The UC Davis veterinary hospital recently acknowledged the dedication and hard work of its staff members with the annual Staff Awards and Rachel Smith Award.

Traditionally, the Staff Awards have been divided into four categories:
•    Large Animal Clinic
•    Small Animal Clinic
•    Client Services/Administrative
•    Support Services (including laboratory, pathology, pharmacy, central services, and diagnostic imaging)

Since there are many exceptional staff members who have been at the hospital for a relatively short time, the committee decided to acknowledge their contributions by continuing the Rising Star Award which was introduced last year. This award recognizes someone who has been at the hospital for five years or less but who is well on their way to making a strong impact.

The Rachel Smith Award is named for a lead staff member in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory for many years who worked with Dr. Oscar Schalm to develop the field of veterinary hematology. When Smith retired in 1985, an annual award was established in her name to honor her exemplary career. This award is intended to be the highest honor that the hospital can bestow upon a career staff employee.

Nominee Summer Condie was described as a trusted and innovative leader who engages in compassionate care of the patients, students, staff, residents, and faculty. Nominee Gangadeep Kaur was noted as knowledgeable, professional, an excellent trainer of new staff, and a hard worker who goes above and beyond. Nominee Rosanna Ocegueda is noted as being an emerging leader who provides passionate care for her patients and has brought many great ideas to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of her service. Each nominee’s submission was filled with similar accolades praising their dedication to the hospital, their patients, the clients, and their team members. Other nominees included Liz Abell, Dawn Cauthen, Cole Jacobsen, Nicole Wheeler, and Traci Zalasky.

Winners:

Rachel Smith Award Winner – Kimi Kan-Rohrer (Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service)

Kimi is compassionate, approachable, enthusiastic, and extremely hard-working. She has been invaluable in the planning of the new dentistry operatory, was key in the transition of the service to referral-only, and has co-authored two manuscripts and a book chapter.   

 

Large Animal Staff Award Winner – Lisa Navarro (Equine Intensive Care Unit)

Lisa is an excellent teacher who promotes critical thinking, is a master of direct and respectful communication, and provides the absolute best patient care. She has amazing patient observational skills, making her a very trusted technician. She willingly embraces the most dynamic critical cases, especially neonatal patients.

Small Animal Staff Award Winner – Amanda Dang (Specialty Services Supervisor)

Amanda has sound judgement and is a fair-minded supervisor. She is a highly skilled technician and a leader who is detail-oriented and has taken on tasks that have improved the function and efficiency of multiple services in a variety of ways.

Client Services/Administrative Staff Award Winner – Monique Peyton Perez (Financial Services Manager)

Monique is indispensable in developing and implementing financial strategies while providing managers and supervisors the skills needed to be responsible stewards of their services budgets and well-being. She ensures there is open and transparent communication with the hospital managers.

Support Services Staff Award Winner – Amanda Storms (Anatomical Pathology Service Administration)

Amanda is always upbeat and is an effective communicator who ensures the success of the service by making sure all requests are submitted in a timely manner and all samples are where they need to be.

Rising Star Award Winner – Ashlea Chavez (Equine Medicine Service)

Ashlea has strong leadership qualities, showing up each day with the same high energy, and being a very supportive team player. She also willingly helps the Equine Surgery Services, going above and beyond her designated duties. She wears many hats and manages to accomplish tasks with a smile on her face every day.

Congratulations to all award winners and nominees!

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The VMTH Staff Awards and Rachel Smith Award Committee consists of: Dr. Matthew Prator (chair), Sarah Blasczynski, Simon Ehrlich (administrative support), Brenda Keegan, Dr. Isabelle Kilcoyne, Jason Peters, Dr. Erik Olstad, Dr. Josh Stern, and Traci Zalasky. The hospital extends a sincere thank you to the committee for its dedication to these awards, with a special recognition to Simon Ehrlich for his excellent management and organization of the process and the ceremony.