New Small Animal Positions Enhance Specialty Care
The Small Animal Hospital (SAH) at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) recently added new clinical positions to assist with its growing caseload and to add to its House Officer Training Program, which offers specialty advanced training for veterinarians through internships, residencies, and fellowships.
The newly created Small Animal Hospitalist Clinician role falls under the Emergency and Critical Care Service, working with patients in the Intermediate Care Ward and General Wards assisting primary clinicians in ensuring their patients receive optimal care, facilitating and performing procedures, participating in technician training, and helping with management of emergency room cases.
“This is a vital new role in the Small Animal Hospital,” said Dr. Kate Hopper, director of the SAH. “With our emergency caseload at a record high, this position will assist in reducing wait times for emergencies and help to facilitate continuity of care when patients transition from emergency to other specialty services.”
The additional positions come in the form of six fellowships – one that is new to the SAH this year, four that carry over from their successful recent debuts, and one that enters its ninth year of success. Fellowships are advanced training programs in a specialized area of veterinary medicine that offer deeper learning and clinical experiences beyond a DVM degree or residency.
A fellowship in the newly created Feline Pediatrics Service will focus on the management of sick and injured kittens, both owned and unowned. Through its partnerships with shelters and rescues such as FieldHaven Feline Center, Sacramento SPCA, and the Front Street Shelter, the VMTH sees hundreds of newborn kittens every year, providing needed care prior to adoption. Additionally, the service works with the school’s Orphan Kitten Project, a student-run organization that gives orphaned and abandoned neonatal kittens a chance of a good quality of life. Working with the Feline Pediatric Service, these students receive valuable hands-on training they will take into careers as practicing primary care veterinarians.
A rigorous 2-year fellowship in Extracorporeal/Blood Purification Therapies and Advanced Urinary Medicine is in its third iteration at the UC Davis SAH. This fellowship trains future specialists in all aspects of urinary medicine, including upper tract (kidney) and lower tract diseases, as well as advanced endourologic procedures that provide minimally invasive therapies for patients that previously did not have treatment options. Additionally, in the Blood Purification Unit, animals are provided with life-saving treatments for kidney failure, immune-mediated diseases, and intoxications. Previous graduates from this fellowship have moved internationally and now provide these cutting-edge therapies for patients abroad. The VMTH and its satellite facility, the UC Veterinary Medical Center – San Diego (UCVMC-SD) (which offers a similar fellowship [see below]), are two of only a few dozen veterinary care centers in the country that offer hemodialysis and other blood purification procedures.
The remaining four fellowships include three that debuted last year – Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Small Animal Infectious Diseases, and Urinary Disease and Extracorporeal Therapies (at UCVMC-SD). Finally, the fellowship in Aquatic Animal Health through the VMTH’s Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service is in its ninth year of training veterinarians to service the ever-growing number of fish enthusiasts in pet ownership.
These positions are held by the following UC Davis veterinarians:
Maria Vasquez, DVM
Small Animal Hospitalist in Emergency and Critical Care, VMTH
Dr. Vasquez becomes the VMTH’s first Small Animal Hospitalist Clinician. Dr. Vasquez graduated from veterinary school in Costa Rica, after which she completed an 18-month internship at Washington State University. Just prior to coming to UC Davis, she completed a 3-year residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care and a master’s degree, also at Washington State University.
Alba Planas Vintro, BVM
Fellow in Feline Pediatrics, VMTH
Dr. Planas is another familiar face at UC Davis, as she just completed her Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care residency. She earned her veterinary degree from Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain. Prior to her residency at UC Davis, she completed Small Animal rotating and Emergency and Critical Care internships in Spain, as well as an Emergency and Critical Care internship at Washington State University. Dr. Planas is staying with the VMTH for two additional years as the first fellow in Feline Pediatrics, working closely under the guidance of Drs. Karen Vernau and Kate Hopper. She will be spearheading research and training opportunities related to kitten medicine and will contribute to the growth of this new field of veterinary medicine. Dr. Planas will also continue to work in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit throughout this period.
Sarah Michalak, DVM
Fellow in Extracorporeal/Blood Purification Therapies and Advanced Urinary Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine), VMTH
Dr. Michalak is already a UC Davis veteran, having earned her DVM from the university (as the top ranked graduate of the Class of 2021) and having recently completed a 3-year residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine. Following veterinary school, she completed a 1-year Small Animal Medicine and Surgery rotating internship at Colorado State University. In this new fellowship, she will work under Dr. Carrie Palm, head of the Hemodialysis and Blood Purification Unit.
Emilia Chrostek, DVM, DAVDC
Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Dentistry and Oral Surgery), VMTH
Dr. Chrostek earned her DVM from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Following graduation, she completed a 1-year Small Animal rotating internship at a private practice in Canada followed by a 3-year residency in Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Cornell University, after which she became board certified in veterinary dentistry. In this fellowship, she will hone her surgery skills under the tutelage of Drs. Boaz Arzi and Stephanie Goldschmidt. The UC Davis oral and maxillofacial surgery team have been pioneering some of the most cutting-edge procedures in veterinary medicine over the past two decades.
Glynn Woods, BVMS, MSc, MRCVS, DECVIM
Fellow in Judith McBean Foundation Trust Fellowship in Small Animal Infectious Disease (Small Animal Internal Medicine), VMTH
Dr. Woods earned his veterinary degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Following veterinary school, he worked in private practice for three years before completing a 1-year Small Animal rotating internship at the University of Glasgow and a 3-year Internal Medicine residency at the University of Edinburgh. He continued at Edinburgh for two years as a small animal internal medicine lecturer before coming to UC Davis. Dr. Woods also earned a master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh. He is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is board certified in internal medicine. Dr. Woods works under Dr. Jane Sykes, one of the leading experts in small animal infectious diseases.
Andre Le Sueur, DVM, MS, Ph.D.
Fellow in Urinary Disease and Extracorporeal Therapies, UCVMC-SD
Dr. Le Sueur received his veterinary degree from Centro Universitario de Rio Preto in Brazil. Following veterinary school, he completed an Internal Medicine residency at São Paulo State University, where he also earned Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Small Animal Nephrology, focusing on extracorporeal therapies and kidney biomarkers. Furthermore, Dr. Le Sueur received training from the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Hemodialysis Academy. Most recently, he completed a fellowship in Advanced Extracorporeal Therapies at North Carolina State University. Before moving to the U.S., Dr. Le Sueur worked as a guest postgraduate professor at several veterinary schools throughout Brazil, where he had the opportunity to teach Small Animal Nephrology and Urology. Lastly, Dr. Le Sueur was recognized as the Brazilian ambassador by IRIS, and his research interests include kidney biomarkers, extracorporeal therapies, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease.
Brian Anton, DVM, MS, CertAqV
Fellow in Aquatic Animal Health (Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery), VMTH
Dr. Anton earned his DVM and a Master’s in Aquatic Animal Health and Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin. During veterinary school, he completed several externships at some of the leading zoos, aquariums, and wildlife centers in the country, studying many aspects of aquatic animal health. Following veterinary school, he completed an internship at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan and worked in private practice concentrating on exotic and aquatic species. He is a certified aquatic veterinarian. At UC Davis, Dr. Anton is working under the guidance of Dr. Esteban Soto, one of the foremost aquatic animal veterinarians in the country.