BIMS Board Launches Mentor Panel
Members of the Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (CVM) Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) Advisory Board met and talked with Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and BIMS undergraduate students on July 14, during a trial run of a new mentor panel.
BIMS Board members represent careers across the One Health field, such as veterinarians, dentists, entrepreneurs, hospital administrators, and more.
“They were each inspired by their experience at Texas A&M to give back through scholarship and mentor support. Their goal is to provide students with a new perspective on the many possible career opportunities the BIMS degree allows,” said Eliana Mijangos-Brown, assistant director of development. “Providing mentors to our BIMS students has been one of two key priorities for the BIMS Board, and this (first mentor panel) was a dry-run of what they hope to be a much larger event in the fall.”
Approximately 25 students attended the first panel session, which included discussions by:
- Dr. Mark Vara, CEO of the San Antonio-based Vanguard Veterinary Associates and Dr. John Shelby, owner of a private practice in Houston, who talked to students about veterinary school.
- Ricardo Diaz, COO of St. Joseph Health in Bryan, and Jennifer Bell, a senior compliance officer for Baylor Scott and White in Dallas, shared insights on medical profession options.
- Erin Schneider, director of student affairs at the Texas A&M School of Public Health and Scott Mendell, an entrepreneur and author who lives in Houston, discussed industry and research in the corporate world.
In the fall, the BIMS Board will host another mentor panel to perfect the system and reach a larger number of students.
“The hope is that some students will reach out to individual board members and be able to utilize them as mentors throughout their college and recent graduate careers,” Mijangos-Brown said.
