Did you know...

... that there are LESS than 1,200 Native American veterinarians, less than 3,000 Black/ African American veterinarians and less than 6,000 Latinx veterinarians in the ENTIRE US? The lack of racial diversity of veterinarians is just one example of the lack of diversity in veterinary medicine.

The U.S. has well over 300 MILLION people. And over 65% of those households own pets. Yet there are less than 130,000 veterinarians in the country.

Do you have $10, $20, $30? Help us change this.

Veterinary medicine impacts us all. If you own pets, care about food safety or agriculture, live in an ecosystem with wildlife, ever go to a zoo or aquarium, enjoy watching or participating in leisure sports that include animals, have benefited from biomedical research, etc, then veterinary medicine has touched you.

Who Are We?

Pawsibilities Vet Med is a community of veterinary professionals creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable veterinary profession by supporting individuals from historically underrepresented communities at any and every point in their career journey.

Vision

A robust and thriving community that fuels an inclusive veterinary profession which mirrors the diversity of society.

Core values

Leadership
Community
Inclusion

Mission

To diversify all roles within the veterinary profession by providing mentorship, professional development, and resources to all intersecting identities including but not limited to ability, ethnicity, gender identity, non-traditional paths, race*, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, religion, and veteran status.

*Social construct

What We Do:

We are removing barriers to the veterinary profession by providing mentoring and professional development opportunities, resources, and access to the veterinary professionals who are and will be influencing health care decisions for your animals, agriculture, and research. The Pawsibilities Vet Med community is designed to overcome socioeconomic and geographical barriers.

How We Do It

Pawsibilities Vet Med is fueling a pipeline with veterinary professionals and experts from multiple roles in the field to educate, encourage and support individuals from underrepresented communities to pursue a career in veterinary medicine by providing a virtual community for:

one on one mentoring
resources to advance veterinary careers
encouraging exchange of ideas

Why should I donate?

Veterinary medicine is one of the least diverse professions, with most professionals being white. Historically, access to higher education and specifically veterinary medicine has been limited for individuals from historically marginalized communities.

Pawsibilities Vet Med is answering a critical need to advances a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive society of veterinary professionals to better reflect the U.S. Quality of care and cultural sensitivity is more likely when delivered by veterinary professionals who understand the challenges of the communities they serve.

An investment in Pawsibilities Vet Med will ensure that people providing care have the cultural sensitivity and expertise you seek when addressing your pet and other animals’ care.

Our history

Valerie and Seth's journey to found Pawsibilities Vet Med began with two simple observations:

the veterinary profession of the future needs more diversity, and
a great deal of our personal success can be attributed to the mentors who believed in us before we believed in ourselves.

The first step on the journey to becoming a veterinarian or veterinary professional is to see that as a possibility for yourself. For people from historical underrepresented backgrounds, it can be harder to picture yourself as a veterinarian when we lack veterinarians who share backgrounds and life experiences.

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, and with a veterinarian mom, veterinary medicine always seemed like a possibility for Valerie, but for other young people who have never met a veterinarian who looks like them or don’t have access to anyone who understands the vet school application process, it can seem unobtainable. Pawsibilities Vet Med aims to fix this, by connecting young people interested in veterinary medicine with passionate, dedicated mentors who are excited about diversifying the veterinary profession and using their knowledge and experience to give the next generation a hand up.

Meet the Co-Founders

Seth Andrews, MEng, PhD

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Dr. Seth Andrews, PhD is a Process Engineer with Precision BioSciences. He completed a post-doc at the University of Georgia after earning his PhD in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia in 2019. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering from Cornell University. Over the course of his graduate work, Seth has mentored numerous high school and undergraduate students. He also served as the president of the University of Georgia’s Engineering Graduate Club.

Valerie C. Marcano Gomez, DVM, PhD, DACPV

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Dr. Valerie C. Marcano leans into her core values of authenticity, integrity, and fairness to advocate for health and belonging. An international speaker and consultant on leadership, mentorship, inclusion and different aspects of veterinary medicine, Dr. Valerie evaluates team inclusion strategies and educates on topics ranging from mentorship and leadership to veterinary health and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dr. Valerie is the inagural chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Association of Avian Pathologists as well as a past member of the Commission for a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Veterinary Profession of the AVMA and AAVMC. In 2022, Today’s Veterinary Business recognized Dr. Valerie as one of 22 Extraordinary Women and along with her husband Dr. Seth Andrews received the Outstanding Contribution to Diversity Equity and Inclusion award by the North Carolina Association of Minority Veterinarians. In 2023 Dr. Valerie received the Young Achiever Alumni Award at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Valerie is a diplomat of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, with experience in research, government, diagnostics, and private industry. She graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program with her veterinary (DVM) and PhD degrees. Prior to that, Dr. Valerie completed a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Research at Cornell University.

Pawsibilities Vet Med's November Fundraiser Campaign 2023

Help us create an inclusive and accessible veterinary profession!

Team Members