Dr. Adria Flowers is leading the way

Dr. Adria Flowers might be a smalltown girl at heart, but there is nothing tiny about her commitment to helping animals!

In fact, she’s on a mission: to make the world a better place for all creatures.

Originally an Entomology graduate from Texas A&M, Dr. Flowers later went on to obtain her master’s in public health from the University of Missouri and then get her DVM at Tuskegee University.

Nowadays, Dr. Flowers shows no signs of slowing down.

She is working hard to bring the One Health Initiative into her daily practice, improve the lives of pets through veterinary relief services in her Houston, Texas community, and dismantle diversity barriers in our field, one interaction at a time.

Vet Candy is honored to introduce this PAW-SOME veterinarian to our readers.

Welcome, Dr. Adria Flowers!

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again

Do you want to hear a shocking statistic?

In the United States, the acceptance rate for veterinary school hovers around 10-15%. On top of that, pre-veterinary student life is highly competitive. As the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges points out, the application process alone is, as they describe it, “intense.”

Therefore, many professionals (such as our own wonderful Dr. Flowers) learned early on that quitting should never be a kneejerk reaction in the face of disappointing news. When asked about the best career advice she ever received, Dr. Flowers shared the following story to illustrate this idea.

“When I first did not get accepted to veterinary school, it was heartbreaking,” she remembers. “But I knew this was my passion. I never gave up on my dream.”

So, she applied again…and was accepted!

Adria believes that everything happens for a reason. Looking back, she realized that one year off was actually a positive (though unexpected) obstacle. It gave her time to explore and gain more knowledge before jumping into the grueling four years of veterinarian school. The persistence paid off.

Today, she is living her dream life as a veterinarian.

Leading the Pack with One Health Initiative

What’s more, Dr. Adria Flowers is a big advocate of the One Health Challenge. At her clinic, the team just celebrated World Rabies Day and she plans to do more each year.

Not sure what One Health is all about?

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) provides the following definition. Their website shares, “One Health refers to two related ideas: First, it is the concept that humans, animals, and the world we live in are inextricably linked. Second, it refers to the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.”

It’s an objective Dr. Adria easily got on board with.

She explains, “We are all in this together, and we depend on each other and every organism to make our world a safer place.”

What Can We Do Better? Diversity and Mental Health

Finally, it’s pretty clear to see that veterinarians have been struggling in two areas recently: 1) diversity and 2) mental health. Even in 2022, there is still not nearly enough diversity or mental health acceptance and support in veterinary medicine.

Dr. Flowers believes the field has room for improvement.

She says, “I can still go in the room to this day, say my name is Dr. Flowers while wearing my white coat that says, ‘Dr. Flowers’ and the client will ask for the other doctor or ask the other doctor’s opinion.”

Thankfully, there are a few television shows and vet med publications (like the folks here at Vet Candy!) who are committed to bringing the image of diversity and mental health to the forefront.

With phenomenal vets like Dr. Adria Flowers, positive shifts are already happening!