November 01, 2021

In an effort to promote recruitment of, collaboration with, and increased access and opportunity for underrepresented students, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges has created an interactive map featuring locations of veterinary colleges along with institutions of higher education that serve minority populations, announced the AAVMC’s Vet-Med Educator newsletter.

The visualization shows existing relationships between veterinary colleges and minority-serving institutions, as well as the numerous minority-serving institutions where veterinary colleges, veterinary organizations, and veterinary professionals can foster relationships that strengthen pathways to careers in veterinary medicine for historically excluded students.

The work was done by the AAVMC Office of Institutional Research and Diversity and AAVMC Minority Institutions Working Group. The working group was established by the AAVMC board of directors to consider strategies for improving outreach to and collaboration with minority-serving institutions.

The working group’s goals include identifying best practices for primarily white institutions to engage with historically Black colleges and universities and Native American–serving institutions, cataloging current scholarship and internships for underrepresented minorities, and working with admissions teams to enhance diversity in recruitment and admissions.