Portland, Maine (January 11, 2024) – Covetrus®, a global leader in animal-health technology and services, today announced that Link Welborn, DVM, DABVP, the company’s Chief Veterinary Officer, will assume an expanded role and additional responsibilities in 2024. In addition to serving as the company’s external spokesperson for veterinary health matters, Dr. Welborn will create and lead the Covetrus Veterinary Advisory Board, serve on the company’s newly formed product development committee, and help Covetrus develop a more integrated and refined approach to public affairs. He will continue as CEO of Veterinary Study Groups, the umbrella organization for the more than 60 Veterinary Management Groups.
“Dr. Welborn is an internationally renowned veterinary thought leader who will play a key role in connecting with our customer base, expanding and securing critical partnerships and defining for the industry the future of animal healthcare and Covetrus’ role in it,” said Matt Yordy, president of Covetrus North America. “We thank Link for his willingness to take on these additional responsibilities.”
In his role as external spokesperson, Dr. Welborn will serve as Covetrus’ leading voice for veterinary health-related topics and their impact on the veterinary industry, such as telemedicine and VCPR (veterinary-client-patient relationship). According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, VCPR is the basis for interaction among veterinarians, clients and patients and is critical to the health of animals. Telehealth plays a role in augmenting the VCPR, but only within the context of a previously established physical examination. Additionally, Dr. Welborn will oversee veterinary advocacy for other policy related activities at the Federal and state levels.
Dr. Welborn joined Covetrus in 2021 as Chief Veterinary Officer in part because he is passionate about the company’s mission to drive better financial and clinical outcomes for veterinarians. “Covetrus is committed to delivering more for their customers in a way that makes their lives easier and their practices more profitable,” he said.
He will support this commitment by helping to raise awareness among veterinarians and their practices of Covetrus VetSuite™, the company’s integrated connected care experience. VetSuite is designed to deliver greater practice workflow efficiencies and cost savings for veterinarians so they can better compete in the marketplace and build stronger pet parent advocacy.
“Today’s independent veterinary practices face a number of hurdles, including rising costs, labor shortages and increased consumer marketplace competition,” continued Dr. Welborn. “However, these burdens can be lessened when a veterinary practice chooses a holistic solution, like VetSuite, which bundles distribution, compounding, online pharmacy and Covetrus Pulse®, the industry’s first cloud-based veterinary operating system, into a single cohesive experience with advanced customer support to help make managing a practice easy and more profitable. Covetrus is the only company to provide a full suite of solutions for today’s busy veterinary practice.”
Dr. Welborn will also spearhead the company’s Veterinary Advisory Board, a group of leading veterinarians who provide the company with insights and perspectives regarding the best products and service enhancements for practices. His other activities include leading Covetrus’ presence at leading veterinary conferences and providing strategic input for meetings with customers and suppliers.
“I welcome the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities across Covetrus,” said Dr. Welborn. “I look forward to meeting veterinary colleagues and sharing with them how I’m working within Covetrus to reimagine and redefine the world of veterinary medicine to improve animal health and practice success for today and tomorrow.”
Dr. Welborn is a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, certified in Canine and Feline Practice, the owner of eight hospitals accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and an AAHA past president. In addition to his clinical focus, he has a strong interest in practice management and driving the economic success of the veterinary profession.
About Covetrus
Covetrus is a global leader in animal health technology and services. Our mission is to drive better financial and clinical outcomes for veterinarians. We bring together innovative products, technology and services into a holistic solution that helps make it easier for veterinarians to manage their practice and care for pets. Vets are at the center of everything we do. Together we are reimagining and redefining the world of veterinary medicine to improve animal health for today and tomorrow. Covetrus is headquartered in Portland, Maine with more than 5,700 employees serving over 100,000 veterinary customers around the globe. For more information about Covetrus visit www.covetrus.com.
Media Contact:
Christopher Allman-Bradshaw
chris.allman-bradshaw@covetrus.com