New nonprofit to tackle the lack of diversity in veterinary medicine

Pawsibilities Vet Med — a brand-new nonprofit organization formed to address the diversity crisis in veterinary medicine, was officially launched today.

“We aim to increase diversity based on disability status, ethnicity, gender, non- traditional path, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, and veteran status,“ according to the Pawsibilities website.

Pawsibilities is a web and mobile platform founded by Valerie Marcano, DVM, PhD, and Seth Andrews, PhD— scientists passionate about improving diversity and inclusion within the profession.

The organization’s mission is to use a values-driven approach to mentorship to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups. Pawsibilities will also equip community leaders with adequate resources to ensure long-term sustainable success.

“This fantastic organization aims to showcase veterinarians from a variety of backgrounds. My goal as a mentor is to show others that anyone can be in the veterinary field. The human-animal bond is powerful, and we need everyone to help raise awareness about it,” says dvm360 Chief Veterinary Officer Adam Christman, DVM, MBA.

Pawsibilities is open to all pre-veterinary and veterinary students, technicians, and veterinarians from underrepresented backgrounds.

Follow these 3 easy steps to join:

1. Complete a 2-hour mentoring program, which includes information about Pawsibilities, mentoring, diversity, equity, and inclusion. You can access this training here.
2. Take this quiz​.
3. Make a profile here.

To learn more, go here.