Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association: April 2012

About Our Organization

Mission Statement
Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association’s mission is to connect, support and empower community for LGBT+* students and allies across veterinary education.
*LGBT + will be used as an inclusive acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer,Questioning, Asexual and others who self-identify on the sexual orientation and/or gender expression continuums.

Vision Statement
Broad Spectrum desires greater support and a sense of community for all LGBT+ students and allies throughout veterinary medical education. We actively strive to counter episodes of bigotry and marginalization with positive messages of diversity and inclusion. We have healthy, supportive and encouraging relationships with pre-veterinary, veterinary and graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators. We are known for advocating for the respect and equality of seen and unseen LGBT+ members in the academic veterinary community and beyond. We contribute to the development of safe and welcoming veterinary school environments for pre- and current veterinary students. Broad Spectrum makes veterinary schools more inclusive for all students, especially LGBT+ students. We accomplish this by starting important and courageous conversations about LGBT+ inclusion, in addition to maintaining much needed support for LGBT+ students in veterinary medicine.

Our History
We were founded in 2011 at the SAVMA Symposium hosted by UC Davis. The name 'Broad Spectrum' came out of a calculated attempt to be as inclusive as possible to any student who falls anywhere on the spectra of sexuality, sex, or gender. We welcome all students no matter their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. And yes, allies, this means we welcome you, too!

Our Links
Blog
Site
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
SoundCloud

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Interview with Dr. Patrick Mahaney, VMD, CVA

We are very excited to present our interview with Dr. Patrick Mahaney as the second interview in our on-going series.

Dr. Patrick Mahaney and his dog Cardiff.
Photo courtesy of P. Mahaney

Patrick Mahaney is an integrative veterinarian from Los Angeles, CA. Patrick combines western and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine in his practice, which offers a holistic overhaul to a pet's current state of wellness or illness. Patrick started his own business, California Pet Acupuncture & Wellness (CPAW, Inc.), in 2008 to provide house call based veterinary services. To create a "home base" for himself, Patrick implemented his business into the Veterinary Cancer Group (VCG) in 2011.

Besides his veterinary work, Patrick is obsessed with writing and enjoys seeing the evolution of his multi-media based career as a logical offshoot of his clinical practice. To satisfy creative urges, he writes a pet health column (Patrick's Blog) and connects with animal aficionados worldwide through petMD’s The Daily Vet, Perez Hilton's TeddyHilton.com, Fido Friendly, i Love Dogs, Veterinary Practice News, Animal Wellness, and My Buddy Butch Radio. Recently, he's lent his holistic veterinary perspective to MSNBC Sunday with Alex Witt and is currently filming Season 3 of Jackson Galaxy’s My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet. The public’s obsession with "celebreality" motivated him to create Celebrity Pet News, which puts a veterinary spin on celebrities and their pets.

Dr. Mahaney is also writing his first book, The Uncomfortable Vet, which will be available in 2012 through Havenhurst Books.

In the spirit of Dr. Mahaney's multi-media approach, we have recorded our interview in written, audio, and video formats, and they are all accessible here! Click play below to listen to the interview on our SoundCloud. The audio is divided into an introductory segment (0:00-3:28), a segment focusing on holistic medicine (starting 3:29), a segment focusing on LGBTQ issues (starting 18:45), and a segment focusing on the use of media, celebrities, and other fun miscellaneous questions (starting 28:58).

For those who prefer a more visual experience, here is the interview in six parts. Scroll down below for the transcript!

Part 1: Introductions

Part 2: Holistic Medicine (Part 1)

Part 3: Holistic Medicine (Part 2)

Part 4: The LGBT Community and Veterinary Medicine

Part 5: The Use of Multimedia in the Veterinary Profession

Part 6: The Fun Questions!

Interview Transcript:

SONIA FANG: Hi, my name is Sonia Fang, and I’m here on behalf of Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student association to interview Dr. Patrick Mahaney. For those who don’t know, Broad Spectrum is a veterinary student group founded in 2011 to provide support and community to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, questioning, and allied pre-veterinary and veterinary students across North America. My co-interviewer is Ian DeStefano, a veterinary student from the class of 2014 and the current president of Lambda and Friends, Western University’s LGBT organization responsible for bringing Dr. Mahaney to campus today. Lambda hosted the first Spectrum LGBT Health Conference at Western and brought in both veterinary and human medical professionals to speak on topics influencing the LGBTQ community. Dr. Mahaney gave a wonderful talk today, and we are very glad to have him. Thank you so much for being here.

[Laughter]

PATRICK MAHANEY: Thank you for having me.