Awards

Retired UC Davis staff manager Harold Davis, BA, RVT, VTS (ECC, Anesthesia & Analgesia), was honored with the 2026 ICON Award by The Bridge Club at their 2026 ICON Event, held in conjunction with the annual Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando. A veterinary technician at UC Davis for 36 years, Davis ended his career as the manager of the Emergency and Critical Care Service at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH).

Dr. Nicola Pusterla, professor of equine medicine and dentistry, was awarded the 2025 Advancement in Equine Research Award presented by Boehringer Ingelheim, a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. The award was given during the 71st annual American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention held last week in Denver. Recipients of the award are chosen based on their research proposals which focused on this year’s subject matter of equine infectious disease.

Instituted through the SVM People First strategic initiative, the annual Dean's Staff Awards (now in their second year) shine a light specifically on staff. These recognitions not only honor individuals, but also serve to acknowledge the broader impact of the staff to the SVM community. 

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.

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!

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.

Dr. Jaeyoung Kim, a third-year medical oncology resident, won the Robert S. Brodey Memorial Award at the 2025 Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) Annual Conference held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The award recognizes an outstanding oral research presentation. At the conference, Dr. Kim presented her original research “High-Grade, Stage 1 Mast Cell Tumors: Outcome and Prognostic Factors in 63 Dogs Treated With Local Therapy and Adjuvant Chemotherapy.”

The Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service recently attended the Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF), the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC). Two members of the service received awards in recognition of their dedication to the advancement of veterinary dentistry.

The California Legislature recently passed an Assembly Resolution honoring UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Professor Rodrigo Gallardo. Assembly Member Resolution No. 1257 congratulates Dr. Gallardo upon his receipt of the California Poultry Federation’s (CPF) prestigious Golden Rooster Award.

According to CPF, the Golden Rooster Award is the California poultry industry’s highest honor. It is meant for the industry’s most outstanding member or supporter who has made major contributions to the poultry industry. The award “is an inspiration for all to admire.”

Professor Emeritus Frank Verstraete has set the benchmark for innovation and best practice in veterinary science, establishing standards that are now applied worldwide. An alumnus of the University of Pretoria (UP), he is recognized as a scholar whose research, clinical work and teaching laid the foundations for procedures that continue to guide the treatment of animals across species.

For this, the University of Pretoria conferred him with an honorary doctorate in Veterinary Science during the Faculty of Veterinary Science graduation ceremony on September 5, 2025.