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University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary School

Mailing Address
2015 SW 16th Ave
Gainesville, Florida 32608
Phone
(352) 294-4202
School Information
"The UF College of Veterinary Medicine, the state’s only veterinary medical college, is committed to advancing the health and welfare of animals, humans and the veterinary medical profession through world-class education, innovative research and state-of-the-art clinical services." (Source: https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/about-the-college/)

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The school released its 2021/2022 "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Strategic Priorities" and stated, "We delivered implicit bias training to the resident/intern program coordinators and to the Admissions Committee." In addition, "We have encouraged faculty to undergo search advocacy training, and are implementing practices to avoid implicit bias and prioritize clear metrics in our recruitment and interview processes."
Resources
  • The school's Office of Diversity and Inclusion announced several events which took place between March 2017 and October 2018 on topics of racial and social justice. Featured was a talk by keynote speaker Tim Wise at the "UF Social Justice Summit." The summit is described as a way to foster "discussions around an active, consistent, and arduous practice of re-evaluating our power and privilege in order to practice ways to act in solidarity with marginalized groups of people."
  • On November 4, 2022, the school published a list of anti-racism resources including "How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi.
  • The school published a biography of its Assistant Dean and Clinical Assistant Professor Michael V. Bowie Ph.D. which lists his many accomplishments and grants received. Dr. Bowie is the project manager for a grant titled, "Advancing Racial Justice Through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access at the University of Florida."
  • On July 1, 2020, the school's Shelter Medicine Program published a list of readings on the topic of racial discrimination and social justice within the veterinary profession including: "AJ Albrecht: Recognizing and dismantling racism in animal rescue," "Oakland Animal Services: Racism in Animal Welfare," "Toronto Humane Society: Black Lives Matter," and "Project Implicit: A self-test for implicit bias."
  • The school's Shelter Medicine Program reported on its 2014 project titled, "Million Cat Challenge." The goal of the project has been to save millions of cats lives, however, "We as a movement and a profession were invited to think even bigger. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink business as usual, paradoxically allowing many shelters to reimagine what could be permitted and possible. At the same time, the call came for animal 'sheltering' to shift focus from shelters to the surrounding community, with an increasing recognition that racial and social justice must be central to every aspect of our work."
  • The school's Veterinary Hospital announced its "2022 Veterinary Technician CE Sessions" which included a session titled, "Microaggressions and Bias in Vetmed." This session does not only "provide definitions and examples of both conscious and unconscious bias and microaggressions in a veterinary setting, but empower participants with the language, tools, and practical steps to address negative behavior with supervisors, co-workers, and clients."
  • On May 12, 2021, the University's publication "UF Health" published an article entitled, "UF veterinary college names longtime leader in diversity outreach to new assistant dean position." The article announced that "Michael Bowie, Ph.D. was named assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion." In discussing Bowie the college stated, “He will help to inform the strategic discussion advancing diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the college and will build, guide and assess policies and practices that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion as a means of improving the college’s cultural climate and supporting its underrepresented populations."
Symbolic Actions
  • On June 2, 2020, the school's then-Interim Dean issued a statement on the death of George Floyd and racial injustice and stated, "We have seen the violence projected on our TV screens and dominating the news cycle 24-7 — violence we know has affected people of color disproportionately throughout our country’s history."
Last updated November 16th, 2023
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