Canadian VIBE Network

This August, Black Veterinary Association of Canada and Canadian VIBE are creating space for Black veterinary professionals and students across Canada to connect, share, laugh, and build community.

Join us for a relaxed virtual social with small group networking, ice breakers, team trivia, prizes, and a chance to hear more about our organizations, what we’ve been up to, and how you can get involved.

With generous support from NVA Canada , confirmed participants will receive a free Uber Eats gift card so we can break bread together, even while gathering virtually. NVA Canada is also sponsoring prizes throughout the night 🔥🔥🔥

📅 Friday, August 21
⏰ 7:30 to 9:30 PM EDT
💻 Virtual

Registration link in bio!

Interested in veterinary medicine but not sure how to gain experience or get your foot in the door?

Join us for a virtual career conversation with Dr. Cynthia Rose, owner of Granville Animal Hospital in Vancouver and founder of the Rose Bursary for Black veterinary students at OVC.

As a veterinarian, practice owner, and advocate for Black veterinary students, Dr. Rose will share practical advice for students interested in veterinary medicine who are looking to gain experience in the field. Whether you're trying to find your first clinic position, build your network, or strengthen your veterinary school application.

📅 August 4, 2026
🕕 6:00–7:00 PM EST
💻 Virtual

We'll cover:
✔️ How to connect with practice owners
✔️ Resume and cover letter tips
✔️ Networking and professional outreach strategies
✔️ Common mistakes to avoid
✔️ Veterinary-specific advice for gaining experience and finding opportunities

Register today — https://forms.gle/wUdHiTwHiTGrMmhf8

Meet Dr. Tyler Stiggers 🐴

She’s off to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for a rotating internship, with a Large Animal Internal Medicine residency in her sights down the road.

Tyler calls the US home, and, we have been so lucky to have her here during her studies. Hockey player, horse girl through and through, and someone whose love for equine medicine is the kind that makes you understand why people give their whole lives to it. We’re going to miss her. Rood & Riddle’s clients and patients are lucky to have such a dedicated vet 💚🖤❤💛

Meet Dr. Selam Ogbaslase (.selam ) 💙

Where do we even start with Selam.

She was with us before she was a vet student. When VIBE was brand new during the pandemic, she joined as a pre-vet and became one of the very first recipients of our DVS sponsorship — a program we’re now running for the 6th year. And she has come back to volunteer at almost every single DVS since.

Pre-vet, scholarship recipient, vet student, volunteer, mentor, and now doctor. We got to watch the whole thing.

And somehow, in between all of that, she played for the Turquoise Tigers hockey team AND flew to Costa Rica with Global Vets to do wildlife rehab and small animal spay/neuter work. The girl does not stop.

We can’t wait to see her continue to bless the profession 🥹🥹🥹

Meet Dr. Yazmin Olla (.moments ) 🎓

Heading to Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital for her rotating internship and those patients have no idea how lucky they are.

Yaz is, genuinely, one of the funniest people we know. She spent vet school somehow doing everything — class council, pathobiology club, volunteering with VIBE, leading fitness classes at MULTIPLE gyms — while making everyone around her laugh and stay sane in the process. True leader, real friend, and a walking reminder that you can take your work seriously without taking yourself too seriously. The GTA is in for a treat. 💚🖤❤💛

Four of VIBE's finest just became doctors of Veterinary Medicine and had their convocation this weekend 🥹🥹🥹

Meet the Ontario Veterinary College DVM Class of 2026: Dr. Yazmin Olla, Dr. Tyler Stiggers, Dr. Selam Ogbaslase, and Dr. Francesca Ruberto.

We've watched them support each other through vet school, lead clubs, fundraise, mentor the students behind them, fly across the world to deliver care! With all that, they're still four of the funniest, kindest people you'll meet.

We're spending the whole week celebrating them. Check back on our socials everyday this week to meet each of the doctors and learn where they're heading next in their careers and what they're excited for

Earlier this month we wrapped up our Discover Vet School Sponsorship Program with a beautiful networking dinner for our seven recipients and their families. Creating a space for connection with current and past Black students from the Ontario Veterinary College.

This experience is only possible because of partners who have stood with us year after year. Even as support for DEI initiatives has shifted in other spaces, these sponsors have continued to invest in creating a welcoming, affirming, and accessible pathway for Black students interested in veterinary medicine.

With their support, our recipients spent three unforgettable days immersed in hands‑on labs, lectures, mentorship, and meaningful conversations. Discover Vet School Lecture Series organized and delivered an incredible program, and the Ontario Veterinary College Dean’s Office ensured our students could attend all three days. P3 Veterinary Partners helped remove transportation barriers for students traveling from outside the Guelph/Wellington area. Bright Light Veterinary Eye Care supported our closing dinner, giving students and families a space to connect, reflect, and celebrate.

For five consecutive years, these sponsors have made it possible for us to welcome Black students into a space where they can see themselves reflected in veterinary medicine. Every year, we meet young people who are passionate, curious, brilliant, and full of potential. Showing them that there is room for them in this profession, and that there are people who genuinely want to support their journey, is the heart of this work 🤎🤎🤎

We are deeply grateful for our sponsors and endlessly inspired by the students who join us. The relationships built through this program continue long after the three days end, and that lasting impact is what makes this so meaningful.

P.S. We also got to celebrate Donatella’s birthday during the dinner. The sweetest ending to an already unforgettable day 💛💚🖤❤️

Shout‑out to the Women of VIBE who grew up to serve animals, their owners, and their communities in every corner of veterinary medicine — and who now stand as representation for the young Black girls following behind them.

From fur to feathers to hooves to paws, from private practice to public service to academia, from local impact to global reach, their influence is everywhere.

Today we're honouring Women’s History Month and all the incredible women, past and present, who continue to shape our world.
💚💛🖤❤

“Why should I care what colour my veterinarian is?”
It is a fair question. And Dr. Melanie Moore answers it in a way that might surprise you. Representation in veterinary medicine is not just about who stands in the room. It is about how care is delivered, who feels seen, and whether every community has access to a profession that understands them.
This is just a glimpse. The full article is linked in bio.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Over the last two Black History Months, Dr. Melanie Moore has shown up in rooms that matter.
When the invited her to speak at their Purpose and Learning Day for Black History Month on “Advancing Diversity in Veterinary Medicine: A Path Forward,” she drew from her international work in underserved communities and challenged a room full of professionals to see diversity not as a checkbox, but as the very thing that strengthens the profession and expands access to care.

Her words also reached beyond the podium. As a contributor to Animal Talk’s Spring 2025 digital magazine, Dr. Moore brought the conversation around cultural competency to a wider audience. Words that continue to reach people long after the screen is closed.

At the Black Youth Expo, the focus shifted to the next generation. Speaking directly to young people about pathways into veterinary medicine, Dr. Moore showed up at a time when seeing someone who looks like you in a profession can change the entire trajectory of a life.

Through Coffee and Conversations, a network-wide dialogue centred on Black excellence and resilience, the room became a space for honest reflection and shared commitment to building a more inclusive profession. The kind of conversation that shifts culture from the inside out.

Most recently, at Wallaceburg District Secondary School, Dr. Moore brought veterinary medicine into the classroom in the most tangible way possible. Through hands-on canine CPR, emergency response education, and surgical specimen exposure, she gave students a glimpse into a world.
“My father attended school during a time of segregation, when he was required to use separate water fountains and bathrooms and was subjected to systemic barriers simply because of his skin colour. He instilled in me that success would require working harder and setting my goals high. I do not see myself as a victim of my skin colour. I strive for excellence while acknowledging the barriers that exist. I am Black excellence and a product of perseverance.” The commitment continues beyond February 🖤