Introducing dvm360 and Chewy Health’s November Innovator of the Month: Dr. Niccole Bruno, CEO & Founder of blendVET®

Sponsored by Chewy Health

The Innovator of the Month series, sponsored by Chewy Health, spotlights veterinary professionals who are driving positive change and inspiring their peers. By recognizing outstanding clinicians, technicians, and paraprofessionals, Chewy Health aims to highlight impactful initiatives and promote a brighter future for veterinary medicine.

Niccole Bruno, DVM discovered her passion for veterinary medicine at just 12 years old and has since, pursued a remarkable career as a practicing clinician, hospital leader, and advocate for young aspiring veterinary professionals. Despite being raised in one of the most diverse areas in the country, Queens, NY, she faced the challenge of not having access to mentorship from minority veterinarians, a significant hurdle for this Afro-Latina aspiring professional. Today, Dr Bruno is the CEO and Founder of blendVET®, an organization focused on enabling individuals to be their authentic selves, build trusting relationships and building an empowered, diverse community that increases the pathway of underrepresented minorities into the veterinary profession. dvm360® had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Bruno about her perseverance to establish blendVET® and to recognize her for her commitment to the veterinary industry.

Note: The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

dvm360: May you tell us about yourself and your career as a clinician in veterinary medicine?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 12 years old. Growing up in New York City, particularly in Queens, I saw many stray animals walking the streets. I always wanted to take care of them. My mother would give me my allowance, and I’d use it to buy dog or cat food to feed them. That was the beginning of my interest in veterinary care.

My younger sister is also a veterinarian, so it was nice having someone to share this journey with. I led the way as the older sister, but I quickly realized that while New York City is very diverse, stepping into veterinary medicine was a different experience. I often found myself as the only person of color in veterinary settings, and that made it hard to feel connected to the profession.

My mother encouraged me to attend Tuskegee University, a private university founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington with a long history of providing education and training to African Americans, particularly in the fields of agriculture, engineering, and the sciences. It was there that I found a sense of community while pursuing my undergraduate degree for veterinary medicine. I returned home and finished my studies at Cornell University, graduating in 2006.
I practiced small animal medicine in New York City for 11 years, and then moved to Houston. Prior to moving to Houston, I served as a medical director for a veterinary hospital in Long Island, NY. I continued my service as a hospital leader in Houston. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), I founded blendVET®.

dvm360: What was the pivotal moment/experiences that inspired you to pursue blendVET®?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have always been important to me. Even after my time studying at Tuskegee and Cornell, I continued to feel underrepresented in this profession. This shaped my efforts to create inclusive environments throughout my career. The events of 2020, including social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked a sense of urgency for me. I wanted to address the lack of DEI in veterinary medicine in a way that was actionable and relevant to everyday clinical practice.

I started researching DEI content outside of veterinary medicine but found it wasn't always applicable to what clinicians were encountering every day in our field specifically. I aimed to create training that addressed real workplace challenges, like handling microaggressions or cultural differences, not just abstract definitions.

My first DEI talk in October 2020 was for veterinary students, and the feedback was overwhelming. It highlighted how little had changed since my time in school, which motivated me even more to pursue blendVET®. BlendVET® is an organization committed to providing DEI training for veterinary professionals and increasing representation in the field through active student pipeline programs. Now, in addition to training, we focus on student pathway programming to encourage middle school students to consider veterinary medicine through exposure and support.

dvm360: What does success look like for you and your organization? What is the impact of blendVET® across the industry?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: Our two main missions are to address workplace culture in veterinary medicine and to create inclusive environments. We are committed to expanding our training program. This includes not only our blendVET® Achiever Cohort Program but also individual modules that people can purchase and complete independently. Additionally, we've partnered with other organizations to integrate our content into their learning management systems, making DEI training more accessible without the need to attend a veterinary conference. This way, veterinary professionals can access training through their workplace.

Our hashtag, #BeingBuildingBelonging, reflects our approach. In the first year of our program, we emphasized self-awareness ("Being"). We aim to advance to our next phase, and blendVET® 2.0 (“building”), and eventually to blendVET® 3.0 (“belonging”), which requires us to keep developing our training content.

Our student pathway programming has grown tremendously over the past three years. Our goal is to strengthen our relationships with schools and support students as they transition from middle school to high school and beyond. We also plan to collaborate with local veterinary schools to create opportunities for students, such as summer camps and research experiences, which will provide valuable exposure and experience hours, making them stronger candidates for veterinary programs.

dvm360: How has the innovation fueled through the foundation of blendVET® positively impacted the veterinary community?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback and many success stories, for which I am incredibly grateful. They remind me daily of our mission with the pathway programming. It's inspiring to see students who previously had little exposure to veterinary medicine show such enthusiasm by the end of our events. Educators often approach us to express their gratitude for taking the time to visit their schools. The volunteers who showcase their experiences are equally appreciative of our efforts.

Parents have been extremely supportive as well. Often, while their children benefit from active training and exposure, parents still have many questions. We recognize that parents play a crucial role, especially with middle school students, as they need to guide them toward these opportunities. Many parents have sent me thank you emails, stating they had numerous questions they couldn't find answers to online. Being in the room with us and other participants provided them with the information they were seeking.

One of the biggest surprises has been how much the veterinary community benefits from these programs. Colleagues often share with me how these experiences help them reconnect with their "why" for entering the profession. I have seen many of them moved to tears, reflecting on how these are the kinds of programs they would have wanted as students themselves.

Recently, I received a heartwarming email from a parent who suddenly decided to move to Puerto Rico. She inquired about when we would be hosting an upcoming blendVET® event because she planned to send her daughter back to participate. The fact that her daughter has attended all three of our events in Florida and that this parent is willing to send her back for the fourth speaks volumes about the impact of our program. It truly is a win-win for everyone involved.

dvm360: How has blendVET® been received by the veterinary community, including colleagues, stakeholders, and pet owners?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Our stakeholders not only sponsor our events but also actively participate, providing resources and support. We’ve grown from hosting three events in a year to eight, which shows the strong community backing.

dvm360: What are your plans for the future of blendVET®?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: We aim to continue developing our DEIB content and expanding our events. We want to make sure the profession is ready to welcome the diverse students we’re encouraging. Ideally, I’d love to host monthly events and ensure sustainability by keeping students engaged in the vet-med pathway as they navigate each stage of their journey into vetmed.

dvm360: What advice would you like to share with others in the industry who aspire to innovate in their field?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: I live by this quote by Daniel Pink (author of “The Power of Regret”): “Over time, people regret what they didn’t do more than what they did.”
When we reflect on our lives and consider the things we wish we had done but didn’t, we often realize that these regrets stem from fear, self-doubt, and the narratives we tell ourselves. For me, it was incredibly difficult to leave clinical practice and step into this role full-time. Being a clinician can define your identity; when you say, "I'm a veterinarian," people typically follow up with, "So where do you practice?" It's challenging to explain that I don’t practice anymore. I used to, and I miss it dearly. However, I also felt a strong calling to pursue this work.

When you feel that calling or passion that keeps you awake at night, or when you envision how you can improve the profession in a way that only you can, lean into that. I can always return to do relief work or go back into a hospital setting, but I could never replicate what I’ve accomplished over the past three years by stepping into that fear. So, I would say to everyone: just do it.

dvm360: In your opinion, what are the most pressing challenges in veterinary medicine, and how can we address them?

Niccole Bruno, DVM: Well, that’s a big question. For me, culture is fundamentally about people, and that has been important throughout my entire career. I seek out workplaces where I feel I can thrive and belong. This desire highlights why we have a sustainability problem within our profession; we’re not necessarily meeting people's needs—not just their basic needs, but the deeper needs that keep them in the profession. It's crucial to ensure that individuals feel valued, seen, and heard.

I believe there are organizations working on this issue, but it needs to become the standard for all veterinary workplaces. We must keep in mind that if we don’t actively retain people in our profession, we won’t be able to attract new talent. While I think everyone should come together to find their niche, I’m focused on tackling both aspects simultaneously.

However, to do things well, you need to pick a specific focus, right? For now, I’m trying to balance both, but if more people are committed to improving workplace culture or building pipelines for middle school students and pre-vet students, we could collectively dismantle the barriers preventing individuals from entering and remaining in our profession. Sustainability of our workforce is an issue we must address.