Skip to main content
An Unforgettable First for Canadian Black Youth and Veterinary Medicine – Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine
April 10, 2025
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) was thrilled to participate with the Black Veterinary Association of Canada (BVAC), the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), and the Canadian VIBE Network in Canada’s first-ever blendVET and North American Veterinary Community’s Pathways event held in Toronto on April 2, 2025.
This Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine event enabled bright, passionate Black youth to get hands-on with veterinary medicine, including shelter medicine, nutrition, and other specialties.
From suturing, to listening to a dog’s heartbeat, and mastering simulated venipuncture, they tackled new skills with excitement and pride.
The CVMA was honoured to sponsor the day’s refreshments — because nothing builds connection, belonging, and wellness like sharing a good meal.
The future of veterinary medicine is bright, and we can’t wait to see where these incredible young minds go next!
It was wonderful to see other CVMA members volunteering at this event. Inclusion is at the heart of what the CVMA does. We’re committed to advancing a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible veterinary profession — through allyship with groups like BVAC, supporting anti-racism training, launching a DEI and accessibility web page, and bringing the voices of equity-deserving veterinarians into our work. Together, we’re building a profession where everyone truly belongs.
Photo: Dr. Kathy Keil, CVMA Director, Wellness, and DEI, guided students through their first-ever canine physical exam — stethoscopes on, pulses checked, and body condition scored. A big day of firsts!