Phi Zeta () is the only

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

in the United States.

History

Phi Zeta was established at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1925 with the assistance of Dr.

Veranus Alva Moore Veranus Alva Moore (April 13, 1859 – February 11, 1931) was an American academic, bacteriologist, and pathologist. He was a founding faculty member and department chair of the New York State Veterinary College, now the New York State Colleg ...

Noted on th
Phi Zeta national website
accessed 5 December 2021. Phi Zeta is an honor society for veterinary medicine. Its purpose is to promote, acknowledge, and reward scholarship in the profession of veterinary medicine.

Symbols

Greek scholar, George P. Bristol of Cornell University, suggested that the organization use the Greek word, spelled in its Latin form: PHILOZOI; meaning “love for animals”. The emblem was designed by the artist and naturalist

Louis Agassiz Fuertes Louis Agassiz Fuertes (February 7, 1874 – August 22, 1927) was an American ornithologist, illustrator and artist who set the rigorous and current-day standards for ornithological art and naturalist depiction and is considered one of the most pr ...

. The society's colors are blue and gold.

Membership

Third-year students ranking in the top 10% of the class and fourth-year students ranking in the top 25% of the class are invited to become members. Honorary membership may also be bestowed upon interns, residents, faculty, and non-veterinary field related persons, who have made significant contributions to veterinary medicine.

Chapters

Chapters have been placed at all 32 accredited veterinary schools in the United States. Active chapters are noted in bold. Inactive chapters are in ''italics''.

Notable members

* Wondwossen Gebreyes, veterinary physician *

Gary Tabor Gary Martin Tabor is an American conservationist with more than 40 years' experience working on behalf of large-scale conservation internationally as well as 12 years as a leader within the U.S. environmental philanthropic community. Tabor is kno ...

, environmentalist