Banfield Pet Hospital’s vice president of veterinary science has been promoted to chief medical officer for the network of 1,050 clinics.
Molly McAllister, DVM, MPH, replaces Daniel Aja, DVM, who will take on a new role “focused on advancing the veterinary profession in partnership with industry organizations and academia,” according to Banfield.
The Vancouver, Washington, company reported that Dr. McAllister most recently led the veterinary science team and “operationalized its use of medical records data to inform industry-leading veterinary research and publications, ranging from anesthesia safety to antimicrobial resistance to obesity.”
“Dr. McAllister’s clinical and research background, including her scientific services experience at Royal Canin, made her the ideal choice for our next chief medical officer,” Banfield President Brian Garish said.
With Banfield Pet Hospital since 2012, Dr. McAllister was the Director of Research Programs on the Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge (BARK) team, where she oversees research projects that help explore and inform Banfield doctors and their teams about the advantages of preventive veterinary medicine. Prior to that she was senior program manager for medical learning and research programs.
Dr. McAllister earned her DVM degree from Oregon State University in 2004 and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota in 2016. She has spent her veterinary career working in equine practice, wildlife rehabilitation, and small animal clinical practice, as well as developing expertise in small animal nutrition.
Dr. Aja, who joined Banfield Pet Hospital in 2014, was named chief medical officer of Banfield in 2015. He previously served as director of U.S. professional and veterinary affairs at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, where he was responsible for its U.S. veterinary division.
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Dr. Aja has been writing From the Field in Today’s Veterinary Practice.