Vet Times Podcast

Having discussed the lessons he learned from his visit to the National Association of Black Veterinarians Conference in part one (Ep 15), David Charles considers the influence role models could have on BME students and the next generation of vets in the UK. – David Charles is senior vice-president of the Association of Veterinary Students UK and Ireland, having served as its president from 2018-19. He graduated from the University of Bristol in 2019 and works at Oakwood Veterinary Group in Norfolk. Earlier this year, he presented at the first National Association for Black Veterinarians Conference in the US to discuss barriers faced by current and potential BME veterinary students on both sides of the Atlantic. According to the latest data, Dr Charles is one of 3% of vets in the UK from black or minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds – and he said studying to become a vet in such an environment can be “challenging”. “First of all, there is the lack of BME role models in the UK for vets, vet students and asp