Dr. Niccole Bruno, is the CEO & Founder of blendvet™, a veterinary hospital certification program in diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI). Raised in Queens, New York, Dr. Bruno became interested in veterinary medicine at the age of 12 years old. Despite living in a “melting pot” of diversity, the inability to obtain mentorship from a minority veterinarian within her population was a daunting reality for this Afro-Latina.

During her undergraduate matriculation at Tuskegee University, Dr. Bruno not only achieved her Bachelor of Animal Science degree, magna cum laude in 2002, she thrived amongst the educational support and representation she so deeply desired. Her love for veterinary medicine flourished at Tuskegee University and propelled her into pursuit of her veterinary career.

While attending Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, she and fellow classmates developed VOICE (formally named Veterinary Students as One in Color and Ethnicity) in 2003, to aid in fostering an inclusive atmosphere for Cornell veterinary students, and bring campus-wide awareness to the deficits surrounding diversity in the veterinary profession. Dr. Bruno graduated from Cornell in 2006, receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree.
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Dr. Bruno’s journey throughout her veterinary career has been thoroughly rewarding. Unfortunately, her navigation into veterinary medicine as a minority has had its share of challenges. During her career, the experiences of racism, misogyny, and stereotypical behaviors, caused Dr. Bruno to subliminally develop micro-aggressions and a sense of disengagement, for a profession she once dearly loved. Nevertheless, her perseverance prevailed and the passion for veterinary medicine resumed when she was offered the role of Medical Director, for a local New York city veterinary hospital. For roughly eight years, her sincere and dedicated service as a hospital leader fueled her heartfelt endeavors to ensure a culture of diversity and inclusiveness. 

Today, Dr. Bruno continues in her efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion through speaking engagements, mentorship, and building the pipeline of BIPOC students (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) into the profession. Following completion of the Purdue University and Inclusion program in 2020, her awareness, continual exploration and study into the diversity deficiencies of our profession, ignited her vision to create blendvet™. Dr. Bruno currently remains a member of the Cornell University Advisory Council, Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), National Association for Black Veterinarians, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and serves as Advisory Board member for Pawsibillities and the DEI Commission for the American Veterinary Medical Association, (AVMA). In her spare time, she enjoys activities with her family, traveling, exercise, sports, and binge-watching her favorite shows.

Dr. Genine Ervin-Smith is a Los Angeles, California native, and a 2007 graduate of Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. After veterinary school, she continued in her studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to receive a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental and Global Health Sciences.

Her veterinary journey has spanned across the avenues of clinical practice, investigative analysis, community activism, and leadership as a multi-unit hospital Director of Veterinary Quality for Banfield Pet Hospitals in Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas, Research & Development veterinarian with Virbac US, and Chief of Staff for Veterinary Centers of America, Inc. (VCA).

While the majority of Dr. Ervin-Smiths career has been positive, she has also witnessed and been exposed to nepotism and systemic disempowerment among multiple levels of veterinary culture. Despite the continued stereotypes, manipulation, and prejudice she’s endured from colleagues and clientele, she continues toward changing the hospital climate for the better and focuses on her accolades & accomplishments as reminders of achievable success.

Dr. Ervin-Smith has an infinite love for traveling and the arts, and she and her husband currently reside within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, enjoying every opportunity to mentor others and create opportunities for growth and change!