The Wells International Foundation is proud to announce its newest collaboration for its STEAM Education Strategic Focus Area!
As of January 24, 2022, we are working with the National Association for Black Veterinarians (NABV; Baton Rouge, LA) to advance the work we’ve undertaken through our Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI).
Youth Veterinarian Initiative logo
The mission of the NABV is to “ADVOCATE, provide SUPPORT, and cultivate an inclusive COMMUNITY for blacks in veterinary medicine at every level of the profession through the organization, members and leadership.” NABV is committed to ensuring that its members are equipped to successfully compete in the field of veterinary medicine.
The organization’s president, Dr. Raphael Malbrue, is Assistant Professor-Adjunct at the Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and Associate Director of Nationwide Children’s Hospital Animal Resources Core (ARC) in Columbus, Ohio. He is board certified in Laboratory Animal Medicine (Diplomate, ACLAM) and a Certified Aquatic Animal Veterinarian (CertAqV).
NABV currently supports several college chapters that provide a medium for blacks in veterinary medicine to engage in professional, social, academic and cultural activities for black students and their allies.
We anticipate engaging with NABV in the following ways:
- Provide opportunities for NABV members to present their career path at YVI sessions, thereby serving as role models for YVI youth.
- Provide NABV student chapter members with an opportunity to hone their public speaking skills as they share their journey toward veterinary medicine with YVI youth.
- Expand YVI’s reach in local communities across the U.S. through NABV’s advocacy of the program, and vice versa.
Dr. Monique Y. Wells, WIF’s founder and CEO, is a NABV mentor. She looks forward to interacting one-on-one with the organization’s mentees to help them achieve their career goals.
