Pride Veterinary Medical Community – July 30 and Nov. 9, 2022

Event

Annual meeting, July 30, Philadelphia, and virtual fourth-quarter town hall meeting, Nov. 9

Program

More than 100 attendees participated in the annual meeting, hosted by the president and immediate past president of the PrideVMC, Drs. Abby McElroy and Dane Whitaker. The meeting opened with a reminder of the recently revised PrideVMC vision of an empowered LGBTQ+ veterinary community whose members are embraced by society as their authentic selves.

Awards

PrideVMC Leadership Award

Drs. Dane Whitaker (Florida ’94), Sacramento, California, and Ewan Wolff (Wisconsin ’11), Portland, Oregon, won this award given in recognition of individuals who actively support the PrideVMC’s mission to create a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community and the vision of an empowered LGBTQ+ veterinary community whose members are embraced by society as their authentic selves.

Dr. Whitaker has practiced in the San Francisco area for more than 25 years and provides small animal clinical relief services across central California. He also serves as a relief veterinarian at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. Immediate past president of the PrideVMC, Dr. Whitaker has long advocated for the LGBTQ+ community, playing an important role in the expansion of the PrideVMC’s reach and funding and displaying exemplary leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Wolff, who uses the pronouns they/them, is a small animal internist at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Maitland, Florida. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, they previously worked elsewhere in Florida and in Montana. Dr. Wolff serves on the ACVIM Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and the ACVIM Membership Committee and is the co-chair of the Gender Identity SubGroup of the PrideVMC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group. They are a co-author and co-chair of the PrideVMC’s Gender Identity Bill of Rights and a co-lead of the Gender Diversity Guide project.

Business

The organization reviewed the 2022 strategic priorities and activities, shared its progress against key metrics, and outlined initial planning for Pride VMC’s 30th anniversary celebrations in 2023.

Officials

Dr. Abby McElroy, Harrisville, Rhode Island, president; Dr. Omar Farías, Kansas City, Missouri, president-elect; Erin Spencer, Derry, New Hampshire, treasurer; Dr. Dane Whitaker, Sacramento, California, immediate past president; Rachel Dufour, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, information officer; Dr. Mia Cary, Greensboro, North Carolina, chief executive officer; Dr. Morgan Miller, Chicago, Pride Student Veterinary Medical Community adviser; Dr. Ewan Wolff, Portland, Oregon, industry liaison; and director at large—Dr. Deborah Kochevar, Grafton, Massachusetts