School Notes
Honors and Awards
Adriana Garzon, DVM, a recent resident in the Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction Service, was honored with the 2026 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.
Heather Knych, DVM, MS, Ph.D., DACVCP, and her team at the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory won the 2025 Dechra Analgesia Prize from the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists. The Dechra Analgesia Prize is an annual award sponsored by Dechra and given to the best research article focusing on pain management published in the journal Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. The award recognizes outstanding published research that advances clinical pain management and analgesia in veterinary science. The study was funded by the UC Davis Center for Equine Health and served as DVM student Rachael Hoh’s research project through the Students Training in Advanced Research (STAR) Program. STAR offers opportunities for veterinary students to experience veterinary and biomedical research during the summer months.
Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV, DACVS, received the 2026 Alan Ruggles Educator Award given by AO North America. A renowned orthopedic surgeon, Marcellin-Little was selected for his decades-long dedication to veterinary education and mentorship and recognizes his exceptional commitment to training medical professionals at every stage of their careers. The Educator Awards spotlight those who exemplify excellence, innovation, and leadership in medical education. Throughout his 30+ years of teaching, Marcellin-Little has mentored veterinary students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and research environments.
The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital acknowledged the dedication and hard work of its staff members with the annual VMTH Staff Excellence Awards. Winners included:
Jennifer LaSance — Leadership/Staff Excellence Award
Tina Souza — Small Animal Hospital Award
Jessica Behar — Large Animal Hospital Award
Michelle Solorio — Laboratory/Pathology/Pharmacy/Central Services/Diagnostic Imaging Award
Megan Loscar — Supervisor Award
Alex Beech — Administrative/Client Services Award
Diana Taylor — Unsung Hero Award
In Memoriam
Marvin Goldman, Ph.D.
Joe P. Morgan, Ph.D.
Fred Murphy, Jr., DVM, Ph.D.
Honoring Fallen K9 Officers
On June 16, the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine and the UC Davis Police Department held a Faithful Partners K9 Memorial to honor canine officers killed in the line of duty across the state from 2012-2025. Officers from law enforcement units throughout California gathered at the grassy area near the bronze memorial statue on the veterinary campus to commemorate 27 of their partners who gave it their all in the line of duty. “We are fortunate to care for these animals throughout their lives, and sometimes during their most difficult moments,” said Mison, who had served as the surgeon involved in the care of K9 Officer Murph after he was injured in the line of duty a few years ago. “It reminds us that commitment and sacrifice come in many forms, including four-legged ones. It reminds us that behind every K9 officer is a larger team of handlers, families, agencies, veterinary professionals, and communities who share in both the responsibility and the sacrifice.”
Thanks to a fund established at the school in 2015, the medical costs of treating K9 officers, as well as search and rescue dogs injured in the line of duty, are covered by generous donors.
Learn more about the Faithful Partner Compassionate Care Fund.
Don’t Wing It!
Gathering fresh eggs laid by chickens in your backyard may sound idyllic, but keeping the birds healthy requires some special knowledge. Avian influenza, salmonella, predators, food safety, choosing the correct feed, and how to pick the right breed are just some of the common chicken conundrums people want practical information about.
“Dr. Cluck’s Backyard Chickens,” co-authored by the school’s Dr. Maurice Pitesky and published by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources provides backyard chicken owners with science-based advice for poultry care at every life stage. This fun-to-read guide is the first comprehensive how-to book that is peer-reviewed, poultry vet-approved and reads like your favorite sitcom.
Read about Dr. Cluck’s book to help keep chickens healthy and safe.
Opening Doors to Veterinary Careers
The school hosted the 25th Believe & Belong in Veterinary Medicine Youth Pathways event in late June. The program, created by the nonprofit blendVET Foundation, is a day-long event where underrepresented middle and high school students discover not only career paths within the veterinary profession, but build connections, and find mentors along with a sense of belonging. A total of 48 students from as far away as Hawaii and Arizona participated in this event—one of many that are held throughout the country each year where veterinary professionals, including RVTs and DVMs, volunteer their time and effort. This event was held in conjunction with the California Veterinary Medical Association’s Pacific Veterinary Conference in Sacramento.
“Hosting the blendVET program on our campus is a perfect match,” said Dr. Karl Jandrey, associate dean of Admissions and Student Programs at the school who also served as a faculty mentor for the event. “We offer many pathway and outreach programs, but this partnership brings a wide array of veterinary professionals from all over the country to show these students what learning looks like in a veterinary school.”
Celebrating Our New Graduates
Congratulations to the Class of 2026 who received their degrees from the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine in its 76th Commencement Ceremony held at the Mondavi Center on May 22. Among those graduating were 148 DVM students, 36 residents from the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and 18 candidates in the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine program.
Dr. Joie Watson, associate dean emeritus of Professional Education who retired this year, served as commencement speaker. She shared humorous and moving moments from her career before offering sage advice for the graduates.
“All of you are mentors—to early year students in the hospital or to undergraduates in our access to care clinics—and as practicing veterinarians, wherever you find yourselves, you will be in demand as a mentor to many young people aspiring to your path,” she said. “In this world so enamored with artificial intelligence, bring your authentic human intelligence to every day. Help maintain the connections that are so central to the human experience. And remember, as a mentor you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be present.”
Committed to Academic Excellence, Belonging, and Community-Building
The UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine received the 2026 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest publication dedicated to best practices in higher education.
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. From innovative recruitment and retention strategies to inclusive policies and leadership development, these institutions are setting a powerful example for higher education nationwide. Of the 19 recipients of this particular HEED Award, UC Davis was the only veterinary school in the nation recognized.
“We are very proud to receive this recognition for the 3rd year in a row,” said Dr. Karl Jandrey, associate dean of Admissions and Student Programs. “It shows that the entire SVM community values and lives our Principles of Community every day.”
Team Science in Cancer Research Supported by NIH T32 Grant
UC Davis continues to emphasize team science in training the next generation of scientists engaged in basic and translational cancer research for animals and humans, thanks to a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 grant.
This is the second time that the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine and the UC Davis School of Medicine have been awarded $1.9M over five years for its innovative Comparative Oncology Training Program. The first award was made in 2020. The grant aims to create a new generation of scientists engaged in basic and translational cancer research that advances the health of people and animals. Six positions each year will be supported by this funding over a five-year period: three DVM/Ph.D. or Ph.D. students and three post-doctoral fellows seeking further training.
“Tackling complex cancer research problems should include investigators with broad experience across animal and human species,” said Dr. Michael Kent who serves as co-director of the Comparative Cancer Center. “Veterinarians can strengthen comparative approaches essential to multidisciplinary research accelerating innovative treatments for animals and humans, while medical doctors bring a patient-centered approach linking biology with clinical therapy. With this NIH grant, we will be at the forefront of training the next generation of clinicians to do research in comparative oncology.”
Welcome Class of 2030!
The UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine welcomed 155 students of the Class of 2030 (including one deferred from last year) in the annual White Coat ceremony on Friday, August 21. For the third year in a row, more than half are first-generation college students. The average age of incoming students is 24 with an age range of 20-42. They come from a variety of backgrounds such as figure skater, rodeo queen, bagpipe player, ballerina, baker, fashion designer, beekeeper and ice cream specialist (from goat’s milk).
Alumni guest speaker, Dr. Jovanna Radillo ‘12, recalled that in her incoming class, she was only one of two students of Latino descent, which sometimes made her question if she was in the right place and on the right path.
She had four main messages to share with the new class:
• You deserve to be here. Every unconventional path you have
ever taken has brought you here.
• Remember where you came from.
• Be you. Stop comparing yourself to others.
• Your current plan may not be where you end up … and that’s ok.
“Be curious and say yes to experiences that change you,” she encouraged the incoming class. “Welcome to the first step in this profession; we’re so glad to have you here.”