Benefiting

Many want to positively impact their communities, but few have done so as tangibly as Dr. Phillip Nelson, who has devoted his life to veterinary academia and community service.

Over the years, Dr. Nelson has helped many thousands of veterinary students excel during their schooling, first serving as the department lead of Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine and then as the Associate Dean at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. All of this experience set the stage for his tenure as the Dean at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine (WesternU) from 2007 to 2022. There, Dr. Nelson transformed the veterinary program from its early beginnings into the esteemed and rigorous college it is today.

Even fewer leaders have been as ahead-of-the-curve as Dr. Nelson. Decades before diversity, equity, and inclusion and access to care were major topics of discussion in veterinary medicine—let alone in society atlarge—Dr. Nelson was publicly addressing these issues through his writing and advocacy. One of Dr. Nelson’s primary missions at WesternU was to ensure that the veterinary classes reflected the diversity of the population that they would go
on to serve, knocking down barriers for anyone interested in the profession, regardless of their background. On the access to care front, Dr. Nelson helped establish the Veterinary Ambulatory Community Service Program, which brings veterinary services from WesternU students and faculty to underserved areas. As generations of WesternU veterinary graduates move into their careers, they carry with them the spirit of community service that Dr. Nelson instilled within them.

In addition to his work in academia, Dr. Nelson has been a stalwart supporter of organized veterinary medicine, attending every American Veterinary Medical Association convention since he graduated veterinary school and serving on the Board of Directors and as the President of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. He has also been a steadfast contributor to the CVMA, regularly attending Board meetings and serving on multiple committees and task forces. Dr. Nelson now serves on the CVMA’s newest committee, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, where he continues his long legacy of advocating for equity within the profession.