Former AMC head working for Banfield

Portland, Ore.

-- Former CEO and president of the Animal Medical Center (AMC) Jeffrey Klausner accepted a position with Banfield, The Pet Hospital.

Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, who resigned from AMC in December after less than two years on the job, will serve as vice president of professional relations and government affairs for Banfield.

In his new role, Klausner will be responsible for building and strengthening relationships with universities and national veterinary organizations such as the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, American Veterinary Medical Association and American Animal Hospital Association, among others.

It's a position he is well-suited for, he says.

For more than eight years, Klausner served as the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where he led a national effort to enhance the skills, knowledge and aptitudes of entering veterinary students. He was also responsible for implementing the nation's largest veterinary public health program.

He will lead Banfield's evidence-based medicine initiative and help demonstrate how the practice's use of this knowledge can serve as a model for the veterinary profession.

"There is a lot I still need to learn about Banfield," Klausner says. "There is a lot I know already, but many things I don't such as the specific needs they are looking at and how to fill those needs with relationships around the country."

Klausner declined to say much about his departure except to say that, "It revolved around the board and I. We had different views about what was needed to move AMC forward into the future. Their view and my view were not on the same track."

Klausner remained on AMC's payroll until March 15 and remains in negotiations over severance.

He starts his new post with Banfield April 6.

"As a medical professional and academic leader with more than 25 years experience, Dr. Klausner's education and business leadership background will be a valuable asset in Banfield's efforts to advance the quality of medicine throughout the practice and the veterinary profession," said John Payne, chief executive officer of Banfield.