Genine Ervin-Smith, DVM, MPH

Genine Ervin-Smith, DVM, MPH

Genine Ervin-Smith is the Chief Operating Officer for blendvet™, a veterinary workplace and academic certification program in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She is a Los Angeles, California native and a two-time graduate of Tuskegee University, receiving a Bachelor of Animal Science in 2001 and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2007. After veterinary school, she continued in her studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to receive a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental and Global Health Sciences.  

Her veterinary journey has spanned across the avenues of clinical practice, investigative analysis, community activism, and leadership as a multi-unit hospital director of veterinary quality for Banfield Pet Hospitals in Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas; research and development veterinarian with Virbac US; and chief of staff for Veterinary Centers of America, Inc. (VCA). 

While the majority of Ervin-Smith’s career has been positive, she has also witnessed and been exposed to nepotism and systemic disempowerment among multiple levels of veterinary culture. Despite the continued stereotypes, manipulation, and prejudice she’s endured from colleagues and clientele, she continues toward changing the hospital climate for the better and focuses on her accolades and accomplishments as reminders of achievable success. 

Ervin-Smith has an infinite love for traveling and the arts, and she and her husband currently reside within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, enjoying every opportunity to mentor others and create opportunities for growth and change! 

Blendvet is a veterinary hospital and academic training certification program in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Leveraging the knowledge of diverse and recognized leaders with over 200 years of combined experience in the veterinary profession, blendvet™ certification is achieved through self-paced modules, hands-on workshops, and personalized facilitated discussions. Our mission is to cultivate thriving veterinary teams that enable individuals to be their authentic selves, build trusting relationships, and belong within a diverse community empowered to increase the pipeline of underrepresented minorities (URMs) within veterinary medicine. The nationally recognized blendvet™ program is the first of its kind to create an inclusive workspace geared towards fostering environments of belonging for teams and clients by providing the very best in DEIB training. 

For more information and ways to get involved, visit www.blend.vet.