PrideVMC welcomes new board members and Gender Identity Bill of Rights update

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PrideVMC announced today its 2022-2023 board members. The following board members will assume their roles at the PrideVMC 2022 Annual Meeting on Saturday, July 30, 2022:

• Dr Abby McElroy (she, hers), president
• Dr Dane Whitaker (he, him), immediate past president
• Dr Omar Farías (he, him), president-elect
• Erin Spencer (she, hers), MEd, CVT, VTS (ECC), treasurer
• Rachel Dufour (she, hers), information officer
• Dr Morgan Miller (she, hers), PrideSVMC student advisor
• Dr Ewan Wolff (they, them), industry liaison
• Dr Deborah Kochevar (she, hers), director-at-large
• Dr Mia Cary (she, hers), CEO

PrideVMC president Dane Whitaker said, “We are grateful to Dr Sandy Hazanow, PrideVMC immediate past president, who will be stepping off the board on July 30. Her years of dedication to PrideVMC and the LGBTQ+ veterinary community have helped make us what we are today. Thank you, Dr Hazanow.”

Along with announcing its upcoming board of directors, PrideVMC revealed that 763 individuals and 144 organizations that have signed their support for the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR) to date. The GIBOR was created by PrideVMC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) working group to address inequality and inequity throughout the entire veterinary profession. Organizations that have signed the GIBOR include:

• The PrideVMC year-round partners that have signed on as of today: Boehringer Ingelheim USA Inc, Covetrus, Ethos Veterinary Health, Merck Animal Health, National Veterinary Associates, Relief Rover, Simply Done Tech Solutions, The Social DVM, Veterinary Emergency Group, and Zoetis,
• The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA),
• The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA),
• The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP),
• The Veterinary Leadership Institute,
• The veterinary schools and related entities that have signed their support as of today: Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Colorado State College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, Diversity and Inclusion, Tufts Veterinary Council on Diversity, University of California Davis Veterinary Medical Center, University of Minnesota CVM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine,
• The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP),
• The American Association of Industry Veterinarians (AAIV)
• The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), and,
• All that have signed their support as listed at the end of the GIBOR

PrideVMC invites and encourage all members of the veterinary profession to recognize the existence, humanity, and worth of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people in the veterinary profession and supporting PrideVMC’s Gender Identity Bill of Rights by completing the signatory form.

The PrideVMC Annual Meeting and Happy Hour will take place on Saturday, July 30 at 5:00 PM at the 2022 AVMA Convention in Philadelphia and virtually. This event is for PrideVMC members and anyone interested in learning more about the organization. Details and the registration link to join virtually can be here PrideVMC.org/calendar.