Dr. Serena Nayee is the founder and executive director of Chapter VIII. Based on personal experience and statistical assessment throughout veterinary school and onward, the lack of inclusion and intersectionality within veterinary medicine heavily inspired her to create Chapter VIII upon graduation from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She has previous experience as a medical director and practice co-owner in the for-profit small animal veterinary urgent care sector, which inspired her to pursue development of accessible urgent care, after reflecting on the need for access to urgent clinical care and education among marginalized groups. Serena hopes to make urgent care and other specialty sectors within veterinary medicine more representative and accessible via incremental care and inclusive education.

Paul Stringfield is Chapter VIII’s executive secretary. Paul is a veterinary nurse, dedicated to helping animals and making care accessible to all people, regardless of socioeconomic status. Paul has previous experience working with other non-profit organizations (FACE) to help minimize the feral cat population in Indianapolis, Indiana. He now works with people everyday in small animal urgent care to ensure that incremental care is feasible for pets and their families. Paul loves the work he does and the people he works with!

Vee Tahir is Chapter VIII’s design chair. They are currently working simultaneously as a veterinary nurse and digital artist, while pursuing a career in tattoo artistry. Vee has worked in small animal veterinary urgent care for one year and has learned so much about the importance of access to clinical care. Vee is grateful to be a part of this initiative to help increase inclusivity in the veterinary field. Much like the art sector, veterinary medicine is in need of accessibility to education and opportunity among underrepresented groups. Vee hopes to highlight the intersection of these fields through Chapter VIII.

John Stringfield is Chapter VIII’s policy chair. John is an attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana. His background thus far includes a variety of legal work at a boutique law firm in Indianapolis. John attended undergrad at Ball State University, where he majored in Political Science. He completed his undergraduate degree in December of 2014. In August of 2015, John attended the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was a fellow with the Indiana Supreme Court Coalition for Court Access in 2017, which focused on evaluating access to courts in rural areas of Indiana for indigent and pro-se litigants. John is excited to assist in furthering access to the veterinarian community.

Rupali Singh is Chapter VIII’s social media chair. Rupali is a fourth-year, pre-veterinary student at Purdue University. Rupali is studying Biomedical Health Sciences with a minor in Business Economics. As someone who plans to attend veterinary medical school in the near future, Rupali believes that it is evidently crucial to make veterinary care affordable and accessible for all.