What Does a Veterinarian Look Like? A Conversation with Dr. Quicksall of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA)
‘When is the doctor coming in?’ Some clients have preconceived notions of what a veterinarians looks like and they can be a bit stupefied when they see the unexpected. This can make a veterinarian feel like an outsider in the profession that they love. The Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association aims to change that. This is an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Marie Quicksall, founding member of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association. This discussion traverses a vast array of topics regarding multiculturalism in the field including how bias in veterinary medicine can influence patient care, the veterinary-client relationship, and well being in the workplace.
The goals of the organization are to improve communication between different cultures in the field and reinforce the power of representation. According to the 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics report "Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity," about 92 percent of the veterinarians in the U.S. are white. MCVMA hopes its efforts will bring awareness to underrepresented groups that veterinary medicine is a career option. This is a truly enlightening and feel-good conversation that highlights the outstanding volunteers helping to improve an already great profession.
Other Founding members of the MCVMA:
- Dr. Rachel Cezar-Martínez, director of the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Dr. Tina Tran, a house call veterinarian in Phoenix; Dr. Lexxy Jay, a clinical veterinarian at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Maryland
- Dr. Cara Williams, a supervisory public health veterinarian for the USDA in New Jersey
BIO:
Dr. Marie Quicksall grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University for both her bachelor's degree in zoology and her doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree. Upon graduating veterinary school, she began her professional career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With the majority of her family in the Pacific Northwest, relocating to the west coast had been a lifelong goal. Dr. Quicksall’s professional interests include surgery, pain management, and feline medicine. In her free time, she enjoys playing, watching, and coaching ice hockey, as well as snowboarding and reading. At home, she has a lively son, a cuddly daughter, a loving husband, a goofy boxer, and 3 cats which she bottle fed as kittens.