Resident Training Program in Veterinary Clinical Pathology
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
The Clinical Pathology residency is a 3-year program of advanced training in veterinary laboratory medicine designed to fulfill training requirements and eligibility for board certification in Clinical Pathology by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP). The program also provides academic training in comparative pathology applicable towards an advanced degree. The program can be individually tailored to accommodate and build upon the resident's experience, interests and career goals.
Training emphasizes analytical and interpretive skills in diagnostic laboratory medicine (hematology, clinical chemistry, cytology, surgical pathology); basic principles of pathophysiology and disease; and quality control, test validation, instrumentation and laboratory data management. Residents are based in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and provide service and consultation to clinicians, technicians, residents, and students under the supervision of board-certified clinical pathologists. Residents participate in rounds and seminars, contribute to publication of case material, and design and execute an original research project. Residents also participate in teaching clinical pathology to veterinary students. Opportunities exist for externships at diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, and laboratories for zoo animals, laboratory animals, and primates.
Minimum qualifications for resident applicants are 1) graduation from a school/college of veterinary medicine and 2) one year of internship or equivalent practice experience. Continuation to subsequent years is contingent on satisfactory performance. Candidates with interest in an advanced degree are especially encouraged to apply. To inquire about open positions please contact Dr. Bill Vernau (wvernau@ucdavis.edu).
THE FACULTY
- Dr. Amir Kol, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVP, Associate Professor, Service Chief. Dr. Kol is a veterinary graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and completed his residency in clinical pathology and PhD in Integrative Pathobiology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Kol joined the faculty at UC Davis in 2016. His research interests include stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, clinical immunology and hematopathology.
- Dr. Bill Vernau, BVMS, DVSc, PhD, Dipl ACVP, Clinical Professor; Director of the Clinical Laboratories. Dr. Vernau is a veterinary graduate of Murdoch University in Australia and completed his DVSc in clinical pathology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He received his PhD at UC Davis. Dr. Vernau's research interests include the clinical, phenotypic, and molecular characterization of hematopoietic neoplasia, diagnostic clinical pathology with an emphasis on veterinary hematology and cytology (particularly immunophenotyping and diagnostic immunocytochemistry) and the diagnostic assessment of cerebrospinal fluid.
- Dr. Melanie Ammersbach, DVM, Dipl ACVP, Staff Clinical Pathologist and Fellow in Avian/Zoo/Wildlife Clinical Pathology. Dr Ammersbach completed her DVM and residency training in clinical pathology at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She has worked primarily in diagnostic clinical pathology, at Bayer Animal Health, Antech Diagnostics, and IDEXX Laboratories. Her primary interest is the clinical pathology of nondomestic animals, including birds, reptiles, zoo animals, and wildlife.
- Dr. Austin Viall, DVM, MS, Dipl ACVP, Associate Professor. Dr. Viall completed his DVM at Washington State University and his MS and residency training at Oregon State University. Dr. Viall joined the UC Davis faculty as an Associate Professor in 2022, after 8 years on the faculty at Iowa State University, where he was Director of the Clinical Pathology Laboratory and the Blood Bank. Dr. Viall’s research interests are in hematology and immunohematology, and the development of new diagnostic tests using flow cytometry.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: RESIDENTS WHO COMPLETED THE PROGRAM
Former residents in Clinical Pathology at UC Davis are employed in a variety of academic, diagnostic, and industry positions. Residents who completed their program within the last 10 years:
Flavio Herberg de Alonso, Assistant Professor, Ross University
Demitria Vasilatis, Dipl ACVP, PhD program in Integrative Pathobiology, UC Davis
Noa Safra, Dipl ACVP, Private consultant, Davis, CA
Diana Schwartz, Dipl ACVP, VDx Pathology, Davis, CA
Adeyemi Adedeji, Dipl ACVP, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
Andrew Graham Burton, Dipl ACVP, IDEXX, North Grafton, MA
Connie Wu, Dipl ACVP, Antech Laboratories, Irvine, CA
Amir Kol, Dipl ACVP, Associate Professor, UC Davis
FACILITIES AND LOCATION
The University of California is one of the largest and most renowned centers of higher education in the world. The Davis campus lies adjacent to the city of Davis, 15 miles west of Sacramento and 70 miles northeast of San Francisco and has a total enrollment of ~35,000 students. UC Davis is recognized as one of the premier educational and research institutions in the nation; it includes professional schools of veterinary medicine, medicine, law, and management. The School of Veterinary Medicine, the primary health resource for California's animal populations, is one of the leading veterinary schools in the country. The William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital provides primary and referral services in 35 specialties to more than 50,000 patients each year. Research centers and laboratories associated with the school include the Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures; Veterinary Center for Clinical Trials; Comparative Cancer Center; California Animal Health and Food Safety System; Wildlife Health Center; Veterinary Genetics Laboratory; Aquatic Health Program; Center for Companion Animal Health; Center for Equine Health; Center for Food Animal Health, Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, California Regional Primate Research Center; Center for Comparative Medicine, and Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance.
The Davis community offers a wide variety of recreational, cultural and community activities, with 31 parks, 50 miles of bicycle trails, a year-round farmer's market, and a public school system considered to be one of the finest in California. Known for its environmental awareness and social innovations, Davis lies in close proximity to the northern California coast, Napa Valley, redwood forests, the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and coastal mountain ranges, Lake Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay area.
Additional information about the program can be obtained by contacting:
Dr. Austin Viall
Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California - Davis
akviall@ucdavis.edu