Purdue Veterinary Medicine Receives 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for Second Year in a Row

Friday, October 22, 2021

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — the college will be featured, along with 50 other recipients, in the December 2021 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the second year in a row that the college has been named as a Health Professions HEED Award recipient.

“This award is an important validation of our effort and innovation aimed at making measurable progress as a college and as a health profession in being truly welcoming and supportive of everyone,” said Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Willie Reed. “The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is playing a leadership role nationally with model initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion both in academic veterinary medicine, and in the veterinary medical profession as a whole. That’s because at our college, we don’t just talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, we live it, and this award reflects that reality.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine for the award in recognition of its multiple diversity and inclusion initiatives. The college is in the midst of its five-year diversity strategic plan, which was launched last year and received praise for its thoroughness and commitment to inclusive excellence. PVM’s role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in veterinary medicine is long-standing. Award-winning programs such as Vet Up!, led by Dr. Latonia Craig, assistant dean for inclusive excellence, and the newest initiative, called the League of VetaHumanz, led by Dr. Sandra San Miguel, associate dean for engagement, each received INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s Inspiring Programs in STEM Awards. Other programs include PVM’s new and popular virtual Learning Cafés, a monthly series of 50-minute critical conversations surrounding diverse topics chosen by the PVM community.

“PVM continues to raise the bar in diversity, equity, and inclusion through its innovative programming and leadership,” said Dr. Craig. “We are so excited for PVM to receive this award for the third time. This award is another testament of our hard work and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are not naïve to think this award means we do not have work to do. What we do know is that we have a supportive college community that makes every effort to ensure we bring our core values to life daily. This work is not easy, but we do it because that’s just who we are,” Dr. Craig explained. “You can have diversity without inclusion, but at PVM, we strive to create an environment that welcomes and includes each student, faculty, and staff member. We hope that our efforts will inspire others to engage in this work in the best way they know how.”

“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

Other recipients of the 2021 Health Professions HEED Award include schools of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. Click here to view a complete list of award recipients.

Click here for more information about the 2021 Health Professions HEED Award.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu