AVMA podcast spotlights policy pathway through Jacey Cerda
CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: AVMA is spotlighting the Government Relations Externship through a new My Veterinary Life podcast episode featuring Dr. Jacey Cerda, whose career has spanned wildlife biology, law, veterinary medicine, and postdoctoral work in biodiversity conservation and emergency response at Colorado State University. In the episode, Cerda discusses her experience as an AVMA Government Relations Division extern and frames policy work as a practical extension of veterinary medicine, not a detour from it. The episode also lands amid broader AVMA messaging around advocacy, belonging, and organized veterinary medicine, including a recent My Veterinary Life series on how early-career veterinarians can get involved through state, national, and allied organizations, plus current federal workforce policy efforts. (linkedin.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the story is less about one career path and more about workforce development. AVMA’s Washington-based externship has long been designed to give veterinary students direct exposure to how Congress and federal agencies shape the profession, from student debt relief to rural access-to-care policy. Cerda’s example reinforces that advocacy experience can translate into careers across public service, conservation, academia, and organized veterinary medicine. That message is consistent with AVMA’s recent podcast programming, which has emphasized volunteering as a way to expand networks, shape the future of the profession, and help early-career veterinarians find entry points into leadership and service at a time when the field is still grappling with shortages in high-need sectors. (avma.org)
What to watch: Watch whether AVMA continues using these career-profile stories to recruit more students into advocacy, policy, and other nontraditional veterinary pathways, and whether it keeps connecting that message to practical on-ramps for volunteering and engagement across organized veterinary medicine. (avma.org)