During the fall faculty reception on September 13, Dr. Kate Hopper was recognized for excellence in teaching critical care and emergency medicine to professional students and residents, and for her international reputation in continuing professional education.

A professor in the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Hopper received her veterinary degree (1991) and MVS in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine (1999) from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology (2007) from UC Davis. 

Recognized with teaching awards (2002, 2003) from DVM students and as an Outstanding Graduate Teacher (2004), Hopper has a sustained, stellar record of teaching effectiveness. As a co-block leader of VET 408 (Cardiorespiratory), Hopper invests substantially in fostering student learning through continual revision of content and, in particular, for facilitating student understanding by individualizing explanations of difficult concepts. This gift and her dedication is also readily apparent in VET 431, the core surgical and anesthesia laboratories, where she works with students until awareness and, importantly, understanding are readily apparent. Her expertise is sought beyond the school, including teaching clinical acid-base and electrolyte physiology to UC Davis School of Nursing students and at Cornell’s week-long cardiopulmonary ‘boot’ camp for critical care residents nationally.

Also dedicated to resident didactic training and board reviews, Hopper is internationally recognized for her leadership in conference organization for AVECC and IVECC. Her co-edited/authored reference text Small Animal Critical Care Medicine, now in its 2nd edition, is internationally recognized and essential reading for residents in training and for specialists. Highly sought after for continuing education conferences, she is considered captivating, speaking to standing room only audiences with authority, clarity, and conviction. As a colleague noted: Kate is “The Teachers’ Teacher”. Others in her specialty attend her lectures to pick up not only professional gems of clinical and scientific information, but also because she is recognized as an exemplar of ways in which to teach.