Dr. Laila Proenca on facing fears and embracing ambition.

It takes a special kind of person to make it in the veterinary field. You need guts, tenacity, and a certain degree of fearlessness few people have. Dr. Laila Proença has all of these qualities and much more. A proud immigrant from Brazil, Dr. Proença now works for the VCA animal hospital and is the first South American Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine.

Dr. Proença has been a vet since 2004 and has been working hard to support the community ever since. One of her biggest concerns about the veterinary field is lack of ready access to knowledge. Although vets spend years in college to learn as much as they can about veterinary medicine, this knowledge is a drop in the bucket compared to all the different diseases and problems out there.

This is especially the case for exotics, as zoo medicine (or zoomed) often has quite a few quirks not covered by college courses. Dr. Proença is fighting to change all that with her startup, VETAHEAD. VETAHEAD brings online learning to veterinarians anywhere in the world.

This method is perfect for veterinarians, especially those with other parts of their lives that prevent them from getting into a physical classroom. With VETAHEAD, vets can learn anytime, anywhere.

Although the major goal is learning, this start-up provides something else for vets—equality, which can be hard to come by in the industry. Female vets often have parenting responsibilities that prevent them from accessing knowledge, which their male counterparts may not.

This is something Dr. Proença cares deeply about. She is deeply aware of the inequality between men and women. She can hear it everywhere, both at work and at home. It’s phrases like, “You throw like a girl!” said to her child, or the double standard for behavior when it comes down to gender.

Dr. Proença has always been aware of gender inequality, in part because her confidence is often seen as unfeminine. She has great advice for women on how to deal with gender equality. 

“If you identify as a woman and you are reading this, know if you feel uncomfortable and if it feels wrong, is because it is wrong. You are not the problem, you are part of the solution!

“Empowered women empower women. If you were able to climb one step, give your hand to the woman on the step below and pull her up. That is how we can change it. I believe the answer is to give people the power and the tools to change their own lives which, consequently, will change the world”

Dr. Proença is certainly doing her part to boost other women up, and is actively encouraging other women to do so as well. By building each other up, we can create a community that benefits everyone, from women and veterinarians, to the exotic animals that need treatment.

When everyone is working together to build a better world, the result is progress not just for animals, but for the people who help them as well.

Want to learn more? Check out Dr. Laila’s interview on Vet Candy IRL with vet student hosts Shannon Gregorie and Tatiana Rogers.

Dr. Laila on Vet Candy IRL

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