Faculty / Staff
FACULTY
Verena Affolter, DVM, PhD, DECVP, Professor Clinical Dermatopathology (Chief of Service)
Special Interests: Dermatopathology and immunology/immunopathology
Dr. Verena Affolter is board-certified in Veterinary Pathology and specialized in Veterinary Dermatopathology. She received her DVM from Switzerland in 1982. After completing her doctoral thesis, she continued her training in veterinary pathology at the University in Bern, Switzerland and at the Cornell University, where she specialized in pathology of skin diseases. After completing her PhD in Comparative Pathology at UC Davis, she accepted a faculty position in anatomic pathology. Her current areas of research are histiocytic diseases in cats and dogs, lympho-proliferative diseases of the skin and progressive lymphedema in draft horses. Dr. Affolter enjoys the close teamwork with the Dermatology Service, consulting on dermatologic cases submitted by referring pathologists, as well as teaching students and residents, and contributing to continual education of veterinarians. Together with Dr. Peter Moore, she leads the Leukocyte Antigen Biology Laboratory. Spending recreational time with her horse and dog are important to her.
Stephen M. Griffey, DVM, PhD
Special Interests: Comparative pathology, lab animal pathology and cancer
Denise Imai, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Comparative pathology, Diagnostic pathology, Experimental pathology, Phenotypic analysis of transgenic mice, Pathology of non-domestic animals with a special interest in fish
Kevin Keel, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Behavior associated cranial abscesses in white-tailed deer; pathogenesis of white-nose syndrome and techniques to reduce mortality among bats; novel canine parvoviruses and emerging enteric disease in raccoons and cats; epidemiology and pathogenesis of a novel orthomomyxovirus affecting common eiders; environmental factors associated with mass strandings of lesser shearwaters
Rebekah Keesler, DVM, DACVP
Special Interests: Primate pathology
Charles Mohr, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Biochemical and cellular pathology
Mai Mok, DVM, DACVP
Special Interests: Forensic pathology
Peter Moore, BVSc, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Leukocyte biology, immunopathology and lymphomas
Brian Murphy, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Molecular aspects of lentiviral pathogenisis, signal transduction, cytokine biology, molecular aspects of oncogenesis, bone pathology, gene therapy
Dr. Brian Murphy is interested in general mammalian and nonmammalian pathology. He has a special interest in infectious disease, orthopedic pathology and oral pathology, with a particular interest in odontogenic tumors. His laboratory research involves the study of mechanisms of lentiviral pathogenesis.
Katherine Olstad, DVM, DACVP
Special Interests: Primate pathology
Patricia A. Pesavento, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Research diagnostics and outbreak investigation in shelter animal medicine; pathology of infectious diseases
Dr. Patricia Pesavento divides her time between the diagnostic pathology service and her research interests in the identification and characterization of naturally occurring infectious diseases that arise from intensively housed animals (such as those in the shelter environment). Dr. Pesavento received her PhD in 1997 from Harvard University and her DVM from UC Davis in 2000. She has been a pathologist on faculty with the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology since 2005.
Rachel Reader, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Primate pathology
Kevin Woolard, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Neuropathology, comparative glioma biology, cancer stem cells, neural stem cells
EMERITUS
Robert Higgins, BVSAc, MS, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Neuropathology
Linda Lowenstine, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Non-domestic, avian, marine mammal and primate pathology and infectious diseases
N. James MacLachlan, BVSc, MS, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Viral pathogenisis, reproductive and gastrointestinal pathology
Dr. N. James Maclachlan is a professor of Pathology and director of the Equine Viral Disease Laboratory. He earned his veterinary degree from New Zealand’s Massey University, MS in Microbiology from the University of Missouri, and PhD in Comparative Pathology from the University of California. Dr. Maclachlan is a diplomate and past-president of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, and he served for 10 years as inaugural chair of UC Davis’ Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. His research is focused on viral diseases of livestock that impact international commerce, including bluetongue, African horse sickness, and equine viral arteritis. He is author or co-author of several books and more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and reviews. Dr. Maclachlan has served as an expert to numerous organizations including the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the US Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security, the European Union, and the Grayson - Jockey Club Foundation.
Dennis Wilson, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVP
Special Interests: Toxicologic pathology, pulmonary pathology and hepatic pathology
RESIDENTS
Sebastion Carrasco – Resident III, Laboratory Animal Track
Charles Alex – Resident III, Zoo & Wildlife Track
Sarah Stevens – Resident III, Standard Track
Molly Liepnieks - Resident II, Laboratory Animal Track
Wesley Siniard - Resident II, Zoo & Wildlife Track
Katherine Watson - Resident II, Standard Track
Melissa Roy - Resident I, Laboratory Animal Track
Devinn Sinnott - Resident I, Zoo & Wildlife Track
Elizabeth Rose - Resident I, Standard Track
STAFF
Anatomic Pathology Service Manager
Becky Griffey
VM3A, room 1345, 752-1369, rmgriffey@ucdavis.edu
- Administers the day to day operations of the pathology service and the Histology laboratory.
- Develops and implements new policies and procedures.
- Schedules year round clinical duty, rounds and seminars for all faculty and residents.
- Supervises clerical, technical and student support staff.
- Oversees pathology residents and senior student rotations.
- Residency application coordinator and web manager.
- Facility and safety manager.
Administrative Office Staff
Kelly Arce
VM3A, Room 1346, 752-1368, kaarce@ucdavis.edu
Accessions, billing, clerical duties and carcass inventory management.
Barbara Fowler
VM3A, room 1346, 752-1368, blfowler@ucdavis.edu
Accessions, billing, clerical duties, carcass inventory management and purchasing.
Necropsy Technical Staff
Matt Nichols
VM3A, room 1341, 302-7573, mbnichols@vmth.ucdavis.edu
Necropsy assistant, tissue and skeleton harvesting technician, facility maintenance, pet cemetery assistance, cleaning and supply custodian, veterinary and student employee instruction, and cooler inventory.
Taylor Coggeshall
VM3A, Room 1346, 752-1368 taycoggeshall@ucdavis.edu
Necropsy assistant, tissue harvesting technician, facility maintenance, pet cemetery assistance, cleaning and supply custodian, wet tissue archive manager and cooler inventory.
Histopathology Laboratory Staff
Amber Villarreal
VM3A, room 1326, 752-3462, avillarreal@ucdavis.edu
Lead Histotechnician, specializing in Immunohistochemistry
