Dentistry Team Recognized for Excellence at Annual Conference
The Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service recently attended the Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF), the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC). All three faculty members of the service were recognized as specialty Founding Fellows, two former fellowship trainees were recognized as Fellows, and two members of the service received awards in recognition of their dedication to the advancement of veterinary dentistry.
Drs. Boaz Arzi, Stephanie Goldschmidt, and Maria Solero-Rivera received the diploma of Founding Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine (FF-OMFM). FF-OMFM is a specialized credential awarded by AVDC to board-certified specialists who have completed high-level training, research, and clinical practice beyond a standard residency.
Fellow diplomas were presented to Drs. Janny Evenhuis and Emilia Chrostek—both fellowship trained at UC Davis—for Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (F-OMFS). According to the AVDC directory, prior to this year’s recipients, there were only 16 veterinarians worldwide with the F-OMFS credential.
Dr. Goldschmidt was also awarded the 2026 Jaguar Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research in Small or Wild Animal Odontology. The award is given annually to an outstanding individual who has contributed greatly through research and/or education. Selection criteria include seminars and presentations, publications, research, and contributions to veterinary dentistry and oral surgery. Dr. Goldschmidt’s leadership and contributions in Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology received special recognition.
Previously known as the Research and Education Award and the Hills Research and Education Award, this award was renamed in 2018 to reflect the sponsorship of the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation and to honor the many contributions of Dr. Peter Emily. This is an award given annually to an outstanding person who has contributed greatly through research and/or education of veterinary dentistry in either small or wild animals. Letters of support are evaluated, and criteria may include presentations, seminars, publications, research, promotion of veterinary dentistry, and contributions to veterinary dentistry in general.
Other UC Davis recipients of the award include Drs. Frank Verstraete (2014), Boaz Arzi (2017), and Maria Soltero-Rivera (2025).
In other award news from the forum, for the second year in a row, Dr. Allison Volk received the award for “Original Research – Greatest Impact.” This year, it was for her study entitled “Infection Rates Following Dental Extractions in Dogs with and without Antibiotic Therapy” (principal investigator: Dr. Stephanie Goldschmidt). Dr. Volk completed her residency at UC Davis 2026.
The VDF is hosted by a combination of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry and the AVDF. It was founded in 1987 for the purpose of advancing the knowledge, education, awareness, and skills involved in veterinary dentistry among veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary students, veterinary staff, and anyone else with an interest in veterinary dentistry. The VDF is the largest veterinary dental conference in the world.
This year, for the first time at VDF, the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Advancement supported an official reception, bringing together past and current faculty, residents, fellows, alumni, and friends.
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