Tuskegee University in Alabama is the only historically Black educational institution with a school of veterinary medicine. Nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 96.5 percent of all veterinarians in the United States are White.
Creating greater diversity in the profession is a stated goal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The association requires all schools of veterinary medicine to document efforts they are making to enhance the diversity of the profession.
Tuskegee University has entered into a partnership with Auburn University in Alabama to take a small step toward diversifying the profession. Under the agreement, a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University will be trained as a resident in radiology at Auburn University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The student will become board-certified and return to Tuskegee as a faculty member.
Ruby L. Perry, dean of the College of Medicine at Tuskegee University, stated that “although veterinary medicine is still one of the most ethnically, racially and culturally homogenous professions in the country, this initiative is another way to make a difference and help achieve the goal of addressing diversity.” Dean Perry added that the agreement “underscores how we can combine efforts and resources for a common good by responding to the call to improve diversity in the veterinary profession.”
