In Observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, Merck Animal Health Announces Inaugural Veterinary Wellbeing Collective to Help Advance Veterinary Wellbeing

As Featured in JAVMA, the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective Brings Together Leaders in the Space to Combat Burnout and Enhance Mental Health in the Veterinary Profession

06 May 2026, Rahway: Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA (NYSE:MRK), announced the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective, a collaborative initiative hosted by Merck Animal Health, to advance a unified strategy to address veterinary mental health challenges.
 
On July 29, 2025, Merck Animal Health hosted the inaugural Veterinary Wellbeing Collective roundtable at its headquarters in Rahway, N.J., bringing together 16 leading mental health and wellbeing experts to discuss the past, present and future of veterinary wellbeing. This inaugural event marked a shift from fragmented efforts to coordinated, evidence-based action to promote mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary profession. In a newly published peer-reviewed article, JAVMA spotlighted how the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective is working toward a coordinated approach to advance wellbeing in the profession. For more details, visit this link.
 
“For years, the veterinary profession has grappled with wellbeing challenges, but this Collective changes that narrative,” said Bridget Hanley, VMD, associate director, pharmacovigilance and wellbeing liaison, Merck Animal Health. “The roundtable’s open dialogues revealed how past stigmas around burnout can be transformed into proactive solutions.”  
 
In agreement that veterinary wellbeing is essential for a sustainable profession, the roundtable identified priorities for reducing stigma, improving workplace culture and fostering systemic change. By uniting leaders and organizations, the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective is helping to move from reactive fixes to proactive, collaborative solutions that empower veterinary professionals, including creating a consensus definition of wellbeing and related terminology as well as a centralized online database to share strategies, assessments, tools and resources.
 
Key Information:

The Past: From Stigma to Awareness

Participants noted that pre-1990s discussions on veterinary mental health were rare, often framing issues as personal failures. Over the last decade, alarmist framing of burnout and suicide have dominated the conversation, contributing to feelings of hopelessness in finding solutions to support mental health. However, recent shifts – driven by research like the 2023 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study – revealed a more positive reality: 75% of veterinarians reported career satisfaction, higher than the U.S. average, though gaps persist among young professionals, non-veterinarians and underrepresented groups.

The Present: Current Challenges and Initiative

Participants identified multi-level challenges including individual, workplace and systemic, detailing key contributing factors including, but not limited to:

Individual Level: Lack of mental health resource access, workplace incivility, grief navigation and physical demands;
Workplace Level: Lack of structured onboarding, unhealthy workplace cultures, limited leadership training and inequitable resources;
Systemic Level: Stigma, duplicative efforts, funding shortages and access-to-care barriers.

The Future: A Vision for Coordinated Action

Participants shared a vision of a stigma-free profession with strengths-based language, integrated research to support wellbeing and industry-supported prevention. Future plans include:

• Developing a consensus definition of veterinary wellbeing;
• Creating a centralized online database for resources;
• Launching a joint communications campaign for unified messaging;
• Convening virtually every two months to continue building on these efforts.

“This roundtable was a pivotal moment for veterinary wellbeing, bringing together key individuals and organizations to move beyond fragmented efforts and toward true coordination,” said corresponding author Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS, CEO of MentorVet, a Merck Animal Health partner. “By improving communication and cohesion in the veterinary wellbeing space, we can begin to address burnout and mental health challenges proactively, creating a healthier and more sustainable profession.”

FAQ:

Q: What is the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective?

A: The Veterinary Wellbeing Collective is a collaborative group of veterinary leaders, researchers, mental health professionals and organizations dedicated to promoting a coordinated, evidence-based approach to veterinary wellbeing. It was hosted by Merck Animal Health to increase collaboration and communication and foster systemic changes to combat issues like burnout and mental health stigma in the veterinary profession.
 
Q: Which organizations are represented in the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective?

A: The Collective includes representatives from the following organizations:

• MentorVet
• Merck Animal Health
• International Association of Veterinary Social Work
• American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
• Not One More Vet
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Brakke Consulting
• Flourish Veterinary Consulting
• Veterinary Hope Foundation
• Reviving Veterinary Medicine
• National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America
• Kent State University
• American Association of Equine Practitioners
• University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine

Q: When and why was the inaugural Veterinary Wellbeing Collective roundtable held?

A: The first roundtable was hosted by Merck Animal Health on July 29, 2025, in Rahway, N.J. Its purpose was to drive actionable discussions on the past, present and future of veterinary wellbeing, bringing together 16 experts to identify priorities and reduce duplicative efforts. The event aimed to shift from individual distress mitigation to systemic, collaborative solutions for a more sustainable veterinary profession.

Q: What key insights were shared about the history of veterinary mental health?

A: Participants noted that before the 1990s, mental health discussions were rare and often viewed as personal weaknesses. In recent decades, alarmist narratives about burnout and suicide have contributed to hopelessness in finding solutions to support mental health, despite positive data from studies like the 2023 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study, which showed 75% of veterinarians reporting career satisfaction – higher than the U.S. average. Recent shifts include increased investments in resources, veterinary social work and evidence-based programs.

Q: What are some of the current challenges in veterinary wellbeing identified by the Collective?

A: Some of the challenges discussed included, but were not limited to:
Individual: Lack of mental health resource access, workplace incivility, grief navigation, and physical demands;
Workplace: Poor onboarding, unhealthy workplace cultures, limited leadership training, and inequitable resources;
Systemic: Stigma, uncoordinated efforts, lack of funding for research, diversity issues, and access-to-care barriers.
These were discussed to highlight the need for coordinated action.

Q: What does the future hold for the Veterinary Wellbeing Collective?

A: The Collective envisions a stigma-free veterinary profession with strengths-based language, integrated wellbeing metrics (prioritized alongside financial ones), and industry-supported prevention efforts. Plans include creating a consensus definition of wellbeing, a centralized online database for resources and a joint communications campaign. The group plans to convene virtually every two months to continue building on these efforts.

Q: How can I get involved or learn more about veterinary wellbeing resources?

A: Contact the corresponding author, Dr. Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS, at addie@mentorvet.net for details on involvement or resources. Visit websites such as AVMA.org, NOMV.org, or MentorVet.net for programs like peer support groups, training certificates and research studies.

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