Niccole Bruno launches DEI hospital certification program, Blend
When Niccole Bruno, D.V.M., graduated from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), she was part of the most diverse class of veterinary students in Cornell’s history. Now, she has turned her passion for diversity and inclusion into a full-time job by creating Blend, the first national organization offering a veterinary hospital certification program in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Bruno’s goal is to harness her personal experiences along with educational training to help veterinary practices and hospitals across the country understand the role they can play in changing the narrative of the veterinary profession. We have a lot of work to do, and it starts with training and education,” she said. “It’s about learning from and with others, talking about our struggles, and growing from them. We only know what we know. To make a difference, we need to be willing to have conversations with each other.”
A foundation of diversity and inclusion at Cornell
At Cornell, Bruno and fellow student Joya Griffin, D.V.M. served as executive board members of the college’s multicultural student association and re-named it VOICE, for Veterinary Students as One In Culture and Ethnicity. Since then, its name has changed to Veterinary Students as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment.
A couple of years later, Julio Lopez D.V.M., who served as the student president of VOICE, elevated VOICE to a national organization with 10 veterinary schools from across the United States signing on as original members. Today, VOICE has chapters on 25 different campuses, and the VOICE Cornell chapter is still going strong.
From VOICE to Blend
In 2020, Bruno reconnected with her VOICE roots by giving a Zoom talk to the VOICE National Chapter – an experience that ultimately inspired her to begin working on Blend. “There were 750 students on that call from across the country, and I told them stories from my career,” she said. “It made me realize that we could do better. I wanted to make an impact, and I wanted it to be sustainable.”
Today, Blend is focused on raising issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of veterinary medicine. Bruno gives lectures at national conference and is working with universities to teach diversity and inclusion to veterinary students.
One of Bruno’s goals is to find welcoming places for new veterinary students to land. “If a student finds a Blend-certified hospital, they know that staff has taken a step toward making their hospital inclusive, and that they will belong there,” she said.
Diversity is important for veterinary clients as well, Bruno said. She cites a survey from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute that found 61 percent of pet owners of color feel that veterinary hospitals do an unacceptable job at servicing minority their racial and ethnic groups. The study also showed that pet owners of color wanted to feel respected, listened to, and be treated with empathy. “If a person of color doesn’t feel comfortable working in our profession, how do you think our clients of diverse backgrounds feel bringing us their pets?”
Blend is currently partnering with veterinary organizations such as the American Animal Hospital Association and North Atlantic Veterinary Community to host pipeline development programs.
“Everything I’ve learned has been on the job, watching others, and seeking that knowledge myself,” Bruno said. “Now I want to teach and inspire the next generation of leaders in veterinary medicine.”
Written by Sheri Hall; a longer version of this story appears on the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine website.