DEI SHOWCASE 2023

Submissions are open to all student-run clubs that wish to highlight a specific event they hosted that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion. We want to show our support for student organizations that strive to empower underrepresented groups in veterinary medicine and foster a more inclusive environment! ICDC will be reviewing submissions and selecting ten winners from ten student organizations that best exemplify DEI. If you have any questions, reach out to savma.icdc@gmail.com

Amount: One $300 award to top recipient, plus nine $200 awards will go to their student organization for their efforts. 
Deadline: July 7th, 2023 
Link to apply: https://forms.gle/eeQb3yNhYpqHS3UD9 

Please note: By making a submission, you are giving us permission to share any aspect of your submission on our social media platforms, as the "showcase" aspect of this project! 

STUDENTS: 

ICDC is seeking to recognize individual veterinary students who have gone above and beyond to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within their institution, local community, and beyond. The ideal applicant may be involved in instituting DEI initiatives at their school, providing for underserved communities through public service, or even promoting political change on a broader scale. Do you know of someone who has put in the work to make veterinary medicine a more equitable place? Nominate them below! Self-nominations are also accepted. All SAVMA members are eligible for nomination.

Amount: Three winning submissions will be awarded $200. All nominees will receive a pin to recognize their efforts. 
Deadline: July 7th, 2023 
Link to apply: https://forms.gle/QKjgPUUVD4EiXTRa7 

FACULTY: 

ICDC is seeking to recognize faculty members who have gone above and beyond to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within their institution, local community, and beyond. The ideal applicant may be involved in DEI initiatives at their school, providing for underserved communities through public service, or even promoting political change on a broader scale. Do you know of someone who has put in the work to make veterinary medicine a more equitable place? Nominate them below! 

Amount: One winning submission will receive a pin and certificate to commemorate their work. 
Deadline: July 7th, 2023 
Link to apply: forms.gle/6BzfsQ1tnvtpyMnm9 

CHAPTERS: 

ICDC is seeking to recognize SAVMA Chapters that have gone above and beyond to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within their institution, local community, and beyond. The ideal chapter may have instituted DEI initiatives at their school, implemented ways to serve underserved communities, or even promoted political changes on a broader scale. Has your chapter put in the work to make veterinary medicine a more equitable place? Nominate them below! 

Amount: One winning submission will receive a $200 award to continue their efforts.
Deadline: July 7th, 2023 
Link to apply: forms.gle/aDNG5DGDXvUwcWCw5 

FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE

Submitted by Hannah King, North Carolina State University

"Director of LABoratory Safety"

CREATIVE CORNER

Submitted by Dominic Grey D'Andrea, University of Illinois

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: AUSTRALIA

Submitted by Vivian Lee, Cornell University

Vivian Lee (she/her) is a third-year veterinary student at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine interested in conservation medicine and aquatics!

"Imagine getting to work with stingrays up to 300 kg, dozens of penguins, and one of the rarest sea turtle species in the world. I am extremely grateful to say I was able to do that this winter break while doing an externship with The Aquarium Vet in Melbourne, Australia. The Aquarium Vet is an Australian-based company that is dedicated to advancing the health and welfare of aquatic animals in aquariums and zoos globally. They offer aquatic veterinary consultation services and are the creators of several online E-quarist courses and the E-lasmo virtual conference, in addition to a few other services offered.

I applied to this externship back in January 2021 when I was a first-year veterinary student during the COVID-19 pandemic and reserved my placement for January 2023, with high hopes that Australia’s borders would soon open again for international travel. The Aquarium Vet’s team is led by Dr. Rob Jones, a well-known shark expert, and has several other contracting veterinarians including Dr. Brett De Poister, who regularly provides veterinary services for SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and whom I primarily worked with during my rotation. 

This was my first time traveling to Australia and first international veterinary experience, and I’m happy to say it was an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for years to come. While my rotation was only two weeks, every day was filled with exciting procedures and new things to learn. SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is home to Shipwreck Explorer, a 2.2 million litre oceanarium that has a wide array of sharks, stingrays, groupers, and more. As this exhibit is undergoing constribution in a few months, all of the animals currently in the exhibit will be transported to nearby aquariums and facilities. One of my primary tasks during the rotation was to assist with barb trimming procedures of the stingrays, some which were southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus) that weighed up to 300 kg. I was mainly in charge of anesthestic monitoring, but also had the chance to draw blood from a spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and work on my blood smear technique. 

One of the other cases I worked on was a king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) that had a history of seizures and torticollosis that was previously being managed well. Due to a possible environmental trigger, the torticollosis returned and so I was able to observed how this was managed and help with re-check examinations. Certainly one of the greatest experiences I had was with one of their flatback sea turtles (Natator depressus), who needed an endoscopy procedure and my role involved intubating and monitoring anesthesia during this procedure. Other tasks involved doing necropsies on several fish and acclimating fish into a newly renovated exhibit.

As you can see, these two weeks were filled with many incredible clinical experiences! One of the main surprises I learned while living here was the work-life balance in Australia, which is much better than the United States. Every workday we had a mandatory coffee break, and all the employees were out of the aquarium by 3:45pm unless there was an emergency. It was really eye-opening to see how it impacted the quality of life for employees, and how much closer co-workers were to each other because of these simple lifestyle changes.

I was personally very happy with this balance, because I was able to go sightseeing on my days off. I went on two group tours, one of them being the Great Ocean Road Tour, where I witnessed Australia’s breathtaking coastline with pristine beaches, rainforests, and the 12 Apostles. On my last day off I did a two-island tour, first visiting French Island National Park, a hidden treasure of wilderness that has one of the largest populations of wild koalas. Afterwards, we headed to Phillip Island, where we spotted many wild wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, and of course, the iconic little blue penguins. Witnessing the daily Penguin Parade was one of the most incredible experiences, and I am so grateful that I was able to admire the native wildlife that Australia has to offer. 

Overall, this experience was extremely eye-opening and I learned a ton about international aquatic veterinary medicine. I would definitely go back to Australia in the future if I could, and highly recommend all veterinary students to take on an international experience if they can! I’d like to thank The Aquarium Vet for hosting me, especially Dr. Brett De Poister, and SAVMA’s International Veterinary Experience Committee (IVEC) who provided me substantial funding for this trip through their International Veterinary Experience Scholarship."

CUTEST PET

Submitted by Amelia Collins, University of Georgia