In 2016, Dr. Annie J. Daniel founded the Institute for Healthcare Education Leadership and Professionals (“iHELP”), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization) (the-ihelp.org). The National Association for Black Veterinarians (“NABV”) (nabvonline.org) is iHELP’s first initiative. iHELP’s ultimate mission for NABV is to increase the number of Black people in veterinary and increase awareness of the veterinary profession amongst K-12 and undergraduate students through community outreach. The organization’s goal is to remove barriers that prevent Black students from entering the profession by creating a pipeline into veterinary medicine for Black people. Our goal is to provide networking opportunities, high-quality professional development, scholarships, grants, and educational information about veterinary career choices to K-12 students, pre-vet undergraduate students, and students in professional veterinary degree programs. Dr. Daniel’s experiences as a Black woman working in the least diverse organization in the United States inspired her to create this organization.

Our mission, through its leadership and members, is to “Build a network of individuals and organizations that advocate for increasing the number of Black people in veterinary medicine at every level and profession.”

The NABV will operate for educational purposes by promoting our mission. Our goal is to provide a medium for Black people in veterinary medicine to advocate, recruit, and engage with our students, who will be the next generation of Black veterinarians. We plan to accomplish this through professional development, social networking, academic settings, and cultural activities. By providing these activities, we will work together to build lasting relationships, instill pride, and foster diversity and inclusion in the veterinary profession. An integral part of NABV’s veterinary medicine mission is to increase the participation of Black veterinarians, veterinary students, and allies to go out in the communities to teach about the veterinary profession and careers. We invite you to join us in this mission. We are committed to supporting our outreach efforts in Black communities to improve relations among diverse peoples nationwide and beyond.