DVM students at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) spend four rigorous years preparing for their careers. The first three focus on classroom-based curriculum. But while textbooks, lectures, and laboratories are a crucial foundation, they can only take students so far.

“You can sort of mockup these conversations,” says Kristi Flynn, DVM, “but until you’re having them in person, it’s hard to imagine what the dialogue is going to look like.”

Flynn is a faculty co-advisor for the CVM’s Veterinary Treatment Outreach for Urban Community Health (VeTOUCH). She works alongside co-advisor Emily Walz, DVM, MPH, who is also the faculty advisor for the College’s Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS).

“Students in these clubs work with real patients and clients early in their education, in a setting where what they say and do matters,” says Walz. VeTOUCH and SIRVS clinics are also one of the few spaces for collaboration between students across class years. 

Camaraderie is critical—especially in outreach as student-driven as VeTOUCH and SIRVS. “Veterinary student officers volunteer their time to write grants, train fellow volunteers, coordinate with local partners, and solicit donations, all while juggling a full course load, not to mention employment and family,” Walz says.

Roots run deep

Each CVM partnership is founded on mutual agency and respect. Transparency with both partners and clients is essential, as is acknowledging clients’ efforts to provide their animals with the best possible care. “This is especially important when we work in Native American communities,” says Walz, “or with other populations who have experienced historical trauma around medical care delivery.”

“People’s lived experiences and their knowledge should be our foundation,” says Lauren Bernstein, MVB, MPH, a Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine resident at the CVM’s Center for Animal Health and Food Safety. She volunteers for VeTOUCH and SIRVS. “Clients know their animals better than we could ever know them in the 30 to 90 minutes that we work with them.”

Marilou Chanrasmi, formerly vice president of the Native America Humane Society, has been a friend and advocate for tribal communities since 2009 and helped the CVM establish and maintain these long-standing relationships. The College recently awarded Chanrasmi with one of the CVM's most prestigious honors: The Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes individuals from the community for their accomplishments, service, and contributions to veterinary medicine. Awardees are acknowledged annually at the spring scholarship reception. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the CVM from hosting one such event.

Chanrasmi says it takes years to build trust with tribal communities. “You can’t go in and expect to do things a certain way. You have to have a way about you.” She says the late Larissa Minicucci, DVM, MPH, associate professor in the CVM’s Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, had that. 

Minicucci built SIRVS from the ground up. She established tribal contacts through dedicated cold calling. “Larissa had a real interest in working close to home and serving locally underserved communities,” says Minicucci’s husband, Lou Cornicelli, PhD. “She poured everything into that program. It was a labor of love.”

Despite a metastatic colon cancer diagnosis in May 2018, Minicucci continued her efforts. She attended SIRVS clinics, even as her health declined. Toward the end of her fight with cancer in 2019, she and Cornicelli gave clear instructions: no flowers, no cards. Instead, colleagues and loved ones surprised them by raising money for SIRVS. Anna Ruelle, '11 DVM, a previous president of the CVM's Alumni and Friends Society board, launched a donor page through the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Foundation and raised nearly $19,000. The CVM launched a crowdfunding page to honor Larissa's commitment and dedication to the program she built. The community raised nearly $45,000 to help fund future community medicine clinics. 

Minicucci passed away last November, leaving Cornicelli with a $100,000 American Veterinary Medical Association life insurance policy. “She wanted to create a service-learning fund with part of that,” he says. They hadn’t discussed the details, but Cornicelli was encouraged by the SIRVS donations. He donated all $100,000 toward creating a named endowment fund: the Dr. Larissa Minicucci Community Veterinary Medicine Endowment Fund. “The goal is to establish a professorship in her name to continue and grow the work she was doing on the Reservations,” he says.

Cornicelli’s generous contribution launches the effort with meaningful momentum. However, donations are being accepted as the fund aims to raise at least $1 million. “The University has been tremendous,” Cornicelli says. “They’re fully supportive.”

Made to last

Minicucci designed SIRVS with tremendous foresight. “It’s incumbent upon the student leadership of SIRVS to train the next leaders,” explains Cornicelli. “So it’s a phenomenally self-sufficient student-run organization.”

These values permeate VeTOUCH, too. As in SIRVS, an annual transition of leadership fosters fresh ideas for program improvement. “Each year is very individual in what direction they think we should go,” Flynn says. 

“These student leaders are dedicated,” says Walz. Despite faculty oversight, “they are truly in charge and deserve the credit for the success and positive reputations of these organizations.”

Recently, VeTOUCH leadership implemented an electronic medical records system to improve information access between clinics. “I’m so proud of them,” Flynn says. “They did all the research, looked into all the options, and made the decisions.”

Dignified care: demystified

Walz feels one of the most extraordinary things about VeTOUCH and SIRVS is their commitment to serving families “in a dignified and accessible way.” Clinics take place at familiar places within each community. Valuing transparency, students, faculty, and volunteers recognize pet owners as vital members of the care team who play a foundational role in the decision-making process. 

Bernstein says it’s unhelpful to make assumptions about clients’ financial health, access to education, or sociocultural beliefs because the most effective patient solutions come through joining veterinary expertise with local expertise. That’s where cultural humility—which Bernstein describes as “a commitment to lifelong learning and critical self-reflection”—is key. And it’s a fundamental component of the CVM’s outreach programs. This philosophy helps veterinary health professionals understand the complex interplay between their own cultural identity and that of clients and get ahead of resulting biases.

SIRVS members attend an annual lecture by Monte Fronk, Mille Lacs Band member and emergency management coordinator, where Fronk discusses cultural humility and communication in the tribal communities they visit. Simultaneously, VeTOUCH students work with a veterinary social work intern to learn effective care and communication with clients navigating challenges, such as homelessness, addiction, or disability. VeTOUCH has also collaborated with volunteer student interpreters. Future plans include exploring best practices in navigating language barriers between providers and clients. 

Local champions

The past few years have seen budding relationships with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Lake Nation, and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Walz also notes potential partnerships with other groups, such as MNSNAP, “to complement the wellness services provided at the Little Earth of United Tribes housing complex in Minneapolis.”

“With each new relationship,” Walz says, “it is imperative to identify local or neighborhood animal champions who are willing to work alongside our team. Building grassroots support can then be combined with the resources of respected organizations.” One such organization is the Animal Humane Society (AHS). Its veterinary centers have provided the Twin Cities with low-cost veterinary care since 2011.

Last September, AHS opened its new University Avenue center in St. Paul, which is collaborating with the CVM to open a veterinary clinic. There, DVM students will help provide services to pet owners in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods in St. Paul. “The AHS shares our vision to expand community medicine programming,” says Walz.

Our futures, connected

Bernstein says veterinary medicine is critically linked with public health: whether seeking resources for human or animal care, the barriers remain the same. “I think having compassion and recognizing those barriers makes a big difference for overall patient health.”

With that in mind, the CVM is supporting “wrap-around services,” which connect owners to resources that decrease barriers for both people and pets. For instance, the College is growing its partnerships with the School of Social Work and School of Nursing to provide better community referrals and holistic support for clients and their families.

One new partnership between the CVM and the Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) is evaluating the benefits of offering pet services for the center’s patients and clients. The pilot program would also allow trainees in human and veterinary medicine to learn and work together. This collaborative care model champions the One Health philosophy — the efforts to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.

The CVM is also in the early planning stages of a partnership with the University’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center. Walz reports that initial conversations have elucidated an interest in serving the pet-owning community in North Minneapolis. “As this is a new relationship, we want to proceed mindfully. Developing new partnerships is a process.” To serve with intention, all parties must take time to listen to the unique voice of each community.

Still, at the heart of all partnerships—past, present, and future—there remains one constant: “Helping pets helps people,” says Flynn. “Pet ownership isn’t a privilege—we all benefit from having animal companions in our lives.”

Community partnerships, community impact