(CHICAGO, Illinois) July 16, 2013—Coinciding with this year’s 150th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at the AVMA Annual Convention in Chicago, July 19 " 23.
“We are very excited that our 20th anniversary coincides with such a momentous anniversary for the AVMA and the profession as a whole,” explains Dr. Sandy Hazanow, president of the LGVMA. “As LGBT individuals and allies, the membership of the LGVMA joins with the community at large in celebrating several very monumental steps towards equality. As a veterinary professional organization, our focus is to promote leadership, scholarship, community and advocacy of inclusion in the veterinary profession. It’s wonderful to collaborate with the AVMA, which has embraced diversity and the advantages that diversity brings to the profession. The dedication of the AVMA and other organizations toward diversity and inclusiveness for both LGBT professionals and other underrepresented minorities is yet another quality of our caring profession.”
The LGVMA has had a role at the AVMA Annual Convention since 1993, when it began hosting networking socials and dinners during the event. This year, the LGVMA will host a keynote speaker, Dr. Charles Middleton, president of Roosevelt University, at 6 p.m. July 21, in the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Room CC20BC. Dr. Middleton will speak on the relevance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and the veterinary profession. This will be followed by a LGVMA 20th Anniversary Reception.
In addition, the LGVMA will be hosting two networking dinners, will conduct its annual meetings on Friday, July 19, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, and will be hosting an information booth for the fourth year in the AVMA Convention Exhibit Hall.
For more information about the AVMA’s Annual Convention, please visit, www.avmaconvention.org.
The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 84,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities and dedicated to the art and science of veterinary medicine.
