2025 Year in Review: Advancing Veterinary Medicine Without Limits
Celebrating a year of discovery, collaboration, and growth
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect with pride on a year defined by momentum, innovation, and meaningful impact. From transformative facilities and groundbreaking research to global engagement and student success, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine continued to advance animal, human, and planetary health in powerful ways. Below are just a few highlights from an extraordinary year.
Limitless: The Next Phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex Expansion
In 2025, we launched the next phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex expansion—made possible by philanthropic support totaling $110.5 million to date. This ambitious effort addresses the critical veterinary workforce shortage while expanding patient care and accelerating research in cancer, translational medicine, and other vital areas of biomedical science.
Planned facilities include a new veterinary education pavilion, primary care hospital, equine hospital, veterinary cancer center, spay-neuter clinic, and raptor educational experience facility, all to be completed over the next decade. This phase builds on a successful series of facility projects dating back to 2016 that continue to modernize veterinary medicine and expand our capacity to serve California and the world.
Veterinary Scientist Training Program Marks 25 Years
The Veterinary Scientist Training Program (VSTP) celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter century of training clinician-scientists dedicated to advancing animal and human health. Launched in 2000 in response to a national shortage of veterinary scientists, this dual DVM/Ph.D. program remains only the second of its kind in the nation.
VSTP students combine rigorous clinical education with foundational training in basic and translational research across multiple UC Davis colleges and nationally recognized programs, including Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Human Medicine. World-class research centers—such as the One Health Institute, California National Primate Research Center, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Center for Neuroscience—provide state-of-the-art infrastructure and mentorship that prepare graduates to lead at the intersection of medicine and discovery.
New Cancer Drug Shows Promise for Cats and People
Scientists from UC Davis and UC San Francisco completed the first clinical trial of a novel cancer drug in pet cats, offering hope for a disease long considered nearly untreatable. The study showed that 35% of cats with squamous cell carcinoma experienced disease control with minimal side effects.
The findings suggest the drug may also benefit people with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, underscoring the power of comparative oncology to advance treatments across species.
UC Davis Hosts the 2025 SAVMA Symposium
UC Davis proudly hosted the 2025 Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Symposium, welcoming the event back to campus for the first time since 2011. The symposium brought together approximately 700 students and 250 exhibitors for two days of learning, networking, and collaboration.
The program featured nearly 80 lectures, 22 wet labs, competitions, and experiential day trips to locations such as The Marine Mammal Center and the San Francisco Zoo. Highlights included a mock deployment laboratory led by the California Veterinary Emergency Team, where students trained alongside fire departments, animal control, and disaster response professionals to practice real-world emergency skills.
Federal Grant Supports Physician- and Veterinarian-Scientist Training
UC Davis Health’s Department of Internal Medicine and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine were jointly awarded an R38 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The grant supports the launch of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StaRR) Program, designed to strengthen the pipeline of physician- and veterinarian-scientists. The program provides research opportunities for veterinary residents and internal medicine residents specializing in pulmonary, hematology, and cardiovascular medicine, marking the first joint human and veterinary medicine R38 program in the nation.
Office for Global Programs Celebrates 10 Years of Impact
For a decade, the Office for Global Programs has connected students to transformative learning opportunities across the globe, from Norway to Patagonia and nearly every latitude in between. To date, the program has distributed more than $500,000 to over 220 DVM students in 50 destinations worldwide, supporting externships, fellowships, and senior clinical rotations.
These immersive experiences broaden clinical and research skills, deepen cultural understanding, and underscore the role of veterinary medicine in addressing global health challenges—today and in the future.
Gorilla Doctors Open New Facility in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Gorilla Doctors opened a new veterinary facility at Virunga National Park headquarters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, funded by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The facility centralizes veterinary care, diagnostics, and research for endangered mountain and Grauer’s gorillas.
Together with the organization’s regional molecular laboratory in Rwanda, the new facility strengthens in-country diagnostic capacity, reduces reliance on international sample shipping, and enhances long-term monitoring and conservation of one of the world’s most threatened species.
National Recognition for Mental Health and Well-Being
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine received the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, recognizing institutions that integrate mental health initiatives across campus life.
UC Davis was one of only three veterinary schools nationwide to receive this honor, reflecting a sustained commitment to accessible services, peer support, emotional resilience, and proactive policies that support student and employee well-being.
New Dentistry and Oral Surgery Center Opens
The veterinary hospital opened the Meadowview Foundation Dentistry and Oral Surgery Center, providing a nearly 150% larger home for the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service.
The new center includes three independent operatory suites designed for private, personalized care, along with a dedicated administrative area. This expansion allows clinicians, residents, and staff to deliver more efficient, patient-centered treatment while advancing specialty training and care.
Tracking and Predicting the Spread of Valley Fever
A UC Davis study found that dogs may serve as early indicators of Valley fever spread in humans. The fungal disease thrives under climate conditions increasingly common in the Western United States—heavy rainfall followed by prolonged drought.
By studying Valley fever in dogs, researchers aim to improve detection, treatment, and prevention strategies in humans, reducing misdiagnosis and improving public health outcomes amid climate change.
Opening of the All Species Imaging Center
Thanks to the generosity of donors, the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital opened the All Species Imaging Center, now the most advanced veterinary imaging facility on the West Coast.
The center features four diagnostic imaging suites—including CT, high-field MRI, PET/CT, and a dedicated large-bore equine CT—along with control rooms, patient holding areas, and radiologist interpretation spaces. These technologies are transforming diagnostic and treatment capabilities for both small and large animal patients.
You can also explore how the One Health Institute rose to the challenge in 2025.
Looking Ahead with Gratitude
None of this progress would be possible without the dedication of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and partners. Philanthropy continues to propel innovation across the school—from groundbreaking treatments and state-of-the-art facilities to student support and reduced educational debt.
As we look toward 2026, we remain deeply grateful for your partnership and inspired by what we can accomplish together.