Female Veterinarians shaping innovations in Animal Research and Healthcare
Dr.Shubhangi Warke1 & Mehak Tikoo
I/c Professor & Head
Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Animal Biotechnology T & R cell
Nagpur Veterinary College, Seminary hills, Nagpur-440006 (India)
Mail ID : shubhangi_warke@rediffmail.com
Women in Science: An illustrious journey
Since the archaic times, women have time and again proven to be nurtures, primary health care providers, logical thinkers, problem solvers, and rearers concerning animals in household and society. In context to the Indian scenario, revolution and campaigns pertaining to women’s education and empowerment has led to significant contribution of women in scientific sectors focusing primarily on field work, academia, entrepreneurship, and other areas. Throughout history, women have made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, veterinary medicine, biochemistry, physics, engineering, environmental science, and other sciences.
Significant contributions of women in science
Women have significantly contributed to the field of science in both early western civilizations as well as in the modern era. Throughout the Middle Ages, the religious convents were a significant place for providing opportunities for primary education to women but the period 11th century foresaw a dynamic change in this conventional scenario, with emergence of first universities providing yet more opportunities to women excluded from studying previously. There was a consequential change in the gender-based dynamics in the 18th century with more and more women making substantial advances in the scientific field. Late 19th century saw yet another revolution with Madam Marie curie winning a Nobel prize for her work in radioactive decay in the field of physics. Since then, many other significant contributions have been made by women in science, the list of which is attached below.
List of some significant contributions made by women in the scientific field
| Sr No. | Name | Year | Contribution |
| 1 | Marie-Ann Paulze Lavoisier | (1758-1836) | Regarded as mother of modern chemistry. She was responsible for translating several scientific works for her husband into review and these translations led to the discovery of oxygen gas. She was also instrumental in the standardization of the scientific method |
| 2 | Elizabeth Garrett Anderson | (1836-1917) | Paved way for women into medicine in Great Britian. She was the first female doctor in England and overcame significant barriers to achieve professional success. She further went on to become the first women dean of medical school in England |
| 3 | Marie Curie | (1867-1934) | Conducted research on radioactive decay and discovered two chemical elements namely radium and plutonium. Won Nobel prize in physics and chemistry |
| 4 | Chien-Shiung Wu | (1912-1997) | Provided first experimental proof for principle of parity conservation and was the one involved in creation of nuclear weapons. She was named as the “First Lady of Physics” |
| 5 | Katherine Jhonson | (1918-2020) | Black women mathematician and first women of African American descent to work in NASA |
| 6 | Rosalind Franklin | (1920-1958) | A prominent British chemist known for discovering molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite |
| 7 | Dorothy Hodgkin | (1910-1994) | Received a first class honours degree in chemistry and discovered the structure of insulin. She also won Nobel prize in the field of chemistry. |
| 8 | Barbara McClintock | (1902-1992) | Won the Nobel prize for discovery of jumping genes. She was also the first person to suggest the concept of epigenetics |
| 9 | Jane Goodall | (Born 1934) | A prominent primatologist who changed our understanding of chimpanzees |
| 10 | Jennifer Doudna | (Born 1964) | Introduced the CRISPR gene editing technology in the field of science which can prove to be fundamentally helpful in elimination of genetic diseases |
Women in Veterinary Science and their contribution globally
Veterinary science has been notably catering to animals both in terms of providing healthcare as well as applying skills to work either as animal behaviouralist, nutritionist or other related areas. Veterinary healthcare professionals are recognised as multidisciplinary practitioners who must constantly adjust to changing conditions and standards. In this field of veterinary science which was previously considered to be a male-dominated profession, significant increase has been seen in the number of women per year pursuing the veterinary field as their professions. Women are actively defying the gender norms and outnumbering the male proportion in the field of veterinary science with 76% of women graduating from this field. The UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland were the first countries to advance women’s access to veterinary medicine. The newly formed states of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Baltic republics gained popularity as destinations for female students pursuing veterinary education after World War I. About 125 years ago, when veterinary medicine first began, only men could practise it. But women started to express interest in this field as well towards the end of the 1800s. Stephania Kruszevska, a Polish veterinarian who received her degree in 1889, was the first female veterinarian. Since the French veterinary college in Lyon was founded in 1762, an increasing number of women have applied to pursue degrees in this subject, greatly contributing to the advancement of veterinary research. The following lists some of the women who made major contributions to the veterinary field.
| Sr. No. | Name | Contribution | |
| 1. | Dr. Aleen Isobel Cust | (1868-1937) | First Anglo-Irish female veterinarian. Played significant role in first world war in the treatment of war horses |
| 2. | Dr. Elinor McGrath | (1888-1963) | First female veterinarian in US. She was primarily involved in pet healthcare and was responsible for establishment of first pet cemetery |
| 3. | Dr. Jane Hinton | (1919-2003) | She was responsible for development of the Mueller-Hinton agar used for conducting antibiotic sensitivity test to check antibiotic resistance of microorganisms |
| 4. | Dr. Phyllis Lose | (1925-2019) | Prominent veterinarian who worked with race horses and was well known in Equine veterinary community. She also built the first female owned surgical practice |
| 5. | Dr. Janet Donlin | (Born 1901) | First female CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) |
| 6. | Dr. Lila Miller | (Not specified) | Pioneer of shelter medicine to treat stray animals |
| 7. | Dr. Justin Lee | (Not specified) | First veterinarian to be the emergency care specialist |
| 8. | Dr. Tracey McNamara | (Born 1954) | Credited with discovery of West Nile Virus |
| 9. | Dr. Bernadette Dunham | (Born 1949) | Served as the director of Centre for Veterinary Medicine(CVM) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
| 10. | Dr. Susan Kelleher | (Born 1968) | Also known as “Dr. Dee: Alaskan vet” Primarily known for her work in exotic animal medicine and surgery. |
History of Indian women veterinarians: A resolute approach
In India, the first woman to graduate in the field of Veterinary science was Dr. Sakkubhai Ramachandran in the year 1952. Following her many other female veterinarians such as Dr. Pragati Panda (first lady vet of Orrisa), Dr. Amritha Patel noted for being first women vet from Gujarat along with being the former chairman of NDDB and other diligent lady vets have made an exceptional career in this field. Another one of such reputed lady Vets is Dr. Sosamma Ipye also known as “Vechur’s amma” who has received the prestigious Padma Shree award for the conservation of indigenous breeds of veghar cow, Kasargod and Cheruvally cattle and Attappady goats from extinction in India. With context to the present scenario in India, there has been a surge in the number of female vets with state veterinary councils amounting to the registration of more than 3000 lady vets across different states of India. Women vets have also found an association called Indian Association of Lady Veterinarians which was started on 2nd October 1985 at Veterinary College, Thrissur, Kerala. This association has been responsible for carrying out the meetings, seminars and conferences felicitating the women vets in different sectors. This association has worked tremendously in exposing female veterinarians working in the veterinary profession to the latest technological advances in veterinary science and by giving a common platform to women vets in different sectors to exchange their knowledge and ideas. Moreover, over year’s many young lady vets have carved out a niche in both India and abroad creating awareness and paving way for many others.
Indian women veterinarians: Excelling in different veterinary sectors
Female veterinarians in India have adopted a plethora of roles in the veterinary sector ranging from working as successful female vets in the livestock sector to successful academicians, innovators, entrepreneurs, and many other areas. They have time and again proven their ability to work in a team setting under tremendous pressure and yet come up with the most logical decisions to counter any problem presented to them. From excelling in daughter roles to being an exceptional spouse to being a caring mother to being a successful career-oriented women. The female veterinarians in our society have done it all to name a few. The list of some of the lady vets who have excelled in their career and have paved way for other young vets is listed below.
| Sr. No. | Name | Contribution |
| 1. | Dr. Sakkubai Ramachandran | First lady veterinarian of India from Madras Veterinary College and graduated in year 1952 |
| 2. | Dr. Pragati Panda | First women veterinarian from the state of Orrisa. Served as professor in department of animal genetics and breeding |
| 3. | Dr. Amritha Patel | First women veterinarian from the state of Gujarat. Served as chairman of NDDB |
| 4. | Dr. Sosamma Ipye | First women veterinarian to win the Padma Shree award for conservation of indigenous breeds of cattle and goats. |
| 5. | Dr. Pushpa Ratnaparkhee | First female Veterinarian to establish the All-India association of Lady Veterinarians. |
| 6. | Dr. Aditi Sharma | Worked as senior veterinary officer in Tiger reserve with specialization in advance wildlife management. Currently serving as Director and Founder of the Council for Environment and Sustainable Development of All through One health approach |
| 7. | Dr. Shalu Shah | A prominent veterinary doctor who is also the founder of “The Bakery” a pet wellness company which makes organic and preservative free treats for pets |
| 8. | Dr. Anjali Bhaskaran | First woman veterinarian from paniya tribe in Kerala |
| 9. | Dr. Farheen Mushtaq | Veterinarian who is the owner of Get well pharmaceuticals which provides education regarding the quality colostrum as well as monitoring of colostrum |
| 10. | Dr. Deepa Katyal | Veterinarian, and trustee of Kalote animal trust. She is an executive member of SPCA, Thane |
| 11. | Dr. Meghana Pemmaiah | Challenging role in wildlife management |
Impact of recent technological revolutions on women in veterinary science
With the advent of latest technological developments such as next-generation sequencing, nanotechnology, precision medicine, CRISPR- Cas gene editing, 3D-cell culture, Aptamer based assays, machine learning, digital microbiology and many others, the women veterinarians have proven to be capable of adopting these new technologies for improving the health of animals. The zeal with which women veterinarians are constantly working and updating themselves about the recent changes in the field are unmatched. The efforts put in by the female veterinarians has led to significant positive changes in the field of veterinary science and also transformed the veterinary healthcare landscape to a certain extent. Some of the examples of such women are noted below.
- Crafting prosthetic leg for injured Japanese cranes
Zoo veterinarian Hiroko Lima has become the saviour of the birds at the Kushira city zoo due to her designing of the aluminium prosthetic legs for cranes who were injured in an accident.
- Solution for helping aging dogs with cognitive decline
Companion animal veterinarian Dr. Sheri Smithey, PhD. has developed a solution to reduce the cognitive decline in aging dogs. Understanding the various ways through which gut health impacts the neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and behavioural disorders have been the focus of the studies.
- Ground breaking research on Eastern box turtle
Two female veterinarians have conducted a study evaluating the anaesthetic protocols in turtles. As turtles are the primary patients frequenting the clinics and needing treatment often in this region, safer methods to introduce anaesthesia in order to treat them properly and prevent them from retracting to their shells is necessary. As a result, these two veterinarians have conducted a number of research experiments and found that injecting the dexmedetomidine-ketamine combination, both with and without midazolam, into the turtles’ forelimbs produced sedation that was quicker, more consistent, and less variable than injecting the medication into their hindlimbs. Moreover, midazolam improved the forelimb anaesthesia’s effectiveness when added to the medication combination, sedating the turtles sufficiently for intubation.
- 3D-printing for dog suffering from tumour
Fellow female veterinarian, Dr. Michelle Oblak at the Ontario Veterinary College made news around the world because of her use of a 3D printed customized part of the skull of a dog with a massive brain tumour.
- Emergence in veterinary regenerative medicine
Over the past 20 years, there has been a significant growth in veterinary regenerative medicine due to intensive research into the development and clinical application of novel therapies to improve the healing of animal tissues injured by disease or trauma. The discovery of cells and other biological products with the ability to mend has been a major factor in this, with adult mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) being a key player in the field. The Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures’ director and chief of dentistry and oral surgery, Dr. Boaz Arzi, has been granted the 2023 American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)/EveryCat Health Foundation Research Award. She is a true pioneer in the field of “Feline health research,” having made a substantial impact on our knowledge of and ability to treat illnesses specific to women.
Women veterinarians as leaders
Throughout the years, many strides have been made with regards to incorporation of women in veterinary field as healthcare professionals and research scientists, yet there is still a lacuna of women in major leadership roles within the industry. The statistical data has revealed that there is a dearth of representation of women in prominent leadership roles. Leadership roles possess a great significance in veterinary profession due to the fact that the leaders are equipped with knowledge regarding the present problems plaguing the industry such as shortage of veterinary staff, demands of veterinary drugs, veterinary nutrition package, veterinary healthcare package and others. Thus, the non-inclusion of women veterinarians in such discussions gives rise to homologous management and non-diverse leadership in a rapidly changing profession which also needs to cater to the demands of female veterinarians. Furthermore, in cases of lack of inclusiveness of women veterinarians in the discussions concerning veterinary healthcare there is a creation of a blind spot as the prominent decisions taken in these meetings seldom cater to the hospitals run by women veterinarians and not only women veterinarians deserve to be in involved in those leadership roles but they also mandatorily required to be holding those leadership roles in order to enhance the progress of our profession with equality and integrity. Despite such gender disparities concerning the lack of women as leaders in veterinary science, some lady vets have defied these societal norms and emerged as the leaders of tomorrow. Some of these women who have been noted for their role as leaders are: Dr. Danielle Dos Santos, youngest president of BVA Ethics and welfare panel, Dr. Amanda Boag, Group Referral Director for IVCEidensia, Dr. Laura Whyte, former head of HR at John Lewis and currently Chair of Board at XLVets and in addition to this many other young stalwart veterinary women have adopted leadership roles for exchanging novel beliefs and ideas leading to the betterment of animal health and welfare.
Future role of women in veterinary science
With the advancing times, women in veterinary profession have outnumbered the men and adorned various roles either as healthcare providers, academicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, leaders and so on. This major shift has been caused by a number of factors such as more and more women are receiving education in veterinary, work life along with professional life is getting easier to balance etc. Having said this, a lot of work needs to be done to advance the progress of women in veterinary science with work being done in providing them opportunities for future research, training them about the fundamental ways of entrepreneurship, helping them financially to open up start-ups, giving them fair chance at the leadership roles etc. More and more female vets need to be encouraged to get an integrated business degree with their doctor of veterinary medicine degree to facilitate the development of interest in female ownership as well as to sow the seeds of future corporate strides in the industry.
Challenges faced by women in veterinary science
Despite more and more women considering joining the veterinary profession due to revolutions encouraging the education of women in the last few decades, the women in veterinary field are still faced with a lot of challenges to name a few. The major challenges faced by women in veterinary science are:
- Women vets facing discrimination in their early years due to the combined effects of gender and age-based biases.
- Women progressing slowly in their careers as compared to men due to stagnation in promotion and salary increment.
- Women reporting to be sexually or mentally harassed by either their clients or by their colleagues.
- Women are faced with challenges in being recruited as leaders due to higher pressure on them to prove their worth in comparison to men.
- Women are faced with stereotypical notions regarding working on farms, with many believing that women are not fit to work with farm animals.
Promoting women in veterinary medicine
To tackle the challenges faced by women in veterinary field, it is necessary to come up with programs and policies to encourage the progress of female veterinarians. These strategies could be helping women veterinarians in balancing their personal and professional life by giving breaks to mothers, providing paid leave and remote veterinary positions. Similarly, policies concerned with promoting female leadership/mentorship and pay transparency are necessary to be implemented for provision of equal opportunities to women in this field.
Conclusion
In terms of sheer numbers and noteworthy accomplishments in a variety of veterinary science domains as field veterinarians, inventors, professors, and others, female veterinarians are currently surpassing their male counterparts in the veterinary field. However, there are still a number of problems that women veterans must deal with, including prejudice in society, lower pay, and discrimination based on gender. The majority of society views women veterinarians as either emotionally or physically unsuited for positions requiring rational thought and manual labour, hence their participation in farm practice and leadership roles has been discouraged. Even though research has shown that women experience greater career-related problems related to leading a conventional, financially secure lifestyle, not enough has been done to provide women with flexible work options that support their aspirations to take on independent jobs. Therefore, it is crucial in this day and age to make sure that women are recognised for their contributions as both job holders and top workers. It is imperative to take action as soon as possible to guarantee this stability in the veterinary field with regard to women’s roles.
References
https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/extraordinary-female-veterinarians/
https://rr-asia.woah.org/en/news/gender-assessment-of-veterinary-services-in-south-east-asia/
https://www.veterinarywoman.co.uk/podcasts/
https://www.womensweb.in/2022/05/women-veterinarians-in-india-may22wk1sr/
