One Health

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share that we're launching a new webinar series over at Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA).

Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine is a groundbreaking webinar series that brings to life the voices behind Elsevier's Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine, Parts 1 & 2 - the first comprehensive, open-access DEI publications in veterinary medicine.

Thanks to a generous grant from Maddie's Fund®, MCVMA secured permanent open access to these volumes. Now, Beyond the Page takes this knowledge further with live, interactive conversations that connect scholarship to action.

Our first installment features none other than Dr. @Michael Blackwell, Director of the Program for Pet Health Equity at the University of Tennessee, former Chief of Staff in the Office of the Surgeon General of the U.S., and recipient of the AVMA's 2025 Frederick Douglass Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award.

We'll discuss his chapter, "Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation," which explores practical strategies for closing gaps in care, addressing inequities, leveraging innovation, and reimagining how our profession can better serve diverse communities.

Join us! September 30 5pm PT \ 8pm ET
Read the chapter for free now at: mcvma.org/publications
Register for our free webinar to be part of this inspiring conversation: https://bit.ly/MulticulturalVMABeyondthePage 

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Melody Martinez
Executive Director
Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA)
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Thank you Melody! i will post this on our events paged as well. 

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T' Fisher, Director of Operations
Program for Pet Health Equity
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Hi All,

I know some of you on this forum joined us for the live event - thank you! Dr. Blackwell shared a lot of great insights. If you weren't able to join us, the recording is now up on the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association's YouTube Channel. You can view it here.

Here are a few highlights from our discussion:

• We reflected on the moral courage veterinary professionals need to uphold our oath—ensuring no animal suffers due to financial constraints and expanding access to care for families.
  
  
• We explored ways to align patient needs with client resources, making veterinary care more relational and collaborative.
  
  
• Dr. Blackwell shared his vision for expanding access through cross-sector collaboration to support the wellbeing of the whole family, including animals.
  
  
• We also discussed the updated Access to Care report, the concerns veterinarians have of practicing along the spectrum of care, and the importance of documentation, informed consent, and complete medical records. 
  

Our next free event in this series will be a discussion with Veterinary Technician Specialists Stephen Niño Cital and Camia Tonge on "Diversifying the Veterinary Technician Specialist Pipeline." Their insights extend beyond technician roles, offering valuable takeaways for veterinarians, practice managers, social workers, and hospital administrators seeking to build more inclusive, effective, and equitable teams that support the wide range of diversity among our clients.

As a bonus: Attendees will be entered to win two tickets to our virtual CE Conference, RISE Remix, on November 22!

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Melody Martinez
Executive Director
Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA)
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