Dr. Tim Baszler is a Professor of Pathology and infectious Diseases, and Director of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University. He is a board-certified veterinary pathologist and a mentor to pathology residents in the combined DVM, PhD program in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Baszler holds a BS in Microbiology from North Dakota State University and a DVM from Iowa State University.  After practicing large animal medicine in Fargo, ND for three years, he returned to academia and received a PhD in Veterinary Pathobiology from the University of Illinois. He joined the faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University in 1990 and since then has been deeply involved in infectious disease research, teaching and veterinary diagnostic laboratory medicine. Dr. Baszler has been a mentor to over 40 pathology residents during his tenure at Washington State. His past and current research interests include bovine protozoal abortion, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (prion diseases), infectious disease surveillance, and new test method development and validation. Working with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, he was instrumental in development of the eyelid test for scrapie, a widely accepted international assay for scrapie infected sheep and goats. He has published over 85 peer-reviewed papers that have been cited over 1900 times by colleagues across the world.

Dr. Baszler has been an active AAVLD member throughout his career. For the past 10 years he has served the AAVLD in numerous capacities, including Northwest Regional Representative on the Executive Board, Vice-President and Chair of the Membership Committee, President-Elect and Annual Meeting Program Chair, President in 2012, and Past President and Chair of the Awards Committee. He currently serves as Chair of the Foundation Committee, and is on the Accreditation Committee, Pathology Committee, Financial Advisory Committee, Government Relations Committee, and Editorial Board of the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.  Through the years he also served on various AAVLD special committees for pathology and immunohistochemistry practice guidelines, workforce development, and interlaboratory methods comparison (sheep scrapie and equine herpesvirus diagnosis). He truly has worked tirelessly for the betterment of our professional association.

Dr. Baszler has represented AAVLD outside the association, including development of practical biosafety guidelines for clinical laboratories on the Centers for Disease Control Blue Ribbon Panel, and the Search Committee for the NAHLN Coordinator. He led a nationwide NAHLN project on validation and negative cohort testing of a meat juice assay for Classical Swine Fever. Dr. Baszler currently serves on the Coordinating Council of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

Perhaps the most important change in AAVLD during his tenure as President was the approval of a permanent Executive Director position and hiring of the first Executive Director. This is arguably one of the most important advances for our association in many years, and has elevated the stature of our association to the professional level it deserves.  Tim personally shepherded this change through the approval process, and the success of that process is a direct result of his hands on approach, honest and straightforward presentation of the case, and personal dedication. Tim has dedicated himself to support for NAHLN at the federal level, efforts that have paid off with authorization language and a proposed dedicated NAHLN budget line in the Farm Bill. He continues to be active in strengthening the NAHLN, the AAVLD laboratory accreditation process, diagnostic methods development, global food security through optimal disease surveillance, and training of the next generation of laboratory diagnosticians.