Pulse - September 2022 - 6

PULSEPOINTS
AVMA, VMAE announce profession-wide program to enhance
diversity in veterinary medicine
Journey for Teams seeks to educate, inspire and drive change in advancing DEI throughout the profession
PHILADELPHIA (July 30, 2022)
- " Journey for Teams, " a sweeping
new initiative to enhance diversity,
equity and inclusion throughout
the nation's veterinary profession,
was announced today by the American
Veterinary Medical Association
(AVMA) and Veterinary Medical
Association Executives (VMAE).
" Journey for Teams is our most
ambitious DEI undertaking to date
- a comprehensive and collaborative
process to be incorporated into
every sphere of activity within veterinary
medicine, " said Dr. Jose Arce,
President of the AVMA, at a news
conference at the AVMA's annual
convention in Philadelphia.
The program builds upon the original
" Journey " program launched in
July 2021 by the VMAE that provides
executive directors and elected leaders
at veterinary medical associations
with tools and resources to advance
DEI. The new Journey for Teams is
designed for veterinary professionals
and workplaces of all kinds, including
private practices, animal hospitals,
academia, industry and other settings.
Journey for Teams will engage veterinary
professionals to increase their
knowledge of DEI principles and
foster individual and team behaviors
that help advance a diverse, equitable
and inclusive environment. More
than 140 individuals with subjectmatter
expertise who are active in
DEI within the veterinary community
will be invited to provide guidance
on topics, suggest guest authors, and
offer in-depth resources that support
learning on identified topics.
" Diversifying our profession will
require sustained effort over the
course of many years, " Dr. Arce
noted. " No one can do it alone, nor
is Journey for Teams the answer to
6
all our challenges, but it gives us
a shared path to greater diversity,
equity and inclusion. "
" We want to mobilize the entire veterinary
profession, " said Dr. Randy
Wheeler, President of the VMAE.
" A profession that better reflects the
demographics of the nation will benefit
clients, patients, communities,
and the workplaces themselves. "
Starting with today's announcement,
the AVMA, VMAE and their partners
are encouraging veterinarians and
their workplaces across the country
to " join the journey " by signaling
their intention to participate in
the program. As part of Journey for
Teams, veterinary workplaces will be
encouraged to include a commitment
to DEI core principles and behaviors
in their stated values.
Journey for Teams will involve a
sustained commitment to in-depth
DEI learning. Beginning this fall and
over the next two years, new learning
modules will be released monthly.
Tools and resources will include the
program's website, a guide, a video,
the introductory webinar, learning
modules and a facilitator's handbook.
Development and implementation of
Journey for Teams will be overseen
by Dr. Latonia Craig, the AVMA's
new Chief Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion Officer, who begins in the
newly created role September 1.
To further expand outreach efforts,
the AVMA and VMAE are working
with veterinary and animal health
organizations who have signed on
as Educational Partners and have an
aligned commitment to DEI. Educational
Partners will be critical to the
success of the program, as they help
raise awareness and engagement
in Journey for Teams. The initial
companies who will be contributing
their knowledge and expertise to the
program, as well as financial support
and valuable resources, include Mars
Veterinary Health, Nationwide Insurance,
NAVC, NVA, Viticus Group
and Zoetis at the " Trailblazers " level
and CareCredit, Hill's Pet Nutrition,
Merck Animal Health, Petco and
Suveto at the " Adventurers " level.
" Today's announcement is just the
beginning; we're so grateful to the companies
that have joined us so far and
we know many more companies will be
joining us in the future, " said Dr. Arce.
" Educational Partners will also participate
in the development of content and
resources and use their communication
channels to drive engagement with
Journey for Teams. "
SEPTEMBER 2022
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Pulse - September 2022

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