Diverse Voices

We recently sat down with Dr. Sean Gadson ’21, this year’s White Coat Ceremony Alumni Speaker, to chat about attending veterinary school and his career path since graduating. 

Tell us about your journey and what led you to UC Davis.

I grew up in California’s Bay Area, so UC Davis was always my top choice when it came to vet school. I started cleaning kennels when I was fourteen and the veterinarians I met were all UC Davis graduates. I remember thinking they were so confident and knowledgeable. They really stood out to me as leaders in the field and I knew if I wanted to follow in their footsteps, it would make sense to study where they trained.

Do you have any core memories that stand out from your time at UC Davis?

I was very involved with leadership as a student and served as Vice President for the Veterinary Business Management Association and President for the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) at UC Davis. My friends all rallied behind me and were so supportive while I was running for the position as SAVMA president. After being elected, I got to travel and meet students from other schools. I particularly enjoyed going to the National Conference and the SAVMA Chapter Summits, where I connected with new friends and colleagues. In some ways we were all different, but at the same time, no matter where we went to school, we all shared the same passion. As a Black man in veterinary school, I used to struggle with a sense of belonging, but traveling and seeing students from diverse backgrounds rally towards the same career gave me a strong sense of being part of something bigger. That leadership experience helped me feel like I belonged in this industry.

What path did you take after graduation? 

I completed a small animal rotating internship at a specialty hospital in Loomis, California. When that was complete, my fiancée and I moved to Colorado. She is a doctor (for humans) and we moved here for her surgical residency. We have since married and I now work as the lead emergency veterinarian for a local clinic. You can imagine some of our crazy dinner time stories!

How did your education and involvement with student leadership shape your career and prepare you for your current role?

Doing ER work can be intimidating because it is very high stakes. At times I have questioned: am I smart enough or capable of doing this? But my education at UC Davis helped me build the confidence and knowledge to develop who I am as a veterinarian.

I’ll never forget the first time I had a colleague—someone I really looked up to as a mentor—ask for my thoughts on a case. It was a complex surgical case with underlying issues that made the patient high risk for surgery, and it took me a while to realize the other doctor wasn’t trying to quiz me but actually wanted my opinion on how to make the patient more stable. It was so fulfilling to be asked for that kind of advice. I finally felt like a colleague, not a student, and realized that people valued and trusted my knowledge.

UC Davis set me up with that foundation. I would never have been able to pursue an internship, practice emergency medicine, or help mentor others without it! Davis made me into the practitioner that I always wanted to be when I was a kid. It’s a great feeling to think your younger self would be proud of you.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I’m in a position now where I get to mentor veterinary students and new graduates. Transitioning into emergency medicine can be intimidating, so I like to find levity and humor where I can. The medical knowledge is great, but the ability to be okay with making mistakes and learning from them is better. Learning this stuff in vet school was much scarier, but now I want to make it fun, so it isn’t as intimidating. When a new grad is excited and comfortable as we manage a difficult patient or are getting ready to go to surgery, it brings me a lot of personal satisfaction. I love this field, and I also want other people to love it!

Watch a video of Dr. Sean Gadson when he learns he has been accepted to UC Davis.