Overview: Resident Training Program in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology
The UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital (VMTH) Anatomic Pathology Residency Training Program is designed to train highly competent, independent, and ethical anatomic pathologists who are prepared for board certification and successful careers in academia, industry, research, and diagnostic services. The program provides comprehensive training in gross and microscopic pathology across a wide range of species, with progressive responsibility in necropsy, biopsy interpretation, and case management. Residents develop strong diagnostic skills, a deep understanding of disease mechanisms, and the ability to integrate morphologic findings with clinical and laboratory data.
Through structured mentorship and in depth case exposure with clinical data, residents are prepared to meet and exceed the requirements for specialty board certification. The program emphasizes clear communication, professional report writing, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.
Residents are also trained in research methodology and scholarly activity, with opportunities to conduct original research, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and present at professional conferences. Teaching and leadership development are integral components of training, with residents contributing to student education.
The program is committed to fostering lifelong learning, technical excellence, and professional growth within a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes well-being and career sustainability.
Tracks
Our program accepts 3 residents for anatomic pathology each year. Each position is a three-year appointment, renewed annually based on performance. Residents are divided across three focused training programs, or tracks. These are:
- Standard track
- Lab animal focused track
- Zoo and wildlife focused track
During the first two years, training is identical across all tracks and focuses on developing strong gross and histologic descriptive skills, understanding disease pathogenesis, and formulating differential diagnoses. Residents rotate through necropsy and biopsy services, receiving cases without track-based preference. In the third year, residents enter track-specific assignments: the STANDARD ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY TRACK resident serves as the Senior Resident; the ZOO AND WILDLIFE PATHOLOGY TRACK resident completes their year at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance; and the LABORATORY ANIMAL PATHOLOGY TRACK resident trains at UC Davis with laboratory animal pathologists, splitting time between the Comparative Pathology Laboratory and the National Biomedical Research Institute. Upon completion of training, residents are expected to sit for the ACVP certifying examination.
Program Goals
The program’s goal is to prepare veterinarians for eligibility for American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) board certification and careers in academia, biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, or diagnostic laboratories.
Training occurs through rotations on necropsy and biopsy services and participation in seminars or rounds. The VMTH provides a diverse caseload of approximately 1,700 biopsies and 1,000 necropsies annually, including companion animals, equine, food animals, laboratory animals, and exotic and wildlife species. Approximately 15% of our cases are composed of nondomestic species. Additional experience in non-human primate, poultry, food animal, and fish pathology is available through external UC laboratory rotations. Residents hold primary responsibility for case evaluations and reports during assigned rotations, with all work closely supervised and reviewed by ACVP- or ECVP-certified pathologists and specialty consultants as appropriate.
Standard Track | Lab Animal Medicine Track | Zoo and Wildlife Track | |
YEAR 1 | Necropsy and biopsy service | Necropsy and biopsy service Lab animal rounds attendance mandatory | Necropsy and biopsy service Zoo & Wildlife rounds attendance mandatory |
YEAR 2 | Necropsy and biopsy service Resident organizes Journal club | Necropsy and biopsy service Resident organizes Lab animal rounds | Necropsy and biopsy service Resident organizes Zoo & Wildlife rounds |
YEAR 3 | Resident serves as "senior resident" Resident assumes primary necropsy duty with faculty support | Resident takes duty at: | Resident relocates to San Diego Zoo Resident receives necropsy, biopsy, and cytology cases alongside staff pathologists |
Our Residency Curriculum
UC Davis does not allow house officers to simultaneously enroll in graduate school. Didactic residency instruction is delivered largely through numerous organized rounds, as well as face-to-face clinical teaching. Our program is highly structured, with hourly rounds offered every day and involving at least one faculty member.
Mandatory rounds include journal club, interpretive rounds (or gross rounds), general pathology, special pathology, lightning rounds, necropsy rounds (or show and tell), and biopsy conference.
Optional rounds include dermatopathology (mandatory for resident on biopsy duty), surgical oncology (mandatory for senior resident and resident on biopsy duty), lab animal slide rounds, lab animal pathology, infectious disease, reproductive pathology, zoo and wildlife pathology, Joint Pathology Center slide review, neuropathology, oral pathology, and cytology correlates.
Residency Research Project
All residents in the VMTH are required to complete a residency research project during their training and present at the annual Veterinary Intern and Resident Research Symposium (VIRRS) to receive their residency certificate. The scope for this project is extremely wide and not necessarily restricted to topics in pathology. Historically, intramural funding has been available to support these studies, which range from retrospective analyses to hypothesis-driven biomedical research.
We require all residents to identify a mentor and project during their first year of residency, with the goal of beginning work during the second year. These projects often serve as the basis for both research submissions to annual meetings (including ACVP), publications, and even PhD projects. Examples of publications based on resident research projects are listed below:
• An RNA-Directed Gene Editing Strategy for Attenuating the Infectious Potential of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Cells: A Proof of Concept
• Tyzzer disease in 19 preweaned orphaned kittens
• Artificial intelligence-based quantification of lymphocytes in feline small intestinal biopsies
Opportunities for Teaching
There are ample opportunities for teaching as an anatomic pathology resident at UC Davis. Residents are expected to take a leading role in clinical teaching of 4th year veterinary students during their required necropsy rotations- both on the necropsy floor and in daily rounds. Residents are also expected to mentor a veterinary student in preparing a case for presentation at the annual regional pathology conference and participate in laboratory instruction that is part of the DVM curriculum. Residents with a specific desire to practice didactic instruction may also be mentored by faculty members and deliver lectures during the DVM curriculum.
Compensation
Salary: $56,124/1st year; $58,741/2nd year; $61,453/3rd year
Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance and vacation and sick pay
Application Process & Requirements
**Application deadline for all tracks is Friday, September 11, 2026 by 11:59pm PST**
Qualifications & Requirements for Admission to the Program: Qualifications for admission include a DVM (or equivalent degree) from a veterinary school accredited by the AVMA (preferred) and a scholastic record sufficient for acceptance into graduate school (a minimum GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate and veterinary school courses). GRE scores can be included by are not required for application to residency program.
Application: All application materials must be submitted electronically. The only exception is official transcripts that are not otherwise available electronically. Required application materials that must be received by 11:59pm PST on Friday, September 11, 2026 consist of:
1) Letter of Intent specifying interests and professional goals. This letter must include which track(s) you are applying for (standard, zoo and wildlife, or lab animal). Applicants are welcome to apply for more than one track but must rank the order of their preference.
2) Curriculum vitae
3) Letters of recommendation, sent via e-mail directly from the referee and not the candidate.
4) Official transcripts from all veterinary and post-veterinary education. Veterinary educational institutions may submit electronic transcripts directly to Audra Johnson at [email protected]. Electronic transcripts will not be considered official if they are emailed by the applicant. A certified official hard copy may also be mailed separately in a sealed envelope by you or your veterinary school. If you are a foreign applicant, interpretation of their University’s grading system has to be provided with the application. FOREIGN APPLICANTS.
5) Official class rank from your veterinary school. Please indicate if official class rank is not available from your school.
6) TOEFL scores for foreign applicants. If English is not your first language, applicants must submit TOEFL scores or provide equivalent evidence of demonstrated written and verbal skills in English. Refer to FOREIGN APPLICANTS.
7) Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwTsgUYsuqGfkWgvX28je1gJIbhTL2qiv6LFM02uSyitoKUQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor
Foreign Applicants: Foreign applicants are welcome to apply. Refer to FOREIGN APPLICANTS for complete application process.
Scoring of Applications: All applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 1) overall academic achievement, 2) academic achievement in pathology and related subjects, 3) clarity of career goals (letter of intent), and 4) the promise of an impactful career in veterinary pathology. Foreign applicants will also be evaluated based on their evidence of excellence in written and spoken English.
Contacts: All application materials must be received no later than September 11, 2026 and should be electronically sent to:
Audra Johnson
House Officer Coordinator
William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, room 2021
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
One Garrod Drive
Davis, CA 95616
[email protected]
Additional information about the training program can be obtained by contacting:
Dr. Clinson Lui
Residency Training Director
Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Weill School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California - Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-5270
[email protected]
Dr. April Choi
Chief of Service & Residency Training Co-Director
Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Weill School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California - Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-5270
[email protected]