How to Enhance Diversity and Inclusiveness in the Veterinary Profession

As Rachel Cezar, DVM, director of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, explains, there are multiple different ways veterinarians have been trying to enhance diversity and inclusiveness in the profession.

"And I think one of the things is that I've realized is that when I was in veterinary school or starting in the routes that I wanted to go into—you know large animal, equine or working in the government, going to farms. I was one of very few females that were out there doing that and sometimes they wouldn't ask me.

I was in Michigan at the time, they would be like well where are you from Detroit? And I was like no from this small little town of a thousand people and graduated with 50 kids and we drove tractors to school. And you're like what, that doesn't make any sense. I know it's kind of different. So I think after going through that, I realized that I wanted to pay it forward and I want to give back and help others and show that you know I'm not just only one of few that are out there being in this veterinary profession. And show students, show kids, that you know she can do it, I could do it too.

And so I think that's why I'm so involved with so many different areas of nonprofits and organized leadership, because I want to show others that being a model for them that they can do this as well. And giving them advice as well as to what's the best route and what's the best thing to do. So I always think that the way we're going to be able to enhance diversity and inclusiveness is by paying it forward and really in all telling our stories and helping mentoring those that we see that we want to move up and do more and do different things. That's kind of why I work at the community college as well to help with that too."