UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor Dr. Marisa Ames has been elected president of the American Heartworm Society (AHS). She was elected at the 2025 Triennial Heartworm Symposium held recently in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Ames is the second veterinary cardiologist in AHS history to serve as the organization’s president.
A group of three UC Davis veterinary students were awarded top prize at the 2025 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, held recently at Texas A&M University. Third-year School of Veterinary Medicine students John-Gabriel Bermudez, Hailie Hou, and James Joy won the Live Assessment Top Placing Team, Veterinary Student Division at the event that drew more than 270 registrants from 23 universities across North America, testing their skills in assessing the welfare of animals.
University of California President James B. Milliken has awarded the UC Presidential Medal to Joan and Sanford I. Weill in recognition of their years of extraordinary service and transformative support of the university across the arts and sciences.
Early in his career at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Philip Kass received an unexpected visit from Dr. Peter Pascoe, an anesthesiologist with a troubling question. Several dogs had developed acute kidney failure after routine surgeries, and no one could explain why.
Now in its third year, the Reaching Across the Causeway (RAC) Symposium held on October 8 brought together RAC awardees in addition to new faculty and other guest speakers. Every year, the UC Davis Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine rotate in hosting an annual symposium that provides an opportunity for "cross-causeway" networking and engagement.
The Veterinary Scientist Training Program (VSTP) is celebrating 25 years of training clinician-scientists to advance the health of both animals and people. An August event brought together program alumni, including Dr. Kim Dodd, the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University and Dr. Roxann Brooks Motroni, the National Program Leader for Animal Health at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This past weekend, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine hosted its annual Alumni Weekend, which welcomed nearly 250 alumni and friends back to campus. Over the course of three days, classes celebrating milestone reunions (60, 55, 50, 40, 30, 25, 20, and 10 years) gathered to reconnect, explore campus, join the fun Halloween-themed TG, honor award recipients, and learn about many new and exciting things happening at the school.
On Saturday, October 25, 2025 the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine hosted the annual Alumni Awards Banquet to recognize and celebrate the 2025 Rising Star and Alumni Achievement award winners. Congratulations to this year's awardees!
Four years ago, Joe Juice, a then 15-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding, had a sialolith removed from the right side of his face at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). He recovered quickly and returned to his role as a member of the UC Davis Center for Equine Health’s (CEH) teaching herd.
The Kaplan Lab focuses on translational cardiovascular medicine, studying new ways to diagnose and treat heart disease in cats and dogs, and by extension, humans. Using a multi-omics approach, which combines data from various biological molecules, such as the genome, transcriptome, and epigenome, the team works to better understand the complex pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease.
The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) Board of Regents selected UC Davis Professor Emeritus Dr. John Pascoe as the recipient of the Al and Carolyn Schiller Distinguished Service Award for exceptional contributions to ACVS. Dr. Pascoe has dedicated 22 years of service to establishing Veterinary Surgery as a premier veterinary journal.
With foaling season right around the corner, specialists in the UC Davis Equine Reproduction Service are urging their clients to schedule ultrasounds late in their mares’ pregnancies.
Once a mare is confirmed pregnant early in gestation, she is often rechecked shortly afterward to confirm embryo or fetal viability.
In recent decades, the global landscape of health has shifted dramatically. Pandemics, climate change, food insecurity and emerging zoonotic diseases have highlighted intricate connections between animals, humans and the environment, underscoring the fact that veterinary medicine is not just about the care of animals — it is essential to the health of people and the planet.
Morgan, a 5-year-old female Alpine goat, was approaching her fourth kidding when mastitis was discovered on her udder. The infection (generally caused by bacteria in the environment or trauma) was severe enough to cause Morgan’s pregnancy to become non-viable, losing all four of her kids.
UC Davis Health’s Department of Internal Medicine and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have been jointly awarded an R38 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The grant will support the development of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StaRR) Program, which intends to boost the pipeline of physician- and veterinarian-scientists. The new program will provide research opportunities for veterinary residents and human internal medicine residents specializing in pulmonary, hematology and cardiovascular medicine.
