Diversity absent in animal health profession

Columbus, Ohio-Veterinary medicine, like many healthcare specialties, lacks diversity, and reversing that trend is no small task, an Ohio veterinary leader reports.

"There's a very limited number of diverse students applying (tocollegiate education)," says Dr. Tod Schadler, second vice presidentof the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA). "All the healthprofessions are trying to reach them."

Schadler pressed OVMA for a scholarship that promotes diversity in veterinarycollegiate programs. The OVMA tabled his proposal but not the message.

Association President Dr. Richard Bednarski established a diversity taskforce as a joint venture between OVMA and The Ohio State University. Heappointed Schadler, a practitioner in Columbus, as chair.

Schadler's first project was to attend the healthcare meeting, "FirstNational Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparitiesin Health," jointly funded by OVMA and OSU.

On a mission

Upon his return, Schadler, also a member of the OSU admissions committee,was armed with issues to address, i.e. the importance of mentors to minorityyouth, minority students' plight in obtaining higher education, and perspectivesfrom medical students on strategies to recruit, retain and graduate minoritymedical students.

The meeting suggested that ample mentoring situations and starting recruitinginitiatives earlier in the educational pipeline were two means to attractmore minorities to the profession.

He presented his finds to the nine-member veterinarian-exclusive taskforce,which is currently refining initial recommendations and definitions.

"We need to educate students much better starting early in elementaryschool, through high school, working with counselors and undergraduates,and also in veterinary college itself.

"We need to provide information about the diverse opportunitiesavailable in veterinary medicine," says Schadler.

The task force views diversity in many different dimensions - race, nationality,ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, experience, economic status,education, professional interests, marital, family status, disabilities,religion and armed services status.

"We're not looking at a small job whatsoever. I think there's nobetter way to do it than as a cooperative venture between both the collegeand also to the profession in a state," says Schadler.

The task force's first steps are to start with the defining statementof diversity for OVMA and OSU, a statement of nondiscrimination, inclusionof diversity on its long-range strategic plan.