Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Last year Pawsibilities Vet Med partnered with the California Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Marcano’s article on white saviorism was published in the January-February 2023 issue of California Veterinarian, the publication of the CVMA.
On January 16th, Pawsibilities Vet Med received an email addressed to Dr. Marcano full of hate speech (copy below). Dr. Marcano posted the email on social media. Dr. Marcano received hundreds of likes, comments, shares and messages from individuals and organizations. Since then, another two similar emails arrived. They are also below.
How can you support Pawsibilities Vet Med today?

Attend our seminars and lectures.
Follow us on social media for more information about upcoming seminars and webinars. Look for us in conference programs!
Become a mentor or mentee.
Pawsibilities Vet Med is a nonprofit that provides a community, potential mentors, professional development opportunities and resources to individuals from underrepresented and underserved communities to veterinary medicine. More information about us can be found at: https://www.pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/join-us/Create spaces of belonging.
Pay Pawsibilities Vet Med to train your team. Pawsibilities Vet Med has a diverse group of staff, volunteers, board of director members and advisory board members who offer seminars, webinars and workshops surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, mentorship and leadership in veterinary medicine.
Contact us for more information:
https://www.pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/contact/
Donate recurringly.
Most of our funding comes from donations. Any amount can help. We encourage recurring donations. Funds donated are used to keep the Pawsibilities platform operational, outreach, educate and create professional development opportunities.
Educate yourself.
Check out Pawsibilities Vet Med’s Introduction to Inclusive Mentoring training and be on the lookout for more educational programming.
https://www.pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/courses/introduction-to-inclusive-mentoring/
Follow us on social media.
Another way to way spread the word about Pawsibilities Vet Med is follow us on social media. Liking, commenting on and sharing our posts really increases our visibility.
Get merchandise.
We just launched a merchandise site! We are slowly increasing our portfolio. Check it out to see if there is something you’d like to purchase.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/PawsVetMed/shop?asc=u

Amplify inclusive voices.
Social justice work is taxing, and very often done by members of marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved communities:
- Provide PAID consulting and speaking opportunities
- Attend our seminars and workshops and invite others
- Share our work
- Donate to our causes
- Follow us and our causes on social media
- Share, like and comment on social media posts to increase our visibility
- Invite us into rooms where change can be made
Be an ally.
Every strategy mentioned below has a basis in allyship. There are a multitude of resources on being an ally and avoiding performative allyship – google is free. Learn about your own biases and work on them. One resource is the article The dangers of performative allyship, which you can find at:
dvm360.com/view/the-dangers-of-performative-allyship.
Create inclusive spaces.
Diversity efforts include age, ability, gender identity, neurodiversity, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, among others. Do not let the workload fall completely on us. Support can look different for different communities. Ask members of those communities the best way to contribute; examples include donating, volunteering, outreach, mentorship and providing shadowing opportunities as well as scholarships.
Donate.
Many social justice initiatives, groups and organizations depend solely on donations. Financial and in-kind donations in the form of services and goods can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful organization. Legal, accounting, fund-raising and marketing services for example, can be costly and expertise can often be easily donated by allied organizations.
Expect accountability.
Being bystanders makes us complicit. Ensure professional organizations are aware of their member’s discriminatory and abusive behavior by documenting and reporting it. Acknowledge when you witness these interactions and ask the recipient how you can help. Some individuals prefer to address it themselves, while others are glad to have some backup
Find and support local and national diversity groups.
Clubs, committees, and task forces focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion are created and led by members of marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved communities. Support the creation of these organizations, become members, and donate your time
Go Volunteer.
Volunteer in your local, state, and nation-wide organizations. Educate yourself about both the leadership and membership in these spaces, including applicable codes of conduct and bylaws. Ensure there are clear codes of conduct and operating procedures that outline consequences for discriminatory and threatening language
How can ORGANIZATIONS help create a more inclusive veterinary medicine?
Respect and professionalism towards people should be expected within every organization. Define what professional misconduct includes – for instance, codes of conduct must clearly state that hate speech and discrimination on the basis of age, ability, gender identity, neurodiversity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background will not be tolerated. Intentionality and degree of offense should be considered when defining discrimination and hate speech.
The code of conduct or any other relevant documentation must include clear ways to report individuals suspected of misconduct. Examples of this include an embedded web form or the email of the officer to be contacted. In addition, a message indicating the complaint has been received and a timeframe for an update on the case are paramount.
- Organizations should have a committee in place to review code of conduct complaints. The organization must also have a plan in place, such as an external mediator, in case of conflict of interests. The organization must begin an investigation.
- Once a claim has been filed, clear action steps must be available for anyone found guilty of intentional discriminatory misconduct or hate speech.
- Enforceable actions include limited access to membership benefits and leadership within the organization (see below).
- A path to redemption must be defined and include apologies and training to ensure it will not happen again.
- Repeated offenses must result in dismissal and membership revoked
- Dismissals due to discriminatory practices and hate speech must not be confidential. While the details surrounding the dismissal do not need to be shared, categorical dismissal must be available to any organizations that this individual may join in the future.
What are areas of enforceable actions?
We must prevent bias from affecting recruitment and retention. It is harmful for our pipeline to have individuals racist, homophobic and other discriminatory beliefs directly impacting the pool of incoming professionals.
Veterinary medicine does not currently represent the population of the United States. Serving the communities we care for and ultimately addressing veterinary care deserts can only be done by understanding and appreciating
community differences. Allowing discriminatory practices to spread through our professional and educational spaces does nothing to advance our profession.
Hands on training is paramount to success in veterinary medicine.It is nerve-racking enough knowing you have a life in your hands without also being attacked for who you are and what you look like during the process. Our pipeline must be fostered in an inclusive and supportive environment.
Organizations driving inclusive change in veterinary medicine
- American Association of Veterinarians of Indian Origin (AAVIO)
- Association of Asian Veterinary Medical Professionals (AAVMP)
- BlackDVM Network
- Black Veterinary Association of Canada (BVAC)
- Jewish Association of Veterinarians
- Latinx Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA)
- Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA)
- Native American Veterinary Association (NAVA)
- National Association for Black Veterinarians (NABV)
- Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC)
- Pride Student Veterinary Medical Community (PrideSVMC)
- Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE)
- Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI)
- Blendvet®
- Chapter VIII: Veterinary Inclusion and Intersectionality Initiative
- Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition
- Pawsibilities Vet Med
- Twopointone Vet Med
- Vets of all Colors
- Empowering Veterinary Teams (EVT)
- Get MotiVETed! Veterinary Wellbeing Solutions
- Not One More Vet (NOMV)
- Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds