Today we’re putting the Pet Pals Spotlight on Dr. Niccole Bruno.  Dr. Bruno is the President and Founder of BLEND, a non-profit that aims to increase diversity in the veterinary industry.

1. What sparked your initial interest to become a veterinarian?

I always wanted to be a doctor and went back and forth with becoming a pediatrician vs veterinarian for some time.  My love for animals won..  I  grew up in an apartment and could not not have pets. 

Whenever I saw stray animals I would get so sad because I wanted to help them all. I would take my allowance and go to the bodega (corner store) and buy food for the stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood.

Winters were always the hardest because I would worry about them surviving the cold nights.  At the age of 12 I decided to become a veterinarian and never looked back. 

2. What excites you most about the future of veterinary medicine?

I am excited to see that we are taking more of an effort to pritoritze ourselves (mental health/work life balance) and that we are having more discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion  in veterinary medicine.

This work is equally as important to the work we do to advance medicine and technology for our patients.  We must take care of each other and that starts with fostering diversity in our teams and promoting inclusion in our work cultures. I truly believe this will be demanded more as a new generation of colleagues join our workforce and that will drive the momentum.  

3. What is BLEND?

BLEND is a veterinary hospital certification program that will provide online and in-person training for all veterinary professionals in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

BLEND hopes to build cultural competence within veterinary teams and empower them to engage effectively with the evolving demographics of our communities. We must understand our role in building relationships with our communities, understanding cultural differences and how it directly impacts the medical care we provide.

While DEI is a self-journey, there is beauty in learning and growing together in this space. BLEND hopes to provide the atmosphere for fostering inclusion within veterinary hospitals.  The pillars of BLEND include Building Relationships, Leadership, Equity/Education, Navigating the Unknown and Diversity & Inclusion. 

4. What do you hope to accomplish with BLEND?

I hope to culturally renovate the veterinary profession.  Our profession is currently in a crisis--we lack diversity and we are experiencing the highest levels of burnout and suicide.  Historically, we have placed a high priority in caring for our patients and have fallen short in providing the necessary support for veterinarians and teams.

I believe BLEND certification can be used to educate and empower our veterinary leaders and staff to provide healthy work environments for teams to thrive, build relationships with underserved communities and provide the best medical care in spite of barriers. BLEND certified hospitals will also be able to aid in the pipeline of underrepresented minorities (URM) into veterinary medicine.