Hello blendVET family,
It’s Dr. Niccole Bruno here. Just popping into your inbox—heart full—to share some incredible things happening at blendVET® and invite you to keep building belonging with us.
Youth Pathways: Empowering the Next Generation
We just wrapped up our Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine Youth Pathways program at PACVET 2025. It is blendVET's 15th event since 2023! We have hosted a Youth Pathways event every month this year and we're on a mission to do even more! I want to thank CVMA and all the amazing veterinary professionals who volunteered their time and talents. Together, we impacted 46 students plus 30 parents in our in-person parent program at PACVET. Moments like these are exactly why I founded blendVET.
Thanks also to our sponsors, AVMA, Chewy and Hills plus our honored faculty for helping us host our believe & belong in veterinary medicine Youth Pathways event:
- Brian DiGangi, DVM, MS, DABV
- Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS, SA
- Genine Ervin, DVM, MPH
- Hannah Huff, DVM-MPH Candidate
- Jovanna Radillo, DVM, MPPA
- Niccole Bruno, DVM
- Walter Brown, BS, RVTg, VTS (ECC) with guest Harold David, RVT, VTS (ECC)
We’re Giving Back & Growing Forward
This summer has also been a season of deep gratitude. I recently returned to my alma mater, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, to give back and pour into the next generation of veterinary leaders. It’s such a full-circle moment to walk those halls again, this time inspiring future veterinarians to create spaces of belonging wherever they land.
At the UC Davis Summer Enrichment program, I was also honored to speak with the high school and pre-vet cohorts. I shared my own path in veterinary medicine, why DEIB matters in every exam room, and how showing up for each other makes us better clinicians and better humans. Most importantly, I invited students to stay connected through blendVET so we can support their growth as they move along the veterinary pathway.
Sharing a few of pics of the next generation of veterinary professionals!
We’re also honored that blendVET received ASPCA’s Heroes in Human Services award—a recognition that means so much to me personally and the entire blendVET team. This award was given in acknowledgment of the pathway program blendVET® partnered with the ASPCA last year. This initiative opened new doors for us to continue our work in the South Bronx in 2025 and beyond. It’s not just our win; it’s yours, because this community makes our mission possible.
Go Beyond Good—10 Weeks to Greatness
Looking ahead, we’ve got so much lined up to support your personal and professional growth.
Our Certified Achiever Fall Cohort kicks off August 15. This is a 10-week CE journey designed for veterinary professionals who want to deepen their leadership skills and grow their careers. New this year is 10 RACE-approved CE credits + partner with an assigned Buddy for weekly challenges, activities and reflection!
Here's what Jerusha Wiggins, LVT said after earning her Achiever Certification:
"This program didn’t just give me language—it gave me tools. It challenged me to pause, to listen, and to hold space for others who may still be trying to find where they belong. Becoming a DEIB Achiever reminded me that leadership isn’t about control—it’s about connection. It’s how we change the profession from the inside out."
We’re accepting just 50 participants, so if this feels like your next step, now’s the time to learn more and enroll.
Need a little nudge to ask your boss to sponsor your CE? We’ve put together some simple talking points to help you make your case—get the business case!
Vet Me Explain: Navigate Culture, Care & Connection
We’ve also launched Vet Me Explain™, our new live and on-demand RACE-approved CE webinar series. Veterinary experts share insights on leadership, communication, clinical practice, and medicine—all through a DEIB-informed lens.
These dynamic sessions go beyond traditional CE, offering actionable tools and real-world perspectives that reflect the diversity and complexity of veterinary medicine today.
You'll earn 1 hour of interactive RACE-approved CE per each webinar and explore topics like:
- How to lead change without relying on authority
- Why logic alone won’t move your team — but empathy will
- Practical tools to reduce resistance, increase connection, and build cultures where everyone belong.
Register Vet Me Explain Webinars
Books That Break Barriers & Build Belonging
And because learning doesn’t stop when we close our laptops, we’re excited to introduce LitRX Prescribed Reading. This is our curated dose of award-winning and even banned books that challenge, inspire, and transform the way we practice veterinary medicine. You can unpack systems of inequity and get fresh perspectives on identity, leadership, and belonging. Available at our blendshop bookshelf.
Stay Connected With Us
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re volunteering at a Pathways event, joining us for CE, or cheering us on from your corner of the internet, you’re helping rewrite the story of veterinary medicine—more inclusive, more inspired, and more united.
You can stay connected anytime by diving into The Belonging Brief, now online so it’s always there when you want it—no need to wait for it to land in your inbox each month (though we’re more than happy to deliver it by email).
If you’d rather keep your inbox light, we also offer mobile text updates. It’s a simple way to get gentle reminders about upcoming CE, new programs, and community highlights, right on your phone.
Forward this email to a friend to share the love! Until next time—keep building belonging in your veterinary clinic!
Warmly,
Dr. Niccole Bruno
Founder & CEO, blendVET®
Before You Go: Do have a story of belonging to share—a moment that changed how you lead, create safe spaces, or break down barriers in veterinary medicine—we’d be honored to feature it? Become our Homepage Hero and help show the world what inclusion looks like in action. Tell us your story—let’s build something powerful together.
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