Progress 01/15/08 to 07/14/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During this reporting period two of the 5 MSP scholars had already graduated and the remaining three were in their final year of the DVM program. Of the three scholars that were served during this reporting period two of the scholars- Tania Dejoie and Cheri Grigg were African-American and one of them- Renee Porfido- was Hispanic. During this time they were engaged in many career related activities with the goal of securing internships for advanced study or employment. These activities included taking and successfully passing their national board exams, attending workshops on how to be a strong internship applicant and how to choose the right internship and meeting one on one with the Director of Student Services and Multicultural Affairs on writing Cvs, resumes and cover letters. During this time, student also participated in numerous externships outside Cornell to explore potential internship fit. One of the student with a strong interest in public health chose to purse employment opportunities in the Federal Government. She was also interested in pursuing a Masters in Public Health and spent her senior year exploring the possibility of obtaining an MPH while being employed. Dissemination: Diversity initiatives at the college and the role of the MSP program in this endeavor are shared with colleagues involved in diversity initiatives at other veterinary colleges and pre health advisors at venues such as MANRRS, SACNAS and college recruitment trips. PARTICIPANTS: Project Director: Dr. Jai Sweet, Director of Student Services and Multicultural Affairs provided career, academic and personal counseling to the MSP scholars. Dr. Alfonso Torres, Associate Dean of Public Policy at the College of Veterinary Medicine provided mentorship and career guidance to the scholars. The five MSP participants were Julian Casteneda (DVM 2011), Jomo Omari Edwards (DVM 2011), Tania Dejoie (DVM 2012) Cherri Grigg (DVM 2012) Renee Porfido (DVM 2012). TARGET AUDIENCES: The program seeks to build a pipeline through exposing high school students and college students to veterinary medicine as a profession. To this end, the program has engaged with high school counselors and students from schools with an agriculture or veterinary science focus to develop a robust pipeline for the recruitment of under-represented minority students into veterinary medicine. We also visit colleges with a high minority population to encourage students to pursue veterinary medicine at Cornell. Colleges recently visited include University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez and North Carolina A&T. We also seek to build relationships with prospective students and counselors through recruitment activities at national conferences such as MANNRS and SACNAS. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
All five scholars who were selected to participate in this MSP program have successfully earned their Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine degrees. Two scholars graduated in 2011 while three graduated in 2012 and are either pursuing advanced education or are successfully employed after completion of their post DVM internships. One of our scholars is employed with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as an ORISE Fellow while pursuing an MPH at Emory University Another is pursuing a residency in Lab Animal Medicine. The other three students are pursuing career pathways in companion animal practice- two of them are currently in internship while the third is employed in a Small Animal Practice.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/15/10 to 01/14/11
Outputs
The five scholars selected for participation in this cohort of Multicultural Scholars program at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell include three African-Americana and two Hispanic students. During the period of 1/15/2010-1/14/2011, two of the students were in their fourth (final) year of the veterinary curricuum while three were in their third year. During this period, students engaged in activities aimed at exploring their career options. These included externships in small animal practice, lab animal medicine, public health and international veterinary medicine. One of the students received a grant to spend Summer '10 in Lusaka, Zambia to explore the issue of Canine Rabies in the city. Since then she has discovered that Public Health is an area of interest and plans to do an externship at the Center for Disease Control this year. The two fourth year students took and successfully passed their national board exams. PRODUCTS: The goal of the program is to enhance the ethnic diversity of the veterinary medical profession by recruiting and selecting talented minority students into the DVM program at Cornell and offering them appropriate academic, personal and career support so that they successfully complete their DVM degree and assume leadership positions in various areas of the veterinary profession. OUTCOMES: Through participation in the program scholars received support, mentoring and career advice and guidance that facilitated their academic success and retention in the program DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Information about the Multicultural Scholars program is shared regularly with prospective veterinary students and counselors at recruiting venues. The information is also shared with other members in the veterinary profession and education who may be be able to offer input into identifying best practices in an effort to enhance the diversity of veterinary applicant pool. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The college continues to identify and develop strategies to increase the pool of under-represented minority students interested in a career in veterinary medicine. This includes targeted visits to science magnet highs schools in New York as well presentations at schools and colleges with a high minority population, attending career fairs which attract minority students in science, developing a database of potential applicants to the college maintaining a relationship with them through their high school and undergraduate careers. Our Multiculural Scholars serve as as an invaluable resource in our outreach efforts to develop the pipeline of potential veterinary students from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Impacts
Through participation in the Multicultural Scholars program, participants are exposed to a professional educational experience that will prepare them to assume leadership roles in a profession that has very little ethnic diversity and few minority leaders. Through the exposure they have received in their role as multicultural scholars at the college, students have served as ambassadors of the college and teh profession. The high profile and visibility of the students also impacts the climate fo teh college in a positive way and has led to an increased awareness of the need to address the lack of diversity in the veterinary profession.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/15/09 to 01/14/10
Outputs
During this time the five multicultural scholars continued to progress through the curriculum in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the college. Two of the scholars- Jomo Omari Edwards and Julian Casteneda were in their third year of the four year DVM program and the other three- Cheri Grigg, Rene Porfido and Tameeka Williams were in their second year of their DVM program during this time frame. All the students were in good academic standing. Recruitment efforts to enhance the diversity of the Cornell DVM program continue to be a college priority. The college has explored and is in the process of developing alliances with three specific institutions- John Bowne High School in New York, the Saul School in Philadelphia and North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro, NC. The PD also continued her recruitment and outreach at professional conferences such as MANNRS, SACNAS and NAMME (National Association of Minority Medical Educations) during this time period. PRODUCTS: This grant provided funding for five students in the DVM program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, which greatly eased their debt burden and allowed them to pursue academic and research opportunities of interest to them during their academic year and school breaks. OUTCOMES: The five scholars have thrived in the academic community at Cornell. They have successfully sought out and pursued numerous competitive co-curricular and extracurricular academic opportunities in the college and beyond. These include research opportunities such as the Veterinary Investigator Program- a competitive program which seeks to encourage students veterinary students to engage in research activities, Expanding Horizons-a competitive program which provides grants to students to work on a veterinary related project in a developing country and field work and externships in the area of wildlife rehabilitation and shelter medicine and animal cruelty. Scholars have also participated in seminars and conferences at the college- these include the New York State Conference and Career Connections which offer lectures by leading experts in veterinary medicine and veterinary practice management and professional development and allow students the opportunity to network and interview with prospective employers for externships, internships and jobs, the Large Animal Symposium which is a student organized conference which focuses on issues related to large animal veterinary medicine and the zoonotics disease symposium which is also a student run conference at Cornell which brings in experts in to present lectures and labs on zoonotics and public health topics. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Information about the program and the opportunities are shared with prospective students at recruitment fairs including MANNRS, AAVMC (American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges), admissions information sessions at the college and with prehealth advisors in one on one meetings. Our scholars have also been featured in college and alumni publications for specific activities/experiences they have participated in. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the academic progress of the scholars and ensure that they take full advantage of activities that will help position them for future leadership in veterinary medicine. As new opportunities are introduced at the college, the USDA Multicultural Scholars will be encouraged to explore and participate in them. We also will continue enhance our minority recruitment efforts so that we maintain a critical mass of students in the program.
Impacts
Participation in the Multicultural Scholars program has an impact on the scholars, the college, the profession and the society at large. Scholars are trained to assume leadership roles in the profession and serve as role models in a professional that continues to struggle with lack of ethnic diversity. The scholars have also served as ambassadors for the college and the profession and have played an invaluable role in recruiting other minority students to the program. The high visibility of these scholars also helps promote diversity and a positive climate within the college.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/15/08 to 01/14/09
Outputs
The five scholars selected for participation in this cohort of the Multicultural Scholars include three African-American students and two Hispanic students. Two scholars are currently in the second year of their DVM curriculum while three are in their first year. The multicultural scholars engaged in a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular activities, participated in numerous professional development activities and developed leadership skills by serving as elected offices in student organizations. Scholars also attended conferences that were held at the college- these included the first zoonotic disease symposium held at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell where students attended lectures and wet labs, the annual NY State veterinary medical conference and career fair where they could network with veterinarians representing a diversity of careers and conduct informational interviews with practitioners, special species symposium which focused on zoo and wildlife medicine and the annual large animal symposium. One of our scholars also attended the biennial Iverson Bell Conference in Washington DC. The conference, which is hosted by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, brings together veterinary educators, professionals and students to discuss diversity issues in veterinary medicine. PRODUCTS: All scholars are in good academic standing. They successfully navigated the rigors of the first few semesters of basic science training. OUTCOMES: One of them was selected to participate in the Veterinary Investigator Program during Summer '08 during which she conducted research under the guidance of a veterinary faculty member. Another scholar applied and was accepted into the college's DVM/PhD program. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Diversity initiatives at the college and the role of the MSP program in this endeavor are shared with colleagues involved in diversity initiatives at other veterinary colleges and prehealth advisors. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Veterinary medicine is one of the least diverse professions in the United States. Cornell strives to recruit, and educate multicultural scholars who, through access to world class facilities, world renowned faculty, a rich network of prominent alumni and a comprehensive support structure will make significant contributions to the field of veterinary medicine and serve as role models for future cohorts of minority students considering a career in veterinary medicine.
Impacts
The current scholars have demonstrated excellent academic and professional qualifications and are well on their way to successfully graduate and make their mark in the veterinary world.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
|