Purina Pro Plan Veterinary has launched the Purina Pro Plan Wellness Center at Utah State University (USU), aimed at supporting the mental health and wellbeing of veterinary students. This initiative is part of the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission, which seeks to address barriers faced by veterinarians in their practice. Situated within the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the wellness center is designed to assist students throughout their veterinary training by providing spaces for one-on-one consultations with wellness specialists as well as areas for meditation and mindfulness practice.
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Michael Bishop, the director of student affairs for USU's CVM, stated, "The Purina Pro Plan Wellness Center represents our commitment to making wellbeing an integral part of veterinary education. We want our students to develop not only the knowledge and clinical skills to care for others, but also the habits, resources, and resilience needed to sustain themselves throughout a demanding and rewarding career in veterinary medicine."
The opening of the wellness center coincides with USU's advancement of its four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, which brought in its first class of 39 students in August 2025 and transitioned to the new Thomas and Patricia Willis Veterinary Medical Education building in summer 2026. The current class of 2030, consisting of 77 students, commenced their first-year instruction this fall.
Veterinary professionals often face significant stress in their careers, leading to burnout, with studies indicating that 32% of first-year veterinary students report clinical levels of depressive symptoms. Dr. Emily Cross, Director of Vet Technical Communications at Purina, emphasized that their commitment to supporting veterinary professionals starts before they enter clinical practice. "By investing in the Purina Pro Plan Wellness Center at Utah State University, we want to create an environment where future veterinarians have access to resources for their well-being as they develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they will carry throughout their careers."
Utah State University's CVM gained provisional accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education in 2025 and aims to train skilled and compassionate veterinary professionals to serve the community.
Since its establishment in 2024, the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission has allocated over $3.5 million to non-profit organizations that address various challenges in the veterinary profession, including mental health support and financial assistance through different programs. The new wellness center broadens this mission by investing in the next generation of veterinarians during their formative years. For additional information about the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission, visit ProPlanVet.com.