Purdue VOICE Chapter Receives 2019 Programming Excellence Award

April 17, 2020

For the second year in a row, Purdue’s Chapter of VOICE (Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Excellence) has won the organization’s National Programming Excellence Award.  The national VOICE organization presents awards every year to chapters across the United States who they feel have met and exceeded certain criteria.

The Programming Excellence Award is given to a chapter that has demonstrated outstanding leadership, creativity, and initiative in regard to building diversity and maintaining the goals and ideals of VOICE. It recognizes the Purdue chapter’s efforts to exceed the national VOICE requirements for programming in terms of quality and quantity.

“I am very excited about VOICE Purdue winning this award for the second year in a row,” said President Maya Patterson. “To me, it means that my executive board and I have continued to put together impactful and quality events that extend beyond the students of Purdue Veterinary Medicine.”

Maya also mentioned that representatives from VOICE at other schools had contacted the Purdue Chapter because they “… wanted more information on the events we held so they could look into hosting their own version at their schools.”

Dr. Latonia Craig, assistant dean for inclusive excellence, said the award is a great reflection on the VOICE Purdue chapter. “As the academic advisor for VOICE, I’ve had the privilege of working with the 2019 and 2020 members of VOICE, and it has been a pleasure to see this organization grow and more importantly, it has been rewarding to work with them on developing programs that help move the needle towards inclusive excellence,” said Dr. Craig. “VOICE is a significant contributor to the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) efforts at PVM.”

In January 2019, then-Purdue VOICE President Edris Grate received the 2018 Programming Excellence Award on behalf of the Purdue Chapter at the VOICE National Retreat. Edris is now one of the two presidents of the national VOICE organization.

Congratulations to Purdue VOICE on this achievement! The chapter has reached yet another milestone in the persistent pursuit of increased awareness, respect, and sensitivity related to valuing the differences among all individuals and communities in the field of veterinary medicine.

Writer(s): Maya Sanaba, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Behind the scenes, Alicia Williams has been making PVM a kinder, stronger place.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Computational Biologist Uses Big Data, AI and Math to Find Patterns in Cancer

With recent advances, cancer research now generates vast amounts of information. The data could help researchers detect patterns in cancer cells and stop their growth, but the sheer volume is just too much for the human mind to digest. Enter Nadia Lanman, research associate professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, whose expertise in computational biology helps researchers at Purdue University distill solutions from the sea of numbers.

Purdue to Host Fourth Annual Antimicrobial Conference in February

With leadership by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Fourth Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will be held at Purdue University West Lafayette February 25–26, 2026. With multidrug-resistant infections on the rise globally, this event brings together experts and practitioners across the spectrum of human, animal, and environmental health to address one of today’s most urgent public health challenges.

PVM Well-represented by Humans and Animals During Annual Homecoming Celebrations

Every fall, Boilermakers from near and far return to the campus in West Lafayette for the annual ritual known as Homecoming. And Purdue’s Homecoming events also attract plenty of non-alumni who are Purdue fans, patrons, prospective students, or clients of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. During this year’s Homecoming weekend October 24-25, Purdue Veterinary Medicine engaged with attendees in multiple ways, with the help of some furry companions.

Purdue University and Akston Biosciences Bring “First Dose of Hope” in New Cancer Immunotherapy Trial for Dogs with Urinary Bladder Cancer

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Akston Biosciences Corporation, has initiated the enrollment of dogs with urinary bladder cancer in a clinical trial of a pioneering immunotherapy. The strategic partnership between Purdue and Akston was announced in August after the underlying technology was developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR).

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we share appreciation for Beth Laffoon, MS, RVT, and Holly McCalip, BS, RVT, who are both instructional technologists in the Veterinary Nursing Program.

MMAS Symposium Brings Participants Face to Face with Specialists and Species from Parrots to Pocket Pets

Thanks to Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Club and dedicated faculty, staff and students, nearly 100 in-person and on-line participants got a chance recently to gain valuable knowledge and insight about the Medicine of Mammalian and Avian Species. The two-day educational event known as the MMAS Symposium is a biennial conference, and the 2024 edition held in Lynn Hall November 9 and 10 featured an impressive program that included 22 lectures and several hands-on labs, organized into two tracks focusing on avian and mammalian species.

Veterinary Boilermakers Take Part in Purdue One Health Alumni Reunion

Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students turned out for Purdue University’s first One Health Alumni Reunion, which was held on the West Lafayette campus November 14-16. They joined more than 150 Boilermakers from a variety of medical professions who came together to network and participate in timely discussions with Purdue President Mung Chiang, First Lady Kei Hui and fellow alumni.