Dr. Sanam (Sunny) Thukral was close to graduating from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine when she passed away in November of last year after a 30-month battle with glioblastoma. She was awarded a posthumous DVM during commencement ceremonies this May with her family accepting it on her behalf.
Woodie, a 1-year-old pit bull mix, is now pain free and seeing better thanks to community-based veterinary programs that came together to care for him. Born with a dermoid mass in the corner of his left eye, Woodie recently underwent surgery at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) to have the benign growth removed.
Long-time equestrian Deborah Steele was trailering her 18-year-old Paint mare Daisy Mae to a chiropractor appointment. When she opened the trailer upon arrival, Steele saw Daisy Mae—whom she has owned since birth after breeding her dam—hung up on the metal bar divider of the trailer stalls.
Resident researchers were recognized and applauded at the American College of Internal Veterinary Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, during an awards luncheon on June 20, 2025. The special event was sponsored by Purina Institute with many of the winners in attendance. The winning abstracts were among the research presented to ACVIM Forum attendees throughout the conference.
Dr. Michael Lairmore and Dr. Michael Wilkes—two UC Davis-affiliated thought leaders in veterinary medicine and global health—have just released a new book, Belonging to Earth: One Health Stories to Save Our Planet and Ourselves (Cambridge Scholars Publishing). Lairmore is dean emeritus of the School of Veterinary Medicine. Wilkes is director of global health and professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, and senior medical correspondent for KCRW/NPR.
This new research partnership will focus on the themes of Sustainable Food Systems, One Health, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and reaffirms both universities commitment to tackling global problems through collaborative research and education.
Since the university’s inception in 1908, faculty and students at UC Davis have pushed the boundaries of knowledge to deliver discoveries that not only enrich lives but also drive economic growth, prosperity and security in California and throughout our nation.
Our research shapes industries, creates well-paying jobs and prepares the next generation of leaders and innovators.
We deliver breakthroughs that advance healthcare, our food supply, energy solutions, education and more.
UC Davis veterinary surgeons repaired a badly broken jaw of a 5-day-old foal. Just one day after surgery, she was able to begin nursing again and is now fully recovered.
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.
Since 2000, the UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition has been supporting entrepreneurs as they develop their business ventures. It is open to teams with a founder or team lead affiliated with a college or university in California. The prizes are funded by corporate, university, nonprofit and various other sponsors.
When Flynn, an approximately 1-year-old male neutered Great Pyrenees, arrived at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), he had visible tire tracks across his back leg and abdomen. The City of Stockton Animal Services Center reported he was run over by a car and thrown into a ditch. Knowing Flynn needed specialty care, the Yolo County Spay and Neuter Group agreed to take him and immediately brought him to UC Davis.
Kaya Miller, a second-year UC Davis undergraduate, introduces her three 3-week-old foster kittens: Anna, Elsa and Merida. She explains that as a busy student, she and her roommate have taken on alternating shifts feeding and cleaning the kittens. “It’s a lot of dedication; we have to wake up every two hours, but it's so worth it,” she said.
Miller is a volunteer foster within the Orphan Kitten Project, or OKP, a nonprofit, vet-student-run club that has rescued and rehabilitated neonatal kittens since 1988.
The UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has acquired two new underwater treadmills for its small animal Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Service. The treadmills, used daily to rehabilitate dogs recovering from injury and/or surgery, replace older treadmills that were in place at the hospital for more than 20 years.
Dr. Douglas Mader, Class of 1986, was recently honored with the UC Davis Lifetime Achievement Award. Mader is a triple board-certified veterinary specialist [(DABVP (C/F, R/A), DECZM (Herpetology)] and has been a practicing veterinarian for nearly four decades. He is an internationally recognized expert and lecturer in exotic animal medicine and has written three medical textbooks, numerous book chapters and dozens of peer-reviewed scientific publications.
May 8, 2025—Dr. Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVM, a pioneer in shelter veterinary medicine, is the 2025 winner of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Welfare Award, the association announced today.
