A veterinarian on getting started in veterinary policy

Veterinary professionals interested in policy have a range of opportunities to get involved, according to Dilara Kiran, DVM, MS. Speaking with dvm360 at the 2026 AVMA Convention in Anaheim, California, Kiran expanded on themes from her session, "Veterinary Voices in Policy Spaces," by sharing practical ways veterinary professionals can begin engaging in policy conversations. In this video, she highlights resources such as the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network, advocacy days, and state veterinary medical associations as accessible entry points for those interested in getting involved.

Below is the transcript, which has been edited for clarity.

dvm360: What are some of the ways veterinary professionals can get involved in policy conversations, even if they have limited time or no prior experience with advocacy?

Kiran: One of the ways, AVMA [American Veterinary Medical Association] has what's called the Congressional Advocacy Network, and so it's something that you can sign up for online, and it'll send you emails about what's happening on the state level, federal level, and also sends you some calls to action. So if there's a big issue and they want to push for advocacy and help advocate for that issue, some of it's as easy as a little form letter that you then sign your name to and you press send, and it goes specifically to your representatives.

Another great way is organizational hill days or advocacy days, where whether it's through AVMA or professional society or other opportunity, they send a few people to DC. You usually get a little bit of a crash course in how to advocate and how to talk about these issues, and then you get to go and do it, and you get to do it in practice. So that's an amazing, amazing way to get involved and also leveraging your state VMAs [Veterinary Medical Associations] as well, because many of them have legislative committees that can use extra help and can help navigate things that are a little more local and matter to you.

If you're interested to know more, please check out the handout associated with my AVMA talk, and it provides a lot of opportunities and resources for you to engage.

Dilara Kiran, DVM, MS, is an associate veterinarian in Colorado, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, and serves on the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative Board of Directors.