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Diversity, Conscious Inclusion, Belonging and Engagement

  • Did you know … over 50% of kindergartners in the U.S. are now children of color? By 2050, nearly half of the people in our workforce will be people of color.
  • Did you know … that diversity and inclusion have been added to COE accreditation standards for veterinary colleges?
  • Did you know … that a recent article in Social Innovations Journal stated “To be truly responsive to the needs of a changing population, nonprofit organizations need to focus on addressing cultural incapacity, cultural blindness and gaps in multicultural representation in organizational leadership and program design.”
  • Did you know … that ASAE’s website states “Associations that intend to remain relevant today and long into the future recognize the strategic importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) as an association management discipline.”

VMAE compiled the following resources to assist veterinary organizations with advancing and promoting diversity, inclusion, belonging and engagement within the within profession. If your association has resources you would like to add to this library, please email the item to admin@vmae.org.

Journey - A Guide for Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine

VMAE developed the Journey guide for use by executive directors and elected leaders at veterinary medical associations. We encourage you to use this great resource, meant to inspire organizations to undertake the journey and provide the tools you need to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. It will support you in becoming a more effective leader, a more visible ally, and a more articulate voice on why advancing DEI is critical to the future of the veterinary profession.

Journey for Teams

The Journey for Teams program, created by the AVMA in conjunction with the Veterinary Medical Association Executives (VMAE), gives every member of the veterinary community a pathway to foster DEI in our workplaces. It’s a comprehensive and collaborative program that engages and empowers individual members of every veterinary team to build support and understanding of DEI from the ground up.

Online Resources
  • Veterinary affinity organizations with focus on diversity, conscious inclusion, belonging and engagement, www.pridevmc.org/sibling-organizations
  • AAVMC produces a monthly series of podcasts titled Diversity and Inclusion on Air: Conversations about Diversity, Inclusion & Veterinary Medicine. Each month interviews and presentations on diversity topics and programs will air for approximately an hour. Participants and viewers will be able to access the program live, post questions, engage in a chat room during the program. At the end of the program, the session will automatically upload to the Diversity Matters at AAVMC YouTube page for later viewing.
  • The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) has a searchable online library that contains extensive resources on conscious inclusion. Visit www.asaecenter.org to search; ASAE members can log in to have full access to the content.  Examples of content available through ASAE include:
    • Cultural Competency: What is it and how can I become more competent?
    • The Case for More Conversation About Diversity and Inclusion
    • Diverse Boards Boost Organizational Success
    • How to Get the Diversity Data You Need
  • The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges routinely provides access to certain data sets to the general public on their website including DVM Student Diversity Data.
  • Welcoming Environment Resource Kit from Association Forum is designed for association executives who are interested in learning, practicing and implementing a Welcoming Enviroment at their association. These concepts can be immediately implemented in every facet of the association including workforce, membership, and leadership.
  • Take the Harvard Implicit Association Tests to determine your social  attitudes and beliefs.
  • Wish to build Inclusion and Community at your conference? Try having an “I am” wall.
  • The Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA) has made available to the public the two-part series “Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine.” These collections, published by Elsevier and edited by Dr. Christina V. Tran, feature 20 review articles and editorials from leading voices in DEI, including Dr. Michael Blackwell, Dr. Vernard Hodges, Dr. Coretta Patterson, Dr. Katherine Fogelberg, and Veterinary Technician Specialist Stephen Niño Cital. Thanks to a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund®, these articles are now available at mcvma.org/publications.
Book Recommendations

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine – Kemba Marshall (Editor), Wiley, January 2025

The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies – Scott Page

The Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy – Scott Page