists, or the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and they talk about things that matter to them and that are really important—things I wouldn’t have thought of as a small animalgeneral practice veterinarian. It was such a good reminder of all the amazing things we can do in our profession.

TD: Can you explain why it’s important to find time to get involved in organized veterinary medicine?

DR. GRANT: There are so many policies that are getting pushed through that affect our profession. That’s not something I realized initially—how people who aren’t part of our profession are trying to make decisions for our profession. It’s so important for us to be involved, advocate for ourselves, and stand up for our profession. We’re seeing that now more than ever with the mid-level practitioner initiative coming out of Colorado. It’s also important for us to be able to educate people, including our clients. After this trip to Chicago, I was able to educate my friends from veterinary school because none of them knew about these issues— not because they don’t care, but because as a new grad you are so busy and focused on learning.

TD: Do you have any advice for someone who is right out of veterinary school and wants to get involved but is nervous to do so?

DR. GRANT: I would find an email contact for their state VMA and reach out, even if you don’t know what you want to be involved in. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming, and the VMAs want more involvement. New grads are the next generation, and this is a very important time to get more engaged.