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The Association for Women Veterinarians held its first meeting as the Women’s Veterinary Association in August, 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its founder, Dr. Mary Knight Dunlap, started the association based on “a duty to those who followed me . . . so that they don’t make the same fool mistakes I did.” Dr. Dunlap invited the 37 female members of the American Veterinary Medical Association to the initial meeting. One of the officers of the nascent organization was Washington State College graduate, First Lieutenant Doreen Hatfield (Lewis), D.V.M.

According to its constitution, the association sought to “further the mutual advancement of women veterinarians in the science of veterinary medicine by bringing them together to share knowledge, support and friendship.” Over its history, the association carried out its mission by advocating for women veterinarians within the profession, providing financial support to female veterinary students, conducting studies to better understand the challenges facing women veterinarians, and acknowledging women in the profession through its various awards.

Initially, the AWV supported women veterinarians through annual meetings, informal gatherings, and monthly bulletins. In 1952, the association presented the first Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year (OWVY) award to Mary K. Dunlap. In 1959, the association began awarding a small scholarship to the female veterinary student in her senior year with the highest scholastic achievement. In 1973, the award was changed to a need-based award and students were required to send in an application. In 1986, the Distinguished Service Award was instated for individuals who made contributions for the advancement of women in the veterinary field, but was not limited to veterinarians.

In the 1970s, the AWV became more politically active in advocating for women’s rights in the veterinary profession. In 1971 the AWV brought two resolutions to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to end discrimination against and to encourage women veterinary students. Both resolutions were rejected. Following this defeat, there was a concentrated effort to get a woman elected to office in the AVMA, which resulted in Dr. Bobbye Chancellor’s election to vice president in 1977. Also in the 1970s, the association began urging women who faced discrimination to document their complaints in writing. By the end of the 1970s, the percentage of female veterinary graduates rose to nearly 17% from an average of roughly 5% over the 1960s.

Over the decade of the 1980s, over 44% of graduates were female as the number of women in veterinary programs continued to increase. Seeing this rise, the AWV shifted its focus to educating its members about health risks, maternity leave, leadership, and management practices. In 1987, AWV formed the Health Issues Committee, which published a special compendium of Veterinary Health Issues: Occupational Hazards in the Workplace. The AWV continued to support its members who pursued sexual harassment lawsuits. However, over this decade the AWV opened its membership and awards to males as well as females.

The 1990s saw the most women in executive leadership at the AVMA, and the number of women Deans of veterinary schools continued to increase. The association launched a website and hired a paid bulletin editor. In 1997, for the 50th anniversary of the association, the AWV History Committee, headed by Dr. Phyllis Hickney Larsen, published Our History of Women in Veterinary Medicine: Gumption, Grace and Good Humor. At a strategic planning meeting in 1998, the association changed its mission statement to: “supporting veterinary medicine by providing leadership in women’s issues.”

However, as women continued to succeed in the veterinary profession, with women now outnumbering men, membership in the AWV began to dwindle. Although the scholarship funds were supported by corporate sponsors, dues were still needed to run the organization. Therefore, in 2012, AWV decided to relinquish its funds to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation in order to continue its awards and scholarships.