The Vital Role of Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine

Whitney Brown of Ross University CVM submitted this well-written piece to our Experiences Category!  Thank you very much for your vital perspective on this very important and pertinent topic - great minds like yours are the future of our profession!

The Vital Role of Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine

Whitney Brown

Recently, I was fortunate to be able to attend the 2020 Western Regional Iverson Bell Summit presented by Washington State University via online video conferencing. Named after the prominent veterinary leader Iverson Bell, this summit focused on diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine. With the unprecedented experiences and deep loss that has come with 2020, this virtual conference was a refreshing experience. Not only did I learn a great deal about how to approach new and complex challenges related to diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine, I also was afforded the opportunity to discuss and apply what I had learned with small and large groups of my peers. Some of the topics that resonated most with me and which I believe are fundamental in creating a more inclusive and forward-thinking environment in veterinary medicine include intersectionality, microaggressions, and the importance of allyship. 

To begin, the role of intersectionality in veterinary medicine was an impeccable starting point for this conference. As the speaker Lisa Greenhill expressed, intersectionality explores patterns of oppression and works with the concept of personal identity to recognize forms of social marginalization. We can see that veterinary medicine currently lacks depth in the work we have done on intersectionality and how many difficult discussions need to occur. For example, discussions of the barriers to entering and succeeding in veterinary medicine, as influenced by intersectional identities, and how marginalization and oppression may be reinforced by current institutional structures. This is widely applicable in veterinary medicine, be it in the classroom or the exam room. 

A second topic of importance was microaggressions, specifically, understanding what they are and how to combat them. In his presentations, Nicklaus McHendry-Miller did a wonderful job of explaining microaggressions as brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial, gender, sexual orientation, and religiously focused slights and insults to the target. These microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional but harmful in either case. Another important classification was that of microaggressions as microinvalidations, microassaults, or microinsults. Each of these vary in their intentionality and delivery, but all act in a way to prevent the building of strong and inclusive environments in veterinary medicine. I found this topic to be especially important in that we all have an important role to play in our respect and inclusions of everyone in veterinary medicine. It is vital that we recognize the power of our words and actions, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Taking the time to reflect on and be mindful of our own microaggressions is fundamental to making veterinary medicine more open to valuable changes and will also ultimately create more effective and inclusive systems to provide effective patient care. 

One of the topics I found especially important was allyship, specifically how to act as an ally in the veterinary community. During the conference, many presenters provided helpful guidelines on how to act as an ally. An ally is someone who is dedicated to recognizing privilege and works in solidarity with others, especially marginalized individuals or groups, in working towards societal equity and justice. An important concept is that allies recognizes that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may currently benefit. Some of the most valuable things allies can do are to be informed, to be empathetic and supportive, and to develop authentic relationships with their peers. This again reminds us of the importance of language and the subtle messages we may send to others. In veterinary medicine we often work very closely with our peers, and being an ally is invaluable to maintaining these strong relationships in our communities. We need to ensure that each member of the team feels that they are valued and respected and that it is the responsibility of all members to participate in monitoring the situation.

Questioning and constantly taking the time for personal reflection and evaluation will be vital in producing a more inclusive and enriching environment in veterinary medicine. While conferences such as the Iverson Bell Summit are vital in spurring deep thought and conversation on these important topics, continued personal education, responsibility, and accountability will be the driving force in these valuable changes. I would encourage all those in veterinary medicine to take part in actively promoting diversity and inclusion, and participating in conferences is a wonderful way to get started. During these challenging and uncertain times, this experience has shown me how resilient and innovative we can all be when confronted with adversity. I hope these experiences can carry over into our continuing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine and to enhance our advocacy for a more welcoming and accepting veterinary community.