LSU Vet Med becomes 3x HEED Award recipient

Written by Grace Kelly, Graduate Assistant

For the third year in a row, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine received the 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—LSU Vet Med will be featured, along with 50 other recipients, in the December 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the third consecutive year that LSU Vet Med has received this award, and LSU Vet Med is one of only six veterinary schools in the U.S. to receive the award in 2022. 

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees—and best practices for both—continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

“We are truly delighted to accept this award, which recognizes our efforts to celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,” said Oliver Garden, BVetMed, PhD, dean of LSU Vet Med. “We strive to treat everyone—our students, faculty, staff, and clients—with the utmost respect every day. We are better veterinarians and scientists when we unite and share our unique perspectives.”

LSU Vet Med’s diversity efforts are led by Henry Green, III, DVM (LSU 1999), DACVIM, associate dean of inclusive excellence and associate professor of veterinary cardiology, and Donnie Watkins, program manager of inclusive excellence. “It is a true honor for LSU Vet Med to be recognized with the HEED award for the third year in a row. It speaks volumes about our leadership, faculty, staff and students’ commitment to inclusive excellence and the enormous efforts required to cultivate a viable forward moving culture! I am particularly excited about what the future holds for us as we look to lead by example in how we engage our community with outreach and recruitment efforts, such as our Insights into LSU VetMed program and incorporate expanded educational/training opportunities from the Office of Inclusive Excellence into every level of LSU Vet Med.   What a powerful positive impact we can continue to deliver!” INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected LSU Vet Med for several reasons, a few of which are described below:

• Development of minority affinity groups within LSU Vet Med, including the Student Association of Black Veterinarians, VOICE, the Latin X Veterinary Medical Association, the International Veterinary Student’s Association, and the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative;
• Established minority scholarships for recruitment;
• Added diversity and inclusion education in the DVM curriculum.

Other recipients of the 2022 Health Professions HEED Award are:

• A.T. Still University of Graduate Health Sciences
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
• California State University, Los Angeles
• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
• Florida State University College of Medicine
• Frontier Nursing University
• Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON)
• Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
• Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine
• MGH Institute of Health Professions
• Michigan Medicine University of Michigan Medical School
• New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing
• Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
• Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
• School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (SVMBS)
• Texas A&M University Irma Lerma Rangel School of Pharmacy
• Texas Christian University School of Medicine
• The Medical College of Wisconsin
• The Medical University of South Carolina
• The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• The Ohio State University College of Nursing
• The Ohio State University College of Optometry
• The Ohio State University College of Public Health
• The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
• The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
• The University of North Carolina School of Medicine
• Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine New York
• UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
• UNC-Greensboro School of Nursing
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
• University of California Riverside School of Medicine
• University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
• University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
• University of California, Los Angeles, School of Nursing
• University of Cincinnati College of Nursing
• University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
• University of Cincinnati, College of Allied Health Sciences
• University of Florida College of Dentistry
• University of Florida College of Pharmacy
• University of Houston College of Nursing
• University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• University of Louisville
• University of Maryland, Baltimore – School of Nursing
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• University of Minnesota School of Nursing
• University of Mississippi Medical Center
• University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine
• University of Rochester School of Nursing
• University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine
• University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston School of Dentistry (UTSD)
• University of Virginia School of Medicine
• University of Virginia School of Nursing
• University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing
• UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
• VCOM – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• Weill Cornell Medicine

About LSU Vet Med

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 32 veterinary schools in the U.S. and the only one in Louisiana. LSU Vet Med is dedicated to improving the lives of people and animals through education, research, and service. We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect. For more information about LSU Vet Med, please go to lsu.edu/vetmed.

About INSIGHT Into Diversity

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education today and is well-known for its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award recognizing colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses. In addition to its online job board, INSIGHT Into Diversity presents timely, thought-provoking news and feature stories on matters of diversity and inclusion across higher education and beyond. Articles include interviews with innovators and experts, as well as profiles of best practices and exemplary programs. Readers will also discover career opportunities that connect job seekers with institutions and businesses that embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce. Current, archived, and digital issues of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine are available online insightintodiversity.com.