Latest Internal Hospital / VMC Updates
VMTH PERSONNEL:
As the VMTH transitions to the Veterinary Medical Center, we want to ensure that faculty, staff, and students know the latest updates. The most current information on the project and other important hospital news will be regularly updated on this page. If you have any questions regarding the VMC and its impact on your area, please speak to VMTH Administrator Anissa Nachman. Please see the VMC website for a complete view of the overall plans to bring UC Davis to a new level of veterinary care.
April 26, 2024
- The VMTH has expanded the Orthopedic Surgery Service to open the Center for Advanced Veterinary Surgery. Modeled after human health inpatient/outpatient facilities, the center provides advanced surgical capabilities for animals suffering from injuries or disorders of the bones and joints, while increasing case volume and training capacity. The standalone center encompasses 25 rooms and 7,300 square feet of space, including three state-of-the-art operating rooms.
March 28, 2024
- Dr. Michael Mison began his role as Chief Veterinary Medical Officer on March 1. Dr. Mison joins us from the University of Florida where he served as the Associate Dean for Clinical Services—Small Animal Operations and Clinical Professor of Surgery. He has previous experience as Hospital Director at the University of Pennsylvania and has owned a private multi-specialty practice in Washington State. As CVMO, he oversees all clinical, administrative, and fiscal operations of the VMTH. Dr. Mison, a board-certified surgeon, also serves as a professor in the hospital’s Soft Tissue Surgery Service.
February 16, 2024
- Congratulations Drs. Kate Hopper (residency ’02, PhD ’07) and Kate Hurley (DVM ’99, MPVM ’03, residency ’03) on winning the school’s Alumni Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding contributions by graduates of the school’s DVM, MPVM, MS, or PhD programs, or individuals who have completed a house officer position. Congratulations to Dr. Brian Leonard (DVM ’12, PhD ’12, residency ’17) on winning the Rising Star Alumni Award, which honors a DVM graduate of the school who, within 15 years of graduation, has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.
January 26, 2024
- As part of the VMTH’s efforts to foster communication and collaboration, VMTH leadership is implementing a Staff Forum. The forums are open to all employees and will provide opportunities to discuss topics that impact operations, as well as to engage in a dialog about issues important to staff. The first Staff Forums are tentatively scheduled for January 24 (LAC), February 14 (SAC), March 20 (Labs/Admin/Support Services), April 17 (LAC), May 15 (SAC), and June 12 (Labs/Admin/Support Services). The events will be held in Valley 1047 with Zoom options. Please check with your manager for more information regarding participation.
December 21, 2023
- Thank you to Drs. Karl Jandrey, Erik Olstad, and Jane Sykes who responded to dozens of media inquiries over the past few weeks regarding a respiratory illness affecting dogs nationwide. Thanks to their efforts, UC Davis was at the forefront of expert advice on this topic, resulting in hundreds of news postings throughout the country, most notably, NPR, ABC, NBC, CBS, Sacramento Bee, and The Guardian. Additionally, the school was able to create an Animal Health Topic on the subject that was referenced by media and government officials.
November 22, 2023
- Drs. Jonathan Dear and Mike Ziccardi were recently appointed co-directors of the Access to Care program for a one-year period. They serve as leaders to this newly created umbrella organizational structure for the Orphan Kitten Project, Covelo Clinic, Knights Landing One Health Clinic, and the Fracture Program for Rescue Animals, as well as the VMTH's care for animals burned in wildfires. The Shelter Medicine and Community Surgery Services also collaborate with the ATC programs. Dr. Dear will lead clinical practice work, and Dr. Ziccardi will focus on leadership of off-campus activities.
October 27, 2023
- We hope everyone enjoyed the many activities throughout the VMTH to celebrate Veterinary Technician Week. Thank you to all the techs for everything you bring to our patients, clients, students, faculty, and each other. We are truly grateful for your ongoing contributions to the high level of compassionate care we provide.
September 28, 2023
- Jody Nugent-Deal, RVT, VTS, has been named VMTH Technician Trainer. Responsibilities of this new position include creating CE events for technicians, developing and guiding new technicians and teams, and assessing service needs, among others. Jody has been with the VMTH for 24 years, most recently serving as supervisor of the Anesthesia Service. Over the next month, she will work with VMTH managers to sign up teams for a free Vet Folio subscription available to all VMTH employees. More information on this will be emailed in the coming weeks. Please welcome Jody to this exciting new role and feel free to send her ideas and CE topics at jpnugent@ucdavis.edu.
August 25, 2023
- Welcome new house officers! On August 1, 60 new house officers entered our advanced training programs. The House Officer Program is the largest of its kind in the United States with 140 total house officers training in 41 specialty disciplines.
July 27, 2023
- The VMTH recently acknowledged the dedication and hard work of its staff members with the annual Staff Awards and Rachel Smith Award.
Congratulations to all award winners and nominees!
Rachel Smith Award Winner – Kimi Kan-Rohrer (Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service)
Large Animal Staff Award Winner – Lisa Navarro (Equine Intensive Care Unit)
Small Animal Staff Award Winner – Amanda Dang (Specialty Services Supervisor) Client Services/Administrative Staff Award Winner – Monique Peyton Perez (Financial Services Manager) Support Services Staff Award Winner – Amanda Storms (Anatomical Pathology Service Administration) Rising Star Award Winner – Ashlea Chavez (Equine Medicine Service)
June 29, 2023
- On June 23rd, the VMTH welcomed recent, and soon-to-be, graduating veterinary technician students from local vet tech programs to tour the VMTH and participate in continuing education relevant to newer technicians. In partnership with the Center for Professional Continuing Education and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, students learned about technician opportunities in academia, research, and industry, as well as skills in resume writing, interviews, application processes, and communication. The VMTH is grateful for these partnerships that allow us to showcase our amazing teams and what we can offer for technician internships and career opportunities.
May 30, 2023
- The VMTH now has an enhanced security presence from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with security guards from a private security company who are familiar with working on the UC Davis campus. They will be patrolling the entire VMTH complex (inside and out) and will routinely check in at more than a dozen locations throughout the night. Please remember to always wear your ID badge and be aware of your surroundings after dark. If you will be here after-hours, consider moving your car to a closer, well-lit parking place before it gets dark. Main campus resources are also available, such as Safe Ride (530-754-2677), to help provide rides on campus from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Please help us by keeping all doors throughout the complex closed and locked overnight, not propping doors open, and using keys, keypads, or ID badges to access buildings. Thank you for helping to keep the VMTH a safe working environment.
April 27, 2023
- This week, we celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, an annual opportunity to recognize medical laboratory professionals and pathologists and highlight the important role they play in diagnostics and patient care. Let’s celebrate our VMTH clinical and anatomic pathology laboratory professionals. Thank you for your dedication to our patients and clients.
March 27, 2023
- UC Davis Chancellor Gary May announced the end of the Campus Interim Public Health Policy as of February 28, 2023 in coordination with the end of the County, State, and Federal Emergency Public Health Orders. This will bring changes to policies and protocols we have used for the past 3 years. The Daily Symptom Survey is no longer in use. Reports of positive cases of COVID-19 are strongly encouraged, but not required. It is also strongly encouraged to report positive cases, mask in crowded indoor spaces, and test for COVID-19 if symptomatic. It remains mandatory to stay home if sick and to document your vaccination series in Health e-messaging.
February 28, 2023
- The VMTH has officially welcomed the first veterinary technician interns back into the hospital since before the pandemic. Yuba College and Carrington College have sent four outstanding and enthusiastic veterinary technician students to learn alongside the VMTH’s incredible staff and faculty. The interns will rotate through both large and small animal one day per week for the duration of their semester. In the summer, the VMTH will welcome a new group of interns two days per week, with plans to increase partnerships and intern numbers into the fall. If you are lucky enough to work alongside any of the interns, you will find their positivity and eagerness engaging. If your service is interested in having a future technician intern rotate through, please reach out to Harmony Lindberg at harlindberg@ucdavis.edu.
January 31, 2023
- UC Davis will adopt the UC updated policy on Vaccine Program With Interim Amendments, effective January 31. The policy requires all employees and students to get the primary COVID-19 vaccine series and be up to date on boosters, except for those people who have approved exceptions. For those who prefer to opt out of COVID-19 boosters, there is an option to do so by submitting a declination statement. To comply with policy, employees and students will need to upload their COVID-19 vaccine information or submit the declination form via Health-e-Messaging, or HEM, no later than February 28, 2023. The declination form is still in development and will be available in HEM in early February. For more information on the vaccine policy, please visit Campus Ready.
Latest Newsletter Issues
- VMTH Voice
VMTH Voice is a monthly internal newsletter for faculty and staff of the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- VMTH Heartbeat
As of Winter 2020, Heartbeat became a quarterly electronic newsletter for the hospital's referring veterinarians only. The publication acts as a timely reference for veterinarians on the latest clinical advancements, clinical trials, and research happening in and around the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
- Winter 2024
- Fall 2023
- Summer 2023
- Spring 2023
- Winter 2023
- Fall 2022
- Summer 2022
- Spring 2022
- Winter 2022
- Fall 2021
- Summer 2021
- Spring 2021
- Winter 2021
- Fall 2020
- Summer 2020
- Spring 2020
- Winter 2020
Prior to 2020, Heartbeat was a public newsletter about the latest happenings at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
- Fall 2019
- Special Edition Vol. 8
- Summer 2019
- Special Edition Vol. 7
- Spring 2019
- Winter 2019
- Special Edition Vol. 6
- Fall 2018
- Summer 2018
- Special Edition Vol. 5
- Spring 2018
- Winter 2018
- Fall 2017
- Special Edition Vol. 4
- Summer 2017
- Spring 2017
- Special Edition Vol. 3
- January/February 2017
- Special Edition Vol. 2
- July/August 2016
- May/June 2016
- March/April 2016
- January/February 2016
- Special Edition Vol. 1