The first comprehensive publications on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in veterinary medicine are now free and permanently accessible online, according to a news release by the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA).

 The collections comprise parts 1 and 2 of “Elsevier's Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine.”

According to the MCVMA, the 2-part collection consists of 20 review articles and editorials written by veterinarians, veterinary technicians, social workers, and educators. The books contain contributions from well-known voices in the veterinary industry, such as 

recent American Veterinary Medical Association Frederick Douglass Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Michael Blackwell, DVM, MPH

; Vernard Hodges, DVM; Coretta Patterson, DVM, DACVIM-SA; Katherine Fogelberg, DVM, PhD, MA; and Stephen Niño Cital, RVT, SRA, RLAT, CVPP, VTS-LAM.

Some of the articles in the collection include the following

"Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Veterinary Team"

"Understanding Implicit Bias and Its Impact in Veterinary Medicine"

"What Does it Mean to be White in Veterinary Medicine?"

"The Owner Will See You Now: The Road to Entrepreneurship for Diverse Veterinarians"

"Editorial: Creating an Inclusive Experience for Veterinary Clients"

"Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation"

"Diversifying the Veterinary Technician (VTS) Pipeline"

“This publication spotlights an extraordinary group of authors whose lived experiences and professional insights will continue to shape diversity, equity, and inclusion in veterinary medicine,” Christina V. Tran, DVM, editor of the collection, MCVMA past president, and founding dean of Hanover College School of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Indiana, said in the release.

 “Each topic was carefully selected to reflect the evolving needs of our profession, ranging from inclusive mentorship and access to care to the intersectionality of race, gender, and identity in clinical and educational settings.”

The collections mark the first scholarly works focused only on DEI in veterinary medicine, with the publications representing “not just a collection of voices but a call to action for a more equitable and inclusive future in veterinary medicine,” Tran said.

In the MCVMA announcement, the organization called the now permanently open-access works “an essential step in addressing the systemic inequities affecting both professionals and clients within the field.”

Permanent open access to the 2 works was purchased by MCVMA in June 2025 with the help of a grant from Maddie’s Fund, an animal welfare foundation. The publications’ open access standing allows the public to freely read, download, cite, and share their contents without restriction, giving access to veterinary professionals, educators, and students of all incomes and institutional affiliations.

“In our current political and economic climate, MCVMA believes that open access to DEI information and educational tools is imperative to counter the ongoing misinformation and attacks on equity and justice,” Melody Martínez, CVT, contributing author and MCVMA executive director, said in the statement.

 “This initiative will increase the visibility and impact of the research and has the potential to accelerate more studies and generate stronger policy solutions to address inequities in the veterinary profession.”

Additionally, this fall, the MCVMA will be hosting a free, online “Meet the Authors” webinar series where attendees will be able to meet contributors, ask questions, and engage in discussions related to culturally responsive veterinary care, allyship in professional settings, and DEI in veterinary education.

MCVMA secures permanent open access to first DEI publications in veterinary medicine. News release. Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association. August 12, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://mcvma.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MCVMA-Press-Release-8.12.2025.pdf

Publications. Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://mcvma.org/publications/

Articles

The collection consists of 20 articles and editorials written by veterinary professionals and educators.

Veterinary association makes first veterinary DEI publications permanently open access

Jenny Cassibry Fisher, RVT, VTS (Oncology), describes how a patient can benefit from a client's trust in their veterinary team.

Establishing client trust

Improving access to care includes establishing trust with clients. In a 

 interview, Jenny Cassibry Fisher, RVT, VTS (Oncology), director of medical excellence for Mission Pet Health (formerly Southern Veterinary Partners and Mission Veterinary Partners), discussed the importance of a client’s trust in their veterinary practitioners for the benefit of the patient. A continuing education presenter at the 2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, she also discussed how digital services like telemedicine can help improve access to care while utilizing skilled technicians and assistants.

Improving access to care with technicians and telemedicine

The following is a transcript of the video:

Jenny Cassibry Fisher, RVT, VTS (Oncology)

: if a family doesn't trust their veterinary health care team, they're going to be less likely to trust their recommendations, or even follow through with the medical management client trust, and maintaining that trust can directly have an impact on the outcome of care for the patient. So making sure that we as veterinary professionals do our job to maintain that trust with our pet parents is only going to ensure, hopefully, a better outcome for that pet as well in their treatment.

Utilizing the veterinary team to improve access to care

Videos

Jenny Cassibry Fisher, RVT, VTS (Oncology), describes one way that patient outcomes can be improved.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared that the FDA can now issue emergency use authorizations for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by New World screwworm (NWS). According to the announcement, the declaration applies only to animal drugs.

“Today we are taking decisive action to safeguard the nation’s food supply from this emerging threat,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, said in the announcement.

 “This authorization equips FDA to act quickly, limit the spread of [NWS], and protect America’s livestock.”

NWS targets warm-blooded animals, including cattle, pets, wildlife, and, less commonly, humans. An NWS infestation may cause severe tissue damage and, in some cases, death.

Although the public health risk to humans remains low, its reemergence poses a potential threat to animal health and livestock production. “This parasite poses an emerging threat to livestock and food security, with potential impacts on both national security and animal health,” the HHS wrote in its announcement.

 update: New World screwworm or not? What vets should and shouldn’t submit to labs

NWS was eradicated from North America and Central America decades ago but has been advancing north since 2022 and is now close to the US border with Mexico.

 According to Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, a preventive medicine specialist focusing on parasitology, immunology, and infectious disease, an NWS invasion is likely, with predictions that the parasite will make its way into the US by this year or next year.

“We have been seeing [NWS] moving up from South America, through every single country in Central America, and has touched down into Mexico,” Lee said in a 

 “Currently, we are looking at the numbers nearly doubling every couple of weeks.”

There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for NWS in the US.

 Under the new emergency authorization, however, the FDA can temporarily authorize the use of certain animal drugs that are approved for other conditions or in other countries but not formally approved for NWS in the US, giving veterinarians and producers quicker access to options for protecting animals and the food supply. The emergency use authorization allows veterinarians, farmers, and animal health officials to have timely access to options for protecting pets, livestock, and the US food supply, the HHS said.

Screwworms: When the larvae don't care about boundaries

FDA is acting swiftly and responsibly to help ensure we have the necessary tools to prevent and control [NWS], minimizing risks to agriculture and public health,” said Marty Makary, MD, MPH, FDA commissioner.

HHS allows FDA emergency use of animal drugs to combat New World screwworm, protect US food supply. News release. US Department of Health and Human Services. August 19, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-allows-fda-emergency-use-animal-drugs-combat-new-world-screwworm-protect-us-food-supply 

. May 16, 2025. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/vet-watch-update-new-world-screwworm


The declaration allows emergency use of animal drugs not yet FDA approved for screwworm treatment.

US Department of Health and Human Services authorizes emergency use of animal drugs for New World screwworm

The veterinary relief platform Roo is launching a new service to connect students with animal health care practices that provide externships. Roo Uni is the industry’s first and only centralized platform where veterinary students can search and directly apply to externships, according to a news release. The service is free to use for students, universities, and hospitals.

Roo Uni aims to fill a critical gap in an increasingly competitive field. Traditionally, according to Roo, veterinary students have had to track down externships hospital by hospital, often applying to only a few. “The lack of centralized, transparent access has left many [students] just scrambling, stressed, and then settling for suboptimal placements that could shape their career trajectory,” Charlotte Weir, vice president of hospital success and industry relations at Roo, said in a 

The new service connects veterinary students with more than 800 animal hospitals across 47 states using a single, searchable platform. Although veterinarians are typically limited by state licenses when they begin practicing, students can gain hands-on experience across state lines.

“As the industry's largest veterinary staffing marketplace connecting hospitals with relief vets, creating a platform that does the same for students seeking externships felt like a natural next step for us,” Weir said in the release.

 “When you’re a student, it can be really difficult to ask the 'hard' questions, like: Will they pay me? How much? Will they help with housing? We built Roo Uni to answer those questions all in 1 place and take the confusion and stress out of the externship process.”

Designed by veterinary professionals who have gone through the externship process, Roo Uni was created to provide a smarter way for veterinary students to successfully start their careers across the country, according to Roo. As students head back to school, the company is aiming to help hospitals attract and identify the best emerging talent and make the process of securing a competitive externship easier for students.

“Externships are...one of the most powerful recruitment tools that a hospital can have. They allow practitioners to meet students early, showcase their practice, and identify potential future associates before graduation. It's essentially the try-before-you-hire experience for both sides. Students gain hands-on training, and hospitals get to see how students connect with their team, clients, and patients,” Weir said in the 

interview. “Externships also give practitioners the chance to give back to the profession by teaching, which many veterinarians find rewarding and reinvigorating for hospitals. Mentoring externs strengthens their team morale; it builds loyalty and helps ensure the next generation is well prepared to deliver quality care [and] gives them a leg up.”

Students can search for externships by location, area of interest, duration, and more.

Each listing provides key details students need to know before applying, such as what skills they’ll gain, whether it’s hands-on, whether the opportunity pays, how long it lasts, etc.

The service is free to use, and any pay or stipends are negotiated by the hospital and student directly.

Featured externships are highlighted, which are opportunities that have earned high praise from past students to give future externs a clear, direct path to sought-after, high-value experiences.

The new platform has already gained strong momentum in its beta form. Thousands of students have registered, with hundreds successfully placed in externships. Partnerships have been established with more than half of the veterinary schools in the US.

Jilliane De Leon, a 2026 DVM candidate and Roo student ambassador at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, California, found her externship using the platform. “Roo Uni is incredibly easy to use. The sign-up process is quick, and you get immediate access to the externships available,” she said in a 

“Roo Uni has been incredibly helpful throughout my entire externship process because they did all the legwork. All I had to do was apply,” Amber Elalem, an incoming third-year student at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, said in the news release.

 “Balancing the intense demands of vet school while trying to track down externships can be incredibly stressful. With Roo Uni, I was able to find an externship that allows me to work on really important clinical skills that I’ll need during practice, and I didn’t have to email 20 different hospitals to get there.”

For veterinary students seeking externships, De Leon advised not to be afraid to inquire about doing things. "You are there to learn and create new experiences. You might be surprised at how much someone is willing to teach you," she said.

According to Roo, veterinary practices are also seeing the value, as externships are often the first step in recruiting passionate, committed veterinarians while giving back to the profession through teaching and helping to strengthen job satisfaction.

Providing the service at no cost to users, Roo is launching Roo Uni as part of its mission to support veterinarians at various stages of their careers. “Roo already supports veterinarians later in their careers. Roo Uni, for us, extends that support at the very beginning of the journey by helping students access quality externships,” Weir said in the interview. “Roo strengthens the pipeline for future veterinarians, and we're building trust with hospitals that foster relationships with students who may eventually return to Roo for relief work or hiring opportunities. So for us, it's really about building a healthier veterinary ecosystem, one where students, practitioners, hospitals, and schools all benefit.”

Roo, leading veterinary tech company, launches Roo Uni: the first-ever national externship platform for veterinary students. News release. Roo. August 19, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250819039851/en/Roo-Leading-Veterinary-Tech-Company-Launches-Roo-Uni-the-First-ever-National-Externship-Platform-for-Veterinary-Students

Roo Uni was created by the relief veterinary platform Roo as a free service for practices and student users.

New digital platform connects students with externships

As a child growing up in Burlington, Connecticut, Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, found his love for veterinary medicine by reading Zoobooks magazines. Through those magazines, he would learn the anatomy of each animal featured, and, combined with his time spent in nature as a child, he began his journey to becoming a veterinary surgeon. The real spark was when Campbell received a puppy on his 10th birthday, and he knew his path in life was to become a veterinarian.

“As I navigated my formal education, particularly at Tuskegee University [in Alabama], those early seeds of anatomic knowledge blossomed, leading me to become an anatomy and physiology tutor in veterinary school, and eventually, I found myself increasingly drawn to the singular world of surgery. And it wasn’t just about the meticulous precision or the thrilling intellectual puzzle, though those are certainly compelling. What truly captivated my imagination was the profound, almost mystical ability to restore: to mend what was broken, to bring a living creature back to wholeness,” Campbell explained.

“Surgery, for me, embodies this incredible dance between science and art, intellect and intuition, demanding a deep understanding of both basic and advanced sciences. It’s the ultimate act of doing, of stepping into the arena to fix what was broken, to alleviate pain, and to give families back their beloved companions, whole again,” he continued.

Now the proud owner of Stitches Veterinary Surgery, the first specialty center of its kind in Long Beach, California, and a frequent speaker at veterinary conferences across the globe, Campbell is using his love of knowledge and animals to not only care for patients but to educate veterinary professionals currently in the profession or future professionals. As a proud collaborator with blendVET and Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition, Campbell is helping to uplift students in schools all over the United States by teaching them what it means to be a veterinary professional and helping create a more diverse community within veterinary medicine.

“As surgeons, we’re trained for precision, control, and expertise.... Those skills are absolutely critical, but what I’ve discovered in the deepest recesses of the operating room and in the tender conversations with families is that the most powerful, most profound healing, the most meaningful outcomes, don’t just come from perfect technique. They come from our ability to truly connect, listen, and communicate with heartfelt clarity,” he concluded.

The 2025 class of dvm360 Veterinary Heroes will be honored at a celebratory luncheon in the dvm360 Fetch Kansas City Conference. 

Click here learn more or register for the event.

Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, wins the 2025 dvm360 Veterinary Hero award in the surgery category

2025 Veterinary Heroes: Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA

Audrey Mohan never planned to get a cat, but after she spent time feeding a family of strays living on her fiancé's land, she noticed one of the kittens was in distress. The kitten was lethargic and struggled to drink any water, so she brought her to a local animal hospital. At the hospital, the kitten, whom Mohan named Skittles, weighed less than 1 lb, so she was too small for flea medicine. Skittles also had extremely low red blood cells and an injury on her front leg that was infected and swelled 3 times its normal size. Because of the injury, the local veterinarian performed an amputation, but a new issue presented itself to Mohan.

Skittles, 6-month-old calico, was treated at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Small Animal Teaching Hospital for a serious mouth injury (Images courtesy of Jason Nitsch ’14, VMBS Marketing & Communications)

“About a month after the amputation surgery, she started to lose function in her jaw, and the only way she could eat was by sticking her tongue in and out of her mouth to lick food,” Mohan said.

 “That’s when we were sent to a specialist, who then referred us to Texas A&M.”

Upon arriving at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Small Animal Teaching Hospital, she was evaluated by its dentistry service. Adriana Regalado-Ibarra, MVZ, DAVDC, noticed Skittles’ jaw was locked on one side and fractured on the other. The team believes that at some point in her life, Skittles suffered a serious injury, and now was the chance to improve her quality of life. Regalado-Ibarra noted that because she was growing when she broke her jaw, the healing process happened quickly, but the bones were not aligned properly, causing her upper and lower jaw to fuse together into 1 solid bone. This led to her mouth completely locking shut.

Skittles needed surgery desperately in order to unlock her jaw, but because of her small size, the procedure required a team of specialists and advanced equipment to ensure a successful outcome.

“Skittles was tiny. That type of surgery at that age becomes risky,” Regalado-Ibarra said.

 “We are working near important parts, like the brain, major blood vessels, and nerves. Instead of cutting the joint and risking unintended damage, we chose to remove a piece of the lower jaw to allow easier movement.”

The team was also worried about putting Skittles under anesthesia because it would be "nearly impossible" to place a breathing tube due to the jaw being locked. By using the smallest endoscope, they were able to navigate through a tiny gap located on the side of Skittles' mouth to locate her airway. They then performed a scope-assisted intubation.

The procedure lasted 3 hours and required collaboration from multiple departments, including dentistry, radiology, internal medicine, and anesthesiology. When Skittles woke up from the procedure, she meowed for the first time in months. 

Skittles being examined by the dentistry service following her surgery

“She had meowed when her jaw was open as a little kitten, but when it locked shut, she couldn’t make a sound,” Mohan said. “After surgery, she opened her mouth, yawned, and meowed.”

Skittles made a full recovery after her jaw was successfully treated and can now eat and drink with ease. However, her tongue now sticks out due to the misaligned jaw, but her family says it only adds to her charm.

“Skittles’ recovery was a true team effort,” Regalado said. “Every single person involved—including Skittles’ owner and all our medical staff—played a role in her survival.”

Dunn M. Texas A&M veterinarians help tiny kitten get her voice back. VMBS News. August 13, 2025. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/texas-am-veterinarians-help-tiny-kitten-get-her-voice-back/

Skittles, a 6-month-old calico, presented at Texas A&M’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital with her jaw locked shut on one side and fractured on the other.