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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
February 7, 2018 The Skanner Portland Page 7 Black History Black History Month Recognizes Prominent African American Veterinarians I n honor of Black Histo- ry month, I will recog- nize the contributions of African American veterinarians. These in- dividuals paved the way for veterinarians of col- or like myself. Without their commitment to the field and endurance in the face of adversity, many people of color would not be able to live out their dream practic- ing veterinary medicine. More than 70 percent of African American veterinarians in the United States graduated from Tuskegee Universi- ty School of Veterinary Medicine in Tuskegee, Alabama. Established in 1945 by Dr. Frederick D. Patter- son, Tuskegee remains the only historically Black college campus with a veterinary medi- cine program. Dr. Frederick D. Patterson Dr. Patterson is one of the most influential Black veterinarians in United States history. He earned his Doctorate PHOTO COURTESY OF TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY By Jasmine Streeter, DVM Special to The Skanner News Dr. Streeter and her dog Sheba Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, 3rd President of Tuskegee Institute, founder of Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine and the United Negro College Fund of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) from Iowa State University and Doctor- ate of Philosophy from Cornell University. “ [Dr. Patter- son] coined the phrase ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste’ He became the third president of Tuskegee Institute in 1935 and es- tablished the United Ne- gro College Fund in 1944. He coined the phrase “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”. In 1987, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Michael Blackwell Other notable veteri- narians include Dr. Mi- chael Blackwell, Tuske- gee University graduate with a D.V.M in 1975. He attained the rank of As- sistant Surgeon General of the Public Health Ser- vice in 2000. Dr. Ruby Perry Phenomenal women like Dr. Ruby Perry, a graduate of Tuskegee University, made history as the first Black female board-certified veteri- nary radiologist. She is currently the Dean of Tuskegee College of Vet- erinary Medicine and one the greatest teachers I ever had in veterinary school. Dr. Debbye Turner Another great, Dr. Debbye Turner, showed that beauty and brains do exist. Dr. Turner was crowned Miss America in 1990 and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a D.V.M. in 1991. This past January, I made history as the first African American to become president of the Oregon Branch of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. In the Media Veterinarians of col- or are also taking media and business by storm. “The Vet Life” TV series on Animal Planet made history as the first do- cu-series in 2016 follow- ing the lives of African American veterinarians: Dr. Diarra Blue, Dr. Au- brey Ross and Dr. Mi- chael Lavigne. They live in Houston, Texas and opened Cy-Fair Animal Hospital to educate the public on the importance of preventive medicine while providing the best care to their patients. Each earned his doctor- ate of veterinary medi- cine from Tuskegee Uni- versity. Inventor Dr. Joe J. Owens, III, an inventor and veterinary graduate from Tuskegee in 2012, recently creat- ed Enjoy-A-Bowl, a bowl that uses human food to encourage picky pets to eat their food. Dr. Owens helps to create happy, healthy pets. Overall, people of col- or are making leaps and bounds in the veterinary field, but we still have a long way to go. Accord- ing to Data USA, in 2015, there were almost 67,000 practicing veterinarians in the United States. Ap- proximately 1.7 percent of veterinarians were African American, indi- cating a severe shortage in diversity. My hope is that in the coming years through education and exposure, more African Americans will enter the wonderful profession of veterinary medicine. Ask Dr. Jasmine your pet question at drjasmine@ theskanner.com. Make The Skanner part of your daily routine