On January 21, 2022, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (Ross Vet) proudly welcomed our January 2022 First Semester Cohort and Class of 2025 to the veterinary profession at their White Coat Ceremony. Family, friends, and Ross Vet community members joined the Livestream ceremony offering encouragement and support for the participating 184 students who received their white coats.
Keynote speaker and Ross Vet faculty member and alumna, Dr. Amy Beierschmitt ’96, or Dr. B as she is more commonly referred to, shared her experience and advice.
"You have earned the white coat you are receiving today and will continue to earn it every day, as students and later as veterinarians. You are part of the Rossie family now, work together, become colleagues, and friends. You may not realize it now, but during the next 3 and a half years you will need each other. You're not just learning veterinary medicine; you're learning to be a Rossie."
During the ceremony, students are “cloaked” in their first white coat and together, as a class, recite the Veterinary Student Oath. The oath stresses the students’ commitment to the process of continuous professional improvement of themselves, their classmates, and the profession of veterinary medicine. Ross Vet Dean Sean Callanan addressed Ross Vet students at the ceremony, “From this day forward, it’s your role as a veterinarian and as a professional representing the veterinary profession and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine that is most significant.”
The ceremony provides an opportunity for faculty to welcome first-year students into Ross Vet’s family, and it allows students to recognize individuals who have provided them with support throughout their education. It's the moment when students pledge themselves to service to animals and humanity.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to all our new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class of 2025!
About Dr. Beierschmitt:
Dr. Beierschmitt, or Dr. B as she is more commonly referred to, graduated from the University of California Davis with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in 1991. She graduated with her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) in February of 1996 and is licensed in California. She is currently the Attending Veterinarian for the Behavioural Science Foundation, an Adjunct faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at RUSVM, and back up for the RUSVM Attending Veterinarian. After graduation, Dr. Beierschmitt completed a Fellowship in Non-Human Primate Medicine and Surgery with the Axion Foundation, Yale University.
Dr. Beierschmitt supports her fellow Rossies offering volunteer experience with non-human primates and advising student organizations such as the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) and Zoo, Exotics, and Wildlife (ZEW).
Dr. Beierschmitt plays a more supportive role in research with non-human primates and provides the care and welfare needs of a breeding colony of African Green Monkeys. She is also responsible for the surgical and medical needs as well as data collection for many research projects, including projects with colleagues at RUSVM. She has published with her colleagues as well as published multiple case reports under her care.
She is one of the founding board members of the Basseterre Animal Rescue Center (BARC), St Kitts’ first animal shelter, and supports the work done at the center. Outside of work, she enjoys anything outdoors, walking, running, hiking, paddle boarding, yoga, boating, and more. Before falling in love with monkeys, horses and competitive show jumping were her passion.
