Introducing DVM: DiVersity Matters (An Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges Initiative)

Now more than ever, colleges of veterinary medicine (CVMs) are challenged to improve the educational experience, build environments that support long-term student and faculty success, and create a diverse and competitive workforce. Additionally, the nation's fast-evolving racial and ethnic demographics demand that the veterinary medical profession be responsive to the emerging needs of this changing population. In March 2005, during the 15th Iverson Bell Symposium, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) unveiled its DiVersity Matters (DVM) initiative, designed to bring the CVMs closer to achieving these goals. Several key objectives of the initiative and their possible long-term significance to success of the DiVersity Matters initiative are explored here, and CVMs are encouraged to expand efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity in academic veterinary medicine.