Pushing the Boundaries of Veterinary Innovation

A conversation with Dr. Jules Benson.

As the veterinary profession evolves, it’s clear that innovation means more than just new technologies. Industry stakeholders must rethink systems, structures and even the way conversations are conducted.

Following the recent Veterinary Innovation Summit, Vet-Advantage sat down with Dr. Jules Benson, chair of the Veterinary Innovation Council, to discuss the state of innovation in the profession, cultural obstacles and how we prepare today for tomorrow’s challenges.

You’ve now participated in three Veterinary Innovation Summits as a Council member. How has the experience evolved, particularly in terms of networking and idea sharing?

Dr. Jules Benson: Coming out of COVID, we had combined the Innovation Summit with the E-Commerce Summit, and it made for a very mixed crowd. I don’t think there were clear expectations about the direction or outcomes of the event back then. Still, it gathered great people, and networking was always a strength.

But this year felt like a real step forward. For the first time, we had a dedicated program committee that approached the event holistically, asking: “What’s the actual value we’re providing to attendees?”

We ended up framing that value in two main parts. First, curating content that stimulates industry-relevant conversations, including bringing in some outside-in thinking. Second, creating an environment where those conversations can ignite spontaneous collaboration.

We were also very intentional about inclusivity. About 30% to 40% of attendees were first-timers this year. On the first night, we did something simple but powerful: We asked people who had been to the summit before to raise their hands, and then we asked new attendees to do the same. We then paired them off in a kind of informal buddy system. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Tables were more mixed, people weren’t just sitting with their own clinics or comfort groups, and you could feel the conversation energy spark.

One of our goals was to create a space where people left a session, walked into the hallway, and immediately dove into deep discussions. And that actually happened. So much so that we had to drag people back into sessions because the hallway conversations were so engaging. That, to me, is the summit at its best.

Was there a particular session or speaker this year that stood out to you personally?

Dr. Benson: Without a doubt, Dave deBronkart’s keynote really struck a chord. He’s a cancer survivor and patient advocate from the human healthcare world, and his story is incredibly moving. He’s testified before Congress and spent years pushing for greater patient involvement in healthcare decisions.

For me, his message about client advocacy and client centricity resonated deeply. We’re entering a future where clients, enabled by tools like large language models and better access to information, will understand their pet’s medical journey in ways we’ve never seen before. His personal story, especially about fearing he wouldn’t live to see his daughter get married, brought raw humanity to the stage.

His challenge to us as veterinary teams was clear. We have both the opportunity and responsibility to define what client empowerment looks like in veterinary medicine. And we need to start now.

Innovation is a term that gets used a lot. How do you define it in the context of veterinary medicine?

Dr. Benson: We’ve often conflated technology with innovation, and while tech can certainly be part of it, I prefer to think of innovation on two levels.

First, there’s tactical innovation. That means building a better mousetrap, like improving a PIM system that doesn’t do what you need it to do today. That’s valid and important.

But what excites me is strategic innovation: looking around the corners, anticipating where the industry is going, and preparing for the cultural and systemic shifts needed to meet those changes.

For example, as client visits decline and price pressures rise, we’re seeing a convergence of factors such as fee inflation, newer treatments and expanded services. All of these are pushing us toward a breaking point. Or, alternatively, a moment of massive opportunity.

Innovation means looking at problems like that and asking: How do we reframe them? Can we build trust through better client communication? Do we need more diverse business models to deliver care differently? What trade-offs exist between independent and corporate practices? Those are the truly transformative questions.

So what’s enabling this innovation, and what’s holding it back?

Dr. Benson: Honestly, problems are our biggest enablers. When everything is going well, there’s no urgency to innovate. But when cracks appear, whether it’s client access, workforce burnout or pricing pressures, those are signals that we need to do things differently.

At this year’s summit, we deliberately framed content around four challenge areas:

1. Borrowing from human healthcare: What can we adapt?
2. Efficiency and productivity: How do we improve them?
3. Shrinking the cost-of-care gap: How do we make care more accessible?
4. Using technology to drive a spectrum of care.

Every session was designed to help attendees not just recognize these challenges but identify actionable opportunities within them.

As for blockers, the biggest one is often cultural resistance to change. We sometimes treat new ideas, like mid-level practitioners or telehealth, as if they’re slippery slopes to disaster. That fear-based thinking shuts down experimentation before it starts.

I value respectful dialogue even when we disagree … That’s essential if we want to move forward as a profession.

How do you foster more innovation in a profession that can be risk-averse?

Dr. Benson: A big part of that is shifting the Overton window, which is the range of acceptable conversations at any given time. It’s a political concept, but it applies here too. Telehealth, for instance, was once seen as unthinkable in veterinary medicine. Now we’re having serious conversations about how to do it well.

Same with spectrum of care or even mid-level providers. If we don’t start those discussions now, we risk being left behind. Or worse, we may find non-veterinary entities innovate around us.

Another concept that resonates with me is what David Frumkin called the “conversation lag.” That’s the gap between when something becomes true and when we’re willing to talk about it. Take climate change. If we can’t agree on basic facts, how do we solve anything? The same is happening in vet med.

We’re seeing new veterinary schools open, while others argue we have too many vets already. But then you hear that 40% of pet families aren’t getting care. That’s a massive opportunity, but only if we’re living in the same reality.

So the Council’s work is as much about how we talk as it is what we talk about?

Dr. Benson: Exactly. A big part of what we’re doing is facilitating better conversations, guided by people who have deep experience in the profession and are actively thinking five to 10 years ahead.

Many of our Council members sit at high levels in corporate veterinary medicine. They’re already planning moonshots and future-casting with consulting firms. Having that kind of strategic insight in the room helps us identify what’s “radical” today but might be standard practice tomorrow.

It’s not just about theory. It’s about laying the groundwork for change by creating space for real dialogue.

You’ve often talked about starting with clearly defined problems. What aren’t we defining clearly enough right now?

Dr. Benson: One big one is: What does “providing care” actually mean?

We’ve tended to default to a high-standard, high-cost model of care, which is great for those who can afford it. But that leaves many pet owners behind. That’s why I’m excited about work coming from groups like PetSmart Charities and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, who are gathering data to help define the actual state of pet health access.

When PetSmart Charities released their “State of Pet Health” report, some dismissed it as obvious. But have we ever actually surveyed 5,000 pet owners across all demographics in this way? The data gives us new fuel for better conversations.

We also need to rethink efficiency and productivity. What does it mean to be productive? Is it revenue per hour? Cases per vet? I really appreciated the sessions Matt Salois and Clint Neill led on this. They reminded us that if we’re working more hours but not seeing more patients or achieving better outcomes, that’s not efficiency.

Defining what success means, and to whom, is critical.

That leads to another question: How do we balance automation and efficiency with the need to preserve empathy and the human-animal bond?

Dr. Benson: It’s a critical balance, and one that came up in several sessions. Some questions from practitioners focused on “How do I make my life better?” And that’s valid. Burnout is real.

But we’re still a service industry, and I believe we have to start by asking: “What does the client need?” Too often, we center the conversation on our internal medical view of a problem. We need to flip that and say: “What’s the desired outcome for the pet family?”

That’s where tools like Client-Reported Outcome Measures (CROMs) come in. These are ways to measure success from the client’s perspective, not just ours. Take three golden retrievers with itchy skin. Same treatment plan, but three different sets of expectations from the owners. If we’re not gathering that data, we’re not truly serving their needs.

And here’s the thing. You can automate CROMs. You can create care journeys that include expectation gathering, follow-ups, and adjustments based on client-reported outcomes. That’s where efficiency and empathy intersect.

Final thought — what’s your outlook for the future of veterinary innovation?

Dr. Benson: I’m incredibly optimistic, but only if we’re willing to do the work. Innovation isn’t just about gadgets or AI. It’s about cultural readiness, defined problems and open conversations.

We don’t need to agree on everything. But we need to be willing to sit in the same room, hear different perspectives and explore what’s possible, especially when what’s possible today might become necessary tomorrow.

That’s what the Innovation Summit was about. That’s what the Council is working toward. And that’s the kind of profession I want to help build.

Photo credits:

istockphoto.com/Hispanolistic

istockphoto.com/Antonio_Diaz