School Notes

Honors and Awards

Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC, FF-AVDC (OMFS), was recently recognized as a world expert in the fi eld of temporomandibular joint research by Expertscape. He serves as chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service, as well as director of the school’s Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures.

Xinbin Chen, PhD, was named one of the recipients of the UC Davis Academic Senate’s 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching. This award recognizes outstanding teaching and dedication to student success. Chen serves as director of the Veterinary Scientist Training Program, which trains the next generation of veterinary scientists through a dual DVM/PhD degree program.

Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, has been named as one of 12 new UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellows. These faculty members will carry the chancellor’s imprimatur for five years in recognition of their outstanding work in academia. Director of the Center for Equine Health, Finno is now part of a proud 22-year history of “fellows making advances that help solve complex and critical issues, while also helping our students become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.”

Amy Kapatkin, DVM, MS, DACVS; Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV, DACVS, DACVSMR; Bill Culp, VMD, DACVS, were recently named Founding Fellows in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). Kapatkin and Marcellin-Little, who serve as faculty surgeons in the Orthopedic Surgery Service, both became ACVS Founding Fellows in Joint Replacement Surgery. Culp, a faculty surgeon in the Soft Tissue Surgery Service, became an ACVS Founding Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Small Animal).

Christine Kreuder Johnson, VMD, MPVM, PhD, was among nine UC Davis faculty elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As professor of Epidemiology and Ecosystem Health, and director of the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics at the One Health Institute, Johnson was acknowledged for “novel research in global health, data science, epidemiology, and zoonotic infectious diseases; for illumination of environmental change impacts; for advanced outbreak preparedness strategies; and for environmental stewardship.” She was also elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Pamela Lein, PhD, was recently awarded the 2022 Mentoring Award by the Women in Toxicology Specialty Interest Group of the Society of Toxicology. An important mission of this group includes mentoring and guidance of young women considering careers in toxicology. Lein was also honored with the 2022 Distinguished Neurotoxicologist Award — the highest award given by the Neurotoxicology specialty section of the Society of Toxicology in recognition of those who have made important high-impact scientific, regulatory or service contributions over a sustained period of time to the field.

Candice Price, PhD, was one of five UC Davis faculty members selected for a 2021-22 Chancellor’s Fellowship for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. An assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences, Price was recognized for major contributions to address the diversity, equity and inclusion deficiencies that have chronically persisted in biomedical research. 

Class of 1970 Reunion Weekend

After a nearly two-year delay due to the pandemic, the Class of 1970 held their 50th-anniversary reunion last fall. Fifty classmates celebrated over the course of a weekend, beginning with a welcome lunch at the Putah Creek Lodge with Dean Mark Stetter in his first event with the school. Stetter joked that he got special permission to let them back into the lodge after 51 years since they had been banned after a big party held there in their second year. The class invited some favorite faculty members to join them, including Alex Ardans, who was new to his career in those days and received the first faculty teaching award from them. Over the weekend, they toured the Center for Equine Health, the California Raptor Center and the Gourley Clinical Teaching Center. The Class of 1970 has also generously endowed a student scholarship.