School Notes

Honors and Awards

Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC, FF-AVDC-OMFS, chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service, has been accepted for membership into the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons. The academy, consisting almost entirely of human medicine surgeons, was founded in 2012 as a cohort of board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons who practice primarily in hospital settings. 

The university's Academic Senate and Federation presented their top academic honors for 2024, including three veterinary medicine faculty members. Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor April Choi, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP was given an Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching or Mentoring Award as a gifted teacher with a stellar record of clinical teaching and resident evaluations. Health Sciences Clinical Professor Kirsten Gilardi, DVM, DACZM, received the James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award. She is currently the director of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, a research, service and teaching center of excellence. Professor in Cooperative Extension Pramod Pandey, Ph.D. was honored with an Excellence in Research Award for his work on manure management that has had significant impact in rural areas across California.

Alumna Kimberly Dodd, DVM, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as dean of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Internationally recognized as an expert in laboratory diagnostics and outbreak response for emerging infectious diseases, Dodd is a champion for the critical role veterinary professionals play in protecting public and animal health locally, nationally, and globally.

SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos, VMD, Ph.D., was elected into the Washington State Academy of Sciences in honor of his outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement. He is recognized for foundational research on integrating medical intervention, individual health assessment and conservation actions to improve recovery of endangered species and the resilience of marine ecosystems. He is also honored for translating the science of Puget Sound for improved ecosystem-based management and public understanding of the ecology and value of the Salish Sea to human well-being. 

Nicole Mikoni, DVM, a resident in the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service, was awarded the 2024 American Association of Veterinary Clinicians Resident Award. The recognition is given annually to a resident in their final year of training who has achieved a high degree of excellence in their chosen specialty. She is the eighth UC Davis resident to win the award since its inception in 1998.

Simone Stoute, DVM, Ph.D., DACPV, branch chief of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory-Turlock, was recently named Scientist of the Year by the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association. The regional nonprofit agricultural trade association has served the egg and poultry industry for nearly a century. As a leader in the laboratory, she was recognized for her diagnostic acumen and highly effective communication. 

New NSF Center for Pandemic Insights

Preventing the next pandemic begins before diseases emerge. This “pre-emergence” phase is the focus of a new center funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by UC Davis.

Supported with $18 million over seven years, the NSF Center for Pandemic Insights includes partnering institutions from across the country. It aims to harness new technologies and develop sensing to detect, investigate, and ultimately prevent pandemics at their source.

Funded through NSF’s Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention program, the center includes 11 partnering institutions and blends four UC Davis powerhouses: the School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the School of Medicine.

“This center is a moonshot for being able to transform how we do investigations into the pre-emergence phase for pandemics,” said center lead Christine K. Johnson, a professor of epidemiology and ecosystem health in the veterinary school and director of the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics in its One Health Institute. “We’ll be able to optimize cuttingedge technology that’s already being applied in areas of human health, engineering and agriculture and bring them into this important space to help with wildlife and pandemic threats.” 

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor for the little cows.”

—Dr. Adrian Santoyo

Making Dreams a Reality

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 who received their degrees in the school’s 74th Commencement Ceremony held at the Mondavi Center on May 24. Among those graduating were 145 DVM students, 31 residents and 17 students in the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine program.

After spending 15 years of his career with Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Dean Mark Stetter still feels very involved in making dreams come true as he shared the personal story of Adrian Santoyo, one of the DVM graduates who grew up in the Central Valley town of Delano as a first-generation college student and the son of Mexican migrant workers. His family had a small ranch with cattle, sheep, and horses.

From a very young age, Santoyo enjoyed joining his dad at work at a local ranch. When he was in kindergarten, Santoyo drew a picture of himself and a couple calves. The caption of the picture was “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor for the little cows.”

“This was not just a cute little boy drawing a stick figure picture,” Stetter said, “but rather a dedicated young man who had a dream.”

Dr. Santoyo now works in private practice in the Central Valley with the hopes of potentially building a mixed animal practice. He will also be returning to his high school to share his journey to inspire others with his story.“I imagine he will be able to sprinkle a bit of pixie dust and magic with those young high school students and share that dreams really do come true,” Stetter said. 

New Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care

Dr. Emily McCobb has been named the inaugural PetSmart Charities Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care at UC Davis. The role has been permanently funded by a $6 million grant, the single most sizeable grant in PetSmart Charities 30-year history. McCobb's appointment signals the school's focus on ensuring pets and their families can find the health care they need by inspiring innovation across the entire veterinary system. → Read more here.

New OWCN Director

Dr. Victoria Hall joins the school as the new director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, a program within the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. Hall comes from a strong background working at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health, serving most recently as the Executive Director of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine and as the Redig Endowed Faculty Chair in Raptor and Ecosystem Health. → Read more here.

Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center Opens

The UC Davis veterinary hospital has expanded its Orthopedic Surgery Service to open the Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center. Modeled after human health inpatient/outpatient facilities, the center provides advanced surgical capabilities for animals suffering from injuries or disorders of the bones and joints, while increasing case volume and training capacity.

The standalone center is located just steps from the veterinary hospital and encompasses 25 rooms and 7,300 square feet of space, including three state-of-the-art operating rooms. The caseload for orthopedic surgeries has steadily increased over the past 30 years and has long since reached the capacity of the hospital’s existing surgical suites. The center addresses this growth and the need for more surgery space.

“As the nation’s top-ranked veterinary school, we had a bold vision to create a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to providing life-changing surgical treatment for dogs, cats and other beloved companion animals,” said Dean Mark Stetter. “Our surgical specialists set the bar for innovative treatments, including total hip replacements with the ability to create custom, 3D-printed titanium implants if necessary. We are motivated to grow our capacity to lead a rapidly evolving field to even greater heights.” 

Ophthalmologists Treat White Tiger with New Laser Technology

Falcor, an 11-year-old, 412-pound white Bengal-hybrid tiger, lives a good life at the 2,300-acre Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas, California. With onsite veterinary care and a dedicated group of caretakers, PAWS is home to 26 rescued, abused, abandoned, or retired captive wild animals, including elephants, bears, primates, and other species.

In 2023, Falcor had a soft tissue sarcoma mass removed from around his left eye, so his caretaker, Renae Smith, always pays close attention to his face, said Dr. Jackie Gai ’01, PAWS director of veterinary services.

When Smith noticed a dark melanotic mass growing on his right eyelid, Gai called the Ophthalmology Service. Thanks to donor support, the service recently acquired new laser equipment during the hiring process of Dr. Lauren Charnock, who was trained on the equipment during her comparative ophthalmology residency at Auburn University. We are fortunate to be one of only a few veterinary hospitals that have this equipment.

While PAWS has a state-of-the-art hospital on site, the team performed the procedure in Falcor’s enclosure to reduce the total time under anesthesia. The sanctuary is equipped with portable gas anesthesia, imaging, and other equipment that can easily be transported to the field.

After darting Falcor, Gai and her team quickly assembled a makeshift operating room in his enclosure. Joining Gai were fellow UC Davis alumnae Dr. Jennifer Glavis (DVM ’09, MPVM ’10) and Lynn Dowling, RVT (B.S. Biology ’13). The trio has worked together at PAWS for more than a decade.

The PAWS team was responsible for anesthesia induction and monitoring, blood collection, and other ancillary procedures, while Dr. Kathryn Good, chief of the Ophthalmology Service and Charnock performed the tumor removal and laser therapy. Assisting from UC Davis were Sheri Tatham, RVT, Nikki Rochin, RVT, and ophthalmology resident Dr. Sara Adelman.

“There are so many PAWS and UC Davis links with Falcor’s medical team,” Gai stated. “I love being part of the great relationship between our two facilities.”

The specific laser treatment performed is called photodynamic therapy. At UC Davis, it has been used in horses, cats, dogs, and several other species, mostly with cancer on and/or around the eye. Falcor’s anesthetization, comprehensive eye exam, and eyelid tumor surgery all took about 75 minutes. He remained stable throughout the procedure and is recovering well. 

Pint, UC Davis’ Beloved Wonder Dog, Passes Away

UC Davis mourns the loss of Pint, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who captured Aggie hearts for more than a decade. Pint passed away on May 19 at the age of 14 ó years from metastatic lung cancer.

For ten seasons, Pint was a fixture on the sidelines of Aggie Stadium as the official kicking tee retriever. His enthusiastic sprints onto the field after each kickoff, tee in mouth, became a beloved tradition, earning him the nickname “Wonder Dog” from announcer Larry Swanson. Pint’s presence wasn’t just about retrieving tees; he brought canine enthusiasm to every game, drawing joyous cheers from fans.

Beyond the stadium, Pint was a cherished member of our veterinary medicine community. Owned and trained by Dr. Danika Bannasch, a faculty member and the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education, Pint served as an ambassador of the school.

Pint was also a popular star of the screen. He was featured on ESPN for his on-field exploits, and a UC Davis Athletics Aggie Rundown video featuring Pint was their most-viewed video of the series. When a dog was needed to lead a 2014 video tour of the veterinary hospital, Pint was a natural fit. The video has been viewed more than 15,000 times by potential clients and animal lovers, whom Pint charms with his excitement and playful voiceover.

Pint’s well-mannered composure on camera also made him an immediate choice when Jeopardy! came to the campus in 2015 to film several veterinary medicine-related clues. Pint joined the “Clue Crew” for one of the segments and was prominently featured on the hit game show.

The idea to have a dog retrieve the tee was the brainchild of Scott Brayton who was then the assistant athletics director. He contacted the VMTH director at the time, Dr. David Wilson, who approached Bannasch, who wanted to pay back the school for saving Pint’s grandmother, who was accidentally poisoned.

“I wanted to find a way to give back after the incredible work our faculty did to save her,” said Bannasch. “Pint has also been a recipient of the hospital’s high-quality collaborative specialty care, having gone through a surgery and other care that extended his life.”

Pint attended 44 games in his career and retrieved 387 football Tees. “Pint made thousands of people smile and cheer at every game,” Bannasch said. “He loved all of his fans and was happy to pose for pictures with the band, cheerleaders, dance team and of course the players.”

Pint’s legacy extends beyond retrieved tees and roaring crowds. He leaves behind a reminder of the special bond between humans and animals, how an unwavering spirit can bring joy to any occasion, and the profound impact a good dog can have on a community Bannasch wants Pint’s memory to inspire further advancement of veterinary medicine. Pint lost his battle with cancer, but through research, Bannasch hopes someday other dogs can be saved.

Farewell, Pint (12/23/2010-5/19/2024). We will forever miss you. 

You can make a gift in Pint's name by donating to the Veterinary Center for Clinical Trials.

Two Livestock Residencies Gain Certification Status

The American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) recently granted full certification to two livestock residency programs: Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction (LHHR) and Dairy Production Medicine (DPM). Veterinarians completing three-year residencies in either program are now recognized by ACVPM for attaining eligibility to take their certifying examinations at the conclusion of their programs to become board certified in preventive veterinary medicine. Previously without certification status, residents were required to fulfill an additional year of qualifying experience following their residency before being allowed to take their certifying examinations.

With this recognition, UC Davis became the first veterinary school to have two ACVPM-certified residency training programs that are exclusively focused on food animal preventive medicine. Only three other institutions in the U.S. have an ACVPM-certified residency.

With this recognition, UC Davis became the first veterinary school to have two ACVPM-certified residency training programs that are exclusively focused on food animal preventive medicine. 

As an integral part of the two residency programs, residents complete coursework during the second year of their residencies toward earning their Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) degree. The MPVM degree program is a key part of their training, providing a strong foundation in epidemiology and biostatistics, infectious disease surveillance, leadership and risk communication, emerging issues in One Health, information management, zoonotic diseases, food safety, and research planning.

Together with their extensive clinical training, the MPVM degree prepares residents with the tools and skill sets to evaluate health, reproduction, and productivity at the population level in food animal production systems.

Veterinary Teaching Innovation Wins Prize at Big Bang! Business Competition

Team members from the veterinary school community took home the $12,500 Animal Health Award from the 24th annual UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition. Their collaboration, known as Equine Teaching Innovations, created a silicone injection pad that enables student animal health professionals to learn basic injection skills in a life-like way without injecting a live animal. The relatively low product cost enables a broader range of students to have access, including those in undergraduate programs, high schools and veterinary technician institutions. The team includes co-founder Melyssa Rehman, clinical skills laboratory manager; co-founder Dr. Lais Costa, marketing officer Nicole Gonzales and development officer Amanda Ayers, both DVM students in the Class of 2025. 

Monty the Python Has Tumor Removed

Monty, a 9-year-old male ball python, came to the UC Davis Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service when his owner noticed a bulge in his tail. A CT scan revealed an extensive mass compressing the GI tract and surrounding tissues. 

The mass was isolated from surrounding anatomical structures and removed by resection of that portion of the colon. Monty was stable throughout the procedure and recovered without complication. The mass was later identified as colonic adenocarcinoma, an aggressive type of cancer.

Even though the mass removal procedure was successful, Monty’s prognosis remains guarded. While the surgeons believe that the mass was excised completely and no metastasis was observed on the CT scan, there is still a chance that the tumor will regrow. Therefore, Monty’s owner will work with the exotic specialists to continually monitor the snake for possible cancer recurrence. 

Dog Survives Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Dr. Allison O'Donnell is familiar with the UC Davis veterinary hospital, having received her DVM from the school in 2023. Unfortunately, she and fiancé Matt Cardinale had to experience the hospital as clients when their dog Squid, a 5-year-old female husky/terrier mix, was trapped in a house fire while they were away and suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.

Firefighters with the city of Davis and UC Davis Fire Department provided oxygen therapy to her at the scene, which was likely lifesaving. She was brought to the Emergency Room at the UC Davis veterinary hospital, where she was immediately placed on oxygen. The carbon monoxide poisoning resulted in extremely low levels of oxygen in her blood and there were concerns that smoke inhalation had impaired he lung function.

By the third day, Squid was weaned off the oxygen. Specialists from ophthalmology, cardiology, and neurology were brought in to assess her systemic conditions. Thankfully, her heart was in good condition, but the fire caused corneal ulcers in Squid’s eyes as a result of the hot smoke and ash in the fire. Ophthalmologists were able to successfully treat them with topical medications.

The neurology consultation discovered a slight head tremor, which is known to happen to both humans and animals after carbon monoxide poisoning. While Squid’s head tremor has resolved, she developed a slight abnormality in her gait. Research into the condition shows that nearly half of dogs that survive carbon monoxide poisoning walk differently for the rest of their lives.

Squid continued to show improvement and was discharged after five days. Her owners monitor her closely and report that although she is not completely recovered, she makes progress every day.