School Notes
Honors and Awards
Po-Yen Chou, DACVS, has achieved fellow status in Joint Replacement Surgery (JRS) in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), making him the second surgeon in the nation to do so. Associate Professor of the veterinary hospital’s Orthopedic Surgery Service and Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center, Chou is the fi rst fellow to train in the ACVS JRS Fellowship Program, of which UC Davis is one of only ten approved training centers nationwide.
Florence Dupuis-Dowd, DVM, and Max Randolph, DVM, were recognized for their winning research abstracts at the American College of Internal Veterinary Medicine Forum, a special event sponsored by Purina Institute. Dupuis-Dowd, large animal internal medicine resident, presented research on the "Effect of Ertuglifl ozin on Glucose and Insulin Dynamics in Healthy Horses Receiving Dexamethasone.” Randolph, small animal internal medicine resident, presented research on the “Outbreak of Leptospirosis in Dogs from Los Angeles County, California, USA 2021.”
Rodrigo Gallardo, DVM, Ph.D., DACPV, and Simone Stoute, DVM, Ph.D., DACPV, won national awards at the 2025 American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) annual meeting that recognize outstanding achievements in their work with avian diseases. Gallardo received the “P.P. Levine Award,” given annually since 1964 for the best paper published in Avian Diseases the previous year. Stoute was honored with the “Y.M. Saif Outstanding Case Report in Avian Diseases.”
Kate Hurley, DVM, DABVP, received the 2025 Animal Welfare Award from the American Veterinary Medical Association for extraordinary achievements in advancing animal welfare. Director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine program since 2005, Hurley’s contributions to shelter medicine are numerous including: extensive research on emerging diseases among cats and dogs in shelters; co-chairing the organizing committee for a speciality in Shelter Medicine; co-launching the Million Cat Challenge campaign to save a million cats in North American shelters; and co-authoring standards of care and guidelines for shelters.
Luis M. Peña-Lévano, Ph.D., was one of fi ve faculty to be selected as a 2025 Chancellor’s Fellow to facilitate his eff orts towards “fostering a learning environment where all students can develop the skills to be successful.” He was recognized for outstanding expertise in the fieeld of agricultural economics as assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in Dairy Cattle Production, Health, & Management Economics. Chancellor Gary May highlighted fellows’ “commitment to reducing opportunity gaps for underrepresented students and/or students from underserved communities.”
In Memoriam: Patricia Gaffney, DVM, MPVM, Ph.D., DACVP (Read tribute written by her brother.)
Veterinary School Team Members Win at 25th Big Bang! Business Competition
Team members of the veterinary school community were awarded $12,500 at the 25th annual Big Bang! Business Competition, which supports budding entrepreneurs as they develop their business ventures. VetScientia, a cloud-based virtual simulation focused on anesthesia management training, won the Animal Health and Industry Award. Comprising the group are co-founders Morgan Lunn (DVM Class of 2027) and alumnus Raffy Dorian, DVM ’96, as well as collaborator Marcela Machado, assistant professor in anesthesiology.
“Grand Gold” Awarded for 75th Anniversary Campaign
The school's 75th anniversary communications campaign received the highest honor of “Grand Gold” in the 2025 Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Grand Gold is a prestigious award level where the judges have the discretion to honor an entry they believe is “game changing.” Only 21 were granted out of 4,460 nominations. Judges noted: “the campaign combined storytelling, historical milestones, and community engagement to highlight the school’s global impact and leadership in animal health.”
The communications campaign was built under the guidance of a launch committee composed of friends, faculty, students, staff, and Dean Emeritus Bennie Osburn, with backing from Dean Mark Stetter. It launched in May 2023 with a strategy to focus on “Honoring Our Past” and “Envisioning the Future.”
The campaign proved successful, evidenced by constituent surveys pre- and post-campaign, as well as the school raising $50 million in its anniversary year while also laying the groundwork for future gifts. The project was made possible through the collaboration of the communications team with many different departments and services, from Academic Technology Services to the UC Davis Library, to bring their vision to life.
“The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sets the standard of excellence in everything it does, and this award reflects that,” said Dean Stetter.
Read more about the Grand Gold Award.
Multidisciplinary Lab Awarded Best Case Study
The Louis Lab, a multidisciplinary and multi-state group aiming to improve the fi nancial and economic resilience of the U.S. dairy industry, was awarded World Best Case by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association at the Global Conference in Brazil. Their winning case study, “Automated Milking Systems: A Challenge and Opportunity for U.S. Midwest Dairy Farmers,” examined the Schmidt family’s decision at Pioneer Farm to adopt Automated Milking Systems, technology that can autonomously milk dairy cows. Luis Peña-Lévano, Ph.D., assistant professor of Cooperative Extension, led the project, wrote the case study, and was one of the members who presented the team at the global finals.
National Honors for Mental Health Initiatives and Academic Excellence
Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest publication dedicated to best practices in higher education, recently honored the school with two prestigious recognitions. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine received the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award—a national award that recognizes institutions committed to a campus-wide integration of mental health initiatives, including accessible services, peer support, emotional resilience, and proactive policy. Davis is one of only three veterinary schools in the country awarded this honor. The magazine also granted the school a 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award. This national honor celebrates U.S. colleges and universities that have demonstrated a deep, sustained commitment to fostering academic excellence, belonging, and community across all levels of campus life.
A New Class of Colleagues
Congratulations to the Class of 2025 who received their degrees from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in its 75th Commencement Ceremony held at the Mondavi Center on May 23rd. Among those graduating were 142 DVM students, 34 residents and 8 students in the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine program.
After the new graduates received their degrees, Dr. Karl Jandrey presented a posthumous degree to Sanam “Sunny” Thukral. Sunny was originally in the Class of 2023, but a diagnosis of and treatment for an aggressive brain cancer interrupted her final year of studies in May 2022. After and between treatments and recovery time, which included surgery and radiotherapy, Sunny completed her requirements for graduation. Sadly, she died in November 2024. Sunny's family, including their dog, accepted her degree to a standing ovation from the audience.
“Despite the loss to our profession and the world, with Sunny’s determination, inspiration, and verve, we recognize her today as another graduate veterinarian of the UC Davis Class of 2025,” Jandrey said through tears. “Our school and profession are much better because Sunny was, and still is, a source of strength and courage.”
Watch Memorable Moments in this episode of A Minute with Mark.
Welcome Class of 2029!
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine welcomed 154 new students (and one deferred) of the Class of 2029 in the annual White Coat ceremony on Friday, August 15. For the second year in a row, more than half (57%) are first-generation college students. They range in age from 19-40 (average age 23) and hail from a variety of backgrounds, including: an expert in American Sign Language, a researcher in Alzheimer’s disease, a professional video game commentator, a retired figure skater and coach, and a competitive chef.
In his opening remarks to the incoming class, Dean Mark Stetter celebrated the many late nights, exams and sacrifices that led them along this journey and to this milestone moment in their careers. He urged them to consider three words: blessed, lucky and privileged—words that reflected his feelings toward the newest members of the UC Davis veterinary medicine community.
“Wear your white coat with pride,” he said. “Let it remind you of both the journey behind you and the possibilities ahead.”
Vet Med’s Newest “Horse”
Over his more than 40 years at UC Davis, John Pascoe, executive associate dean emeritus, led efforts to bring more art to the school, having seen the positive effect of public art at land grant veterinary schools across the country. He collaborated with many artists to acquire works, especially those depicting animals.
Now, a nearly 7-foot steel sculpture of a horse, coincidentally named John, stands on a platform at the school’s Multi-Purpose Teaching Building in a large bay window looking toward the school’s William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. John was created by internationally renowned sculptor and UC Davis alumna Deborah Butterfield, known for her horse depictions crafted from found objects such as metal and wood. On loan to the school from the UC Davis Fine Arts Collection, John was one of the horses in the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art’s 2024 exhibition, “Deborah Butterfield: P.S. These are not horses.” Fundraising efforts are underway to secure a permanent home at the school for Bow Tie, another of Butterfield’s works.
“The human-animal bond is ingrained into the fabric of our school,” said Pascoe. “The school had the perfect place for it, and we’re grateful to the UC Davis Fine Arts Collection for the loan of this magnificent artwork to be on display.”
Speak Up For Science
New cures for animal and human diseases. Climate solutions. Smarter tech. Many of these advances rely on federal science funding. Urge Congress to protect research and reject harmful cuts to our nation’s science agencies, institutions and researchers. The UC Advocacy Network (UCAN) has launched a campaign in which advocates can email their lawmakers and urge Congress to reject these proposed cuts and reinvest in American research. Join us.