AVMA spotlights advocacy pathway through Dr. Jacey Cerda

AVMA is using its My Veterinary Life podcast to spotlight one of the profession’s less visible career pathways: policy and government relations. In the episode “AVMA Government Relations Externship and Beyond with Dr. Jacey Cerda,” the association features Cerda’s path from wildlife biology and law into veterinary medicine, including her experience as an AVMA Government Relations Division extern in Washington, D.C. Public descriptions of the episode identify Cerda as a biodiversity conservation and emergency response postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University, as well as a Fulbright Scholar, attorney, and veterinarian. Additional background from Colorado State and Fulbright materials shows Cerda’s work now centers on biodiversity conservation, disaster response, One Health policy, and wildlife health. (podcasts.apple.com)

The episode also fits into a broader AVMA podcast series aimed at showing early-career veterinarians how to get involved in organized veterinary medicine. In recent installments, host Dr. Annie Chavent framed volunteering as a way to expand networks, help shape the profession, and make organized veterinary medicine feel more approachable for people who may not know where to start. Those episodes featured veterinarians involved at the national, state, and allied-organization levels, including Dr. Karen Cross on AVMA’s Early Career Development Committee, Dr. Brennan Pittard as president of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association, and Dr. Sara Verghis on the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. (podcasts.apple.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the episode reinforces that organized veterinary medicine and advocacy aren’t side issues, but career-shaping parts of the profession. The AVMA’s government relations externship is described by participating institutions as a four-week program that gives veterinary students exposure to federal public policy, Capitol Hill advocacy, and the legislative process affecting veterinary medicine. That matters in a regulatory environment shaped by workforce shortages, student debt, public health demands, animal welfare policy, and disaster preparedness, all areas where veterinarians increasingly need a voice. Cerda’s profile also underscores how legal and policy training can intersect with clinical work, conservation, and emergency response in ways that may resonate with early-career veterinarians exploring nontraditional roles. AVMA’s related podcast coverage has made a similar point from other angles: volunteering and association service can build networks, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging in a profession that is still working to re-strengthen connection after the disruptions of COVID. (vetmed.unl.edu)

What to watch: Expect AVMA to keep using career-storytelling content like this to channel more students and early-career veterinarians toward advocacy, externships, and organized veterinary medicine, while tying those opportunities to leadership development, professional engagement, and belonging across the field. (podcasts.apple.com)