This partnership helps the NABV achieve its goal of fostering diversity in the field by providing a medium for Blacks to engage with veterinary professionals in professional, social, academic, and cultural settings.
TAMPA, Fla., June 19, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, a leading provider of advanced veterinary care with over 100 practices nationwide, announced today that it is now a partner of the National Association of Black Veterinarians (NABV). The NABV is a network of individuals and organizations committed to advocating, providing support, and cultivating an inclusive community for Blacks in veterinary medicine. Through this partnership, BluePearl helps the NABV achieve its goal of fostering diversity in the field by providing a medium for Blacks to engage with veterinary professionals in professional, social, academic, and cultural settings.
“BluePearl understands the responsibility it holds in reinforcing equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging, discussing the importance of allyship, and encouraging education and action across its practices,” said Dr. James Barr, Chief Medical Officer at BluePearl. “As an industry, we can and must do more to attract more minority students to the profession, and it begins with partnerships like this. I am excited to see how our collective efforts will pave a new way for veterinary professionals within the BIPOC community both today and in the future.”
BluePearl will help the NABV achieve its goal of promoting veterinary medicine to underrepresented groups by working with K-12 students, pre-veterinary medicine undergraduate students, and students in professional veterinary degree programs across the U.S., offering educational and experiential learning opportunities to those who are interested in the field. Other core actions of the NABV that BluePearl’s partnership will help support includes:
- Providing high-quality professional development
- Providing a network of mentoring opportunities
- Providing career planning and advice to professionals and pre-professionals
“The NABV and BluePearl partnership helps us fulfill our mission of providing a medium for Black people in veterinary medicine to advocate and engage with students through various activities. By providing professional, social, academic, and cultural activities, we will build lasting relationships, instill pride, and foster diversity and inclusion in the veterinary profession,” said Annie J. Daniel, PhD, Founder and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Education Leadership and Professionals, and Founder, NABV. “An integral part of the NABV’s veterinary medicine mission is to increase the participation of Black veterinarians, veterinary students, and allies to go out in the communities to teach about the veterinary profession and careers. BluePearl has joined us in this mission and is committed to supporting our outreach efforts in Black communities to improve relations among diverse peoples nationwide and beyond.”
In addition to this recent action, in 2021, BluePearl created an Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Council to serve as the Associate voice, raise awareness, and bring resources to its practices nationally. Recent BluePearl EI&D Council actions include national EI&D month activations (e.g., Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month), Associate selection of pronoun preferences for the organization’s database, nametags, and email signatures, and mandatory “Fundamentals of EI&D Training” for all current and new Associates. EI&D Training at BluePearl includes online educational materials, such as presentations and resource guides, to support inclusive language and practices.
About BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital
Founded in 1996, BluePearl is one of the largest specialty and emergency veterinary practices in the U.S. today. BluePearl has more than 100 hospitals in 29 states that together employ 7,000+ Associates, including 1,330+ veterinarians, 1,600+ veterinary technicians, and 4,100+ other professionals. Each year, our compassionate teams provide high-quality care for more than 1.1 million pets and their families. BluePearl clinicians also participate in clinical studies to discover new treatments and procedures that improve pet health. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, BluePearl is committed to its purpose — A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® — because pets make a better world for us. Learn more at BluePearlVet.com.
Media Contact
Laura Fourniotis, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, 813.327.6937, [email protected]
[email protected], BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, 724.982.8737, [email protected]
SOURCE BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital
