News

Several faculty members were honored at the inaugural Stars of SVM Staff and Faculty Award Reception in November. Each of the recipients exemplify excellence in supporting the mission of the school—advancing the health of animals, people and the environment—through educational, research, clinical and public service programs.

Jonna Mazet arrived at UC Davis as an undergraduate curious about veterinary medicine in 1986, and is retiring four decades of groundbreaking campus initiatives later, having built a legacy of cross-discipline innovation on global health problem-solving, particularly regarding emerging infectious diseases and conservation challenges.

"I am always motivated by the excellence, innovation and the collaborative spirit at UC Davis," she said.

When Tommy Ma and Tiffany Pan adopted a 3-month-old Ragdoll kitten named Lychee in 2022, they expected joy, not heartbreak.

“Lychee was a dream come true,” Pan said. “Growing up, I’d never been allowed to have any large pets. Even cats are considered a large pet in my family.”

Just weeks after coming home, Lychee fell gravely ill. He began showing signs of feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, a disease that was once fatal for cats.

Dr. Nicola Pusterla, professor of equine medicine and dentistry, was awarded the 2025 Advancement in Equine Research Award presented by Boehringer Ingelheim, a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. The award was given during the 71st annual American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention held last week in Denver. Recipients of the award are chosen based on their research proposals which focused on this year’s subject matter of equine infectious disease.

***This article first appeared in the UC Davis Health Clinical and Translational Science Center Connections newsletter***

Two years ago, Brandon and Lisa Bacon were looking to purchase a horse for their 12-year-old son Jackson. Through their contacts as the owners of a horse supply company in Northern California, they discovered Ricky, a then 13-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding.

“Jackson has big ‘Gold Buckle’ dreams,” Lisa said. “We’re so proud of how hard he works at this, and we were thrilled to find Ricky, who was already an experienced roping horse.”

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has appointed Dr. Jessica Morgan as the new Associate Director of the Center for Equine Health (CEH), effective November 1, 2025. Her five-year term will include primary oversight and administrative responsibility for the Center’s equine facilities on the UC Davis campus and its Templeton Farms facility in Templeton, California. In this role, she will supervise the equine care staff and help ensure the health and welfare of the horses at both sites.

ScribbleVet, an AI-powered scribe used by thousands of veterinarians, and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the number-one-ranked veterinary school in the United States, announced that the university has adopted ScribbleVet's veterinary AI scribe solution for use across its veterinary clinical facilities.

An extremely specialized equine surgery performed by only about a dozen veterinarians nationwide is now available at UC Davis. Thanks to the addition of Dr. Carter Judy to the faculty, as well as a dedicated large bore equine CT scanner, the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) now offers foraminotomy surgery for horses with cervical foraminal stenosis—a narrowing of an intervertebral opening where the limb nerve root exits the spinal column.

In the near future, a researcher works in a lab to receive and analyze data when an alert goes off. The data, from a network of strategically placed sensors, indicates the pandemic potential of a disease spreading between animal species. The researcher informs other teams of scientists to further investigate the issue, possibly mitigating the spread of that disease and stopping a new pandemic before it even starts. 

Protecting wildlife health is critical to achieving a more sustainable future, according to new research linking wildlife health surveillance to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, compassion meets innovation. When Kailana, a joyful Golden Retriever puppy, faced the risk of paralysis, our neurosurgeons,  supported by the Compassionate Care Fund, executed a delicate, seven-hour spinal surgery to secure her long-term mobility, showing how our boundary-pushing expertise transforms care.

25 July 1926 – 10 November 2025

Dean emeritus and founding faculty member Professor Edward (Ed) A. Rhode, who served four decades on the school’s faculty, passed on Monday, November 10, 2025. 

Dean Mark Stetter, reflecting on Rhode’s impact, described him as ‘a dedicated leader who helped shape the school into the world-class institution it is today. His commitment to advancing veterinary education and research, particularly with cardiology, large animal medicine, and disease management, left a lasting mark on our community and the profession.’ 

Instituted through the SVM People First strategic initiative, the annual Dean's Staff Awards (now in their second year) shine a light specifically on staff. These recognitions not only honor individuals, but also serve to acknowledge the broader impact of the staff to the SVM community.