VERT team

Outreach, Public Service & Response

Outreach, Public Service & Response

In pursuit of the school's goal to advance the well-being of animals and people in California and around the globe, faculty, staff and students reach out in many ways to provide services to the community, promote veterinary medicine, make discoveries, and engage members of the public through volunteer opportunities, special events and other activities.

-top-


Outreach: Pre-veterinary Students

So You Want to Be a Vet
Information for middle school and high school students

Summer Enrichment Program
Intensive program to help disadvantaged students enhance their preparation for veterinary school. Course work, admissions workshops, case presentations and hands-on veterinary experience in the teaching hospital.

SMASH Academy (Summer Math and Science Honors)
The school offers veterinary educational sessions as part of this 5-week residential program for high-achieving, under-represented minority (URM) high school students aims to engender excitement and some understanding in STEM fields that hopefully one day will lead them to UCD and then hopefully our SVM.  

Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center 
Tours and educational events for college, high school and younger students relating to agricultural production and dairy medicine

OWCN for Kids
Online activities that help children learn what happens to wildlife during oil spills

Animal Ambassadors: A Bridge to the World of (Veterinary) Science 
Curriculum and professional development program for educators especially designed to help youth develop an interest in science; acquire critical thinking and life skills; and build a foundation of care and responsibility toward animals. Classroom teachers, afterschool providers and members of the UC Davis Veterinary Student Outreach Club use Animal Ambassadors activities in working with elementary-aged students. The curriculum developer of Animal Ambassadors is a Cooperative Extension Specialist who also contributes to science education for 4-H members. http://4h.ucanr.edu/Programs/Projects/SET/Initiative/

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, COSMOS
COSMOS is a 4-week summer residential program for high achieving math and science students in high school. In this program, veterinary faculty teach a biomedical sciences course focused on several aspects of science and medicine with hands-on experiences. Participants also visit the school’s veterinary hospital, anatomy laboratory, Sacramento Zoo, UC Davis Medical Center and other sites to learn how their biology studies connect with animal, human and environmental health.

-top-

 

Regional Community Engagement & Public Service

Knights Landing Community Outreach Project
UC Davis Veterinary students work with UCD medical students to bring healthcare for animals and people to the Knights Landing community.

Mercer Veterinary Clinic for Pets of the Homeless
This student-run organization provides free veterinary care for animal companions of the homeless at a monthly clinic in Sacramento. Faculty mentors and private practitioners volunteer their services

Veterinary Emergency Response Team
Experienced volunteer faculty, other veterinarians and students respond to animal-related emergencies and natural disasters.

Zoological Medicine Service
Clinical services to zoo animals are provided at several regional zoological gardens and wild animal parks by UC Davis veterinary faculty. The chief veterinarian also serves as the head veterinarian at the Sacramento Zoo

Community Practice and Surgery Service
The Community Practice Service, complemented by the Community Surgery Service, will keep your pet in the best health possible through a multitude of offerings such as wellness exams, vaccinations, spay and neuter surgeries, and treatment of minor ailments.

Veterinary Hospital
Delivers state-of-the-art clinical care for animal patients while providing training opportunities for veterinary students and specialists.

Veterinary Medicine Extension
Science-based solutions are developed to assist animal agriculture and small farmers to address problems of concern to the health of animals and the vitality of California's animal industries. Clients include consumers, public policy agencies, animal-related industries, food producers and commodity groups throughout the state.

Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, Tulare
Tours and educational events for veterinary, college, high school and younger students.

Center for Continuing Professional Education
Providing programs for veterinarians, vet technicians and animal owners on recent developments in veterinary medicine. These programs are approved to meet the bi-annual continuing education licensure requirements for veterinarians and vet techs.

-top-


National Partnerships

Oiled Wildlife Care Network
Coordinating more than 30 California wildlife organizations to provide statewide response, veterinary care and rehabilitation for animals injured in oil spills. Provides expertise at the national and international levels.

The California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System
Member of multiple national laboratory groups known as the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks; these networks are designed to meld federal and state resources for rapid response to foreign animal disease or other emergencies affecting animal health or the safety of the food supply.

Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank – FARAD 
One of only four regional units in the U.S., the school offers this USDA-sponsored service to help producers and veterinarians prevent or mitigate illegal or harmful residues of drugs, pesticides, biotoxins and other chemical agents that may contaminate foods of animal origin.

UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Protecting the health of shelter animals so that more survive to find lifelong homes; UC Davis shelter vets serve several local shelters and consult nationwide about shelter design, behavioral concerns, outbreak prevention and response, and other shelter issues

Ophthalmology Service
Free eye exams to certified service dogs at the Small Animal Clinic; fulfilling a national mission of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists to protect the health of working dogs
Annually in May. Contact: 530-752-1393

Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service
Free dental exams to certified service dogs at the Small Animal Clinic as part of the national oral health program of the American Veterinary Dentistry College.
Annually in June. Contact: 530-752-2470 

Western Institute for Food Safety and Security

The institute offers Department of Homeland Security certified training of first responders, FDA inspectors, producers and processors of food products who could confront agro-terrorism or disaster-related issues.

 -top-


Global Response and Service

PREDICT
Led by the school’s One Health Institute, this collaborative initiative is building a global early warning system to detect emerging diseases that move between wildlife and people

Gorilla Doctors
A partnership program of the school’s Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center and the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, Gorilla Doctors is the only source of veterinary care to endangered mountain gorillas in the Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement, HALI Project
A collaborative program researching the impacts of zoonotic disease and water management on health and livelihoods in Tanzania

Educational Center of Expertise in One Health
Assessing global health problems at the human-water-animal-food interface and finding practical solutions in collaboration with local partners around the world

Global Programs
Supports students traveling abroad during the summer to volunteer and learn among small animals, wildlife and large animal species; also facilitates faculty exchange with partner countries

SeaDoc Society
Helping restore health to the Inland Waters of Washington and British Columbia, the Salish Sea, home to six million people and countless marine animals.

China Veterinary Collaboration

Working with the Nanjing Agricultural University to address complex global issues of recognition and control of new and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, and the provision of healthy foods for the world’s population. The program includes education programs, collaborative research and conferences.

-top-