The new year has delivered a new chief medical officer to the Banfield Pet Hospital chain. The Portland, Ore., company’s 2,900 veterinarians will look to Daniel Aja, DVM, for direction in the quality of medicine practiced at nearly 900 locations. Dr. Aja replaced Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, who retired at the end of 2014. Aja’s appointment was announced in April 2014. The former Hill’s Pet Nutrition executive served as Banfield’s senior vice president of medical operations in the interim. “We are confident he’ll continue Dr. Klausner’s work of instilling our core values, including quality preventive care, across our hospitals and the broader veterinary profession,” said Tony Ueber, president and CEO of Banfield. Aja worked for 21 years as the owner and director of Cherry Bend Animal Hospital in Traverse City, Mich. His career has included service on the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates and on the Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine. He is a former president of the American Animal Hospital Association. “Banfield has been at the forefront of preventive care within the veterinary profession for the past two decades,” said Aja, a graduate of Michigan State University. “I’m excited to work with and represent veterinary professionals who are dedicated to making a better world for pets every day.”
