Former AVMA President Dr. John de Jong honored with 2026 AVMA Award

(Schaumburg, Illinois) June 23, 2026-The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has honored former AVMA President Dr. John de Jong with the 2026 AVMA Award. Established in 1931, this award recognizes distinguished members of the association who have contributed to the advancement of veterinary medicine in its organizational aspects, exerting outstanding leadership in building stronger local, state or regional associations, or contributing to the improvement of the national organization.

"I am humbled and honored to receive an award for doing what I love and for giving to our noble profession." said Dr. de Jong. "I thank the AVMA for this recognition by my colleagues as we all serve our patients, clients and society."

"Dr. de Jong has spent his career strengthening the organizations that give our profession its voice-locally, nationally and on the world stage," said Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, president of the AVMA. "His vision, energy and tireless advocacy have made the AVMA and veterinary medicine stronger and more visible around the globe. It is a privilege to honor him with the 2026 AVMA Award."

A 1985 graduate of Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Dr. de Jong has practiced in the Boston area for more than four decades and has owned the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic since 1986. His commitment to organized veterinary medicine began close to home, with leadership in the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association, where he served as legislative chairman and later as president. As president of the New England Veterinary Medical Association, he successfully guided the organization through a serious financial crisis, establishing the robust systems that continue to ensure its long-term stability and support its growing annual conference today.

Dr. de Jong's service to the AVMA has spanned more than two decades and nearly every level of the organization. He represented Massachusetts in the AVMA House of Delegates, chairing the House Advisory Committee, and both the AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee and the Political Action Committee Policy Board, helping lead the association's advocacy efforts for more than a decade. He served on the AVMA Board of Directors, including as board chair from 2015 to 2016, and as AVMA president in 2018-2019. While serving as board chair, he led the national search that brought current AVMA CEO Dr. Janet Donlin to the association. He later served as chair of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Dr. de Jong's leadership has extended well beyond the United States. He first served as treasurer of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), a position he held from 2020-2022. He was then elected to the leadership of the World Veterinary Association (WVA), serving as president from 2024-2026, when he completed his term this past April. As WVA president, he worked to elevate the profession's voice among global health organizations such as the World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization and championed the One Health approach, which recognizes that animal, human and environmental health are all interconnected.

Under his leadership, the WVA and the World Medical Association renewed their commitment to collaborate on One Health, signing a refreshed memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C., at the joint WVA Congress and AVMA Convention-an event he helped bring to the U.S. capital as chair of the WVA Congress Steering Committee.

A frequent and effective communicator for the profession, Dr. de Jong has used his platform to advance issues critical to veterinary medicine and public health. In May 2024, he addressed the United Nations multi-stakeholder hearing held in preparation for the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, emphasizing the veterinary profession's essential role in the responsible use of antimicrobials. He returned to the UN this year to address the need for veterinarians and animal health to be a part of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

He has also worked to raise the profession's visibility in the broader health conversation, writing to the editor-in-chief of Time magazine after noting the absence of animal health professionals from the publication's inaugural 2024 list of the 100 most influential people in health; the following year's list included two prominent leaders in animal health.

Dr. de Jong is also a past president of the American Veterinary Medical History Society and an honorary diplomate of the American Veterinary One Health Society, formerly the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society, which conferred the honor in 2023. His earlier recognitions include the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association Distinguished Service Award.

To learn more about the AVMA Award and past recipients, visit https://www.avma.org/awards.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, senior media relations manager, at 847-732-6194 (cell) or [email protected].