alumni

The Veterinary Scientist Training Program (VSTP) is celebrating 25 years of training clinician-scientists to advance the health of both animals and people. An August event brought together program alumni, including Dr. Kim Dodd, the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University and Dr. Roxann Brooks Motroni, the National Program Leader for Animal Health at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This past weekend, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine hosted its annual Alumni Weekend, which welcomed nearly 250 alumni and friends back to campus. Over the course of three days, classes celebrating milestone reunions (60, 55, 50, 40, 30, 25, 20, and 10 years) gathered to reconnect, explore campus, join the fun Halloween-themed TG, honor award recipients, and learn about many new and exciting things happening at the school.

On Saturday, October 25, 2025 the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine hosted the annual Alumni Awards Banquet to recognize and celebrate the 2025 Rising Star and Alumni Achievement award winners. Congratulations to this year's awardees!

Dr. Sandy Willis, a 1984 graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, was elected chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Board of Directors (BOD). Dr. Willis, District 11 representative on the AVMA BOD, was elected chair on July 20 while meeting during AVMA Convention 2025 in Washington, D.C., held in conjunction with the 40th World Veterinary Association Congress.

Dr. Sanam (Sunny) Thukral was close to graduating from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine when she passed away in November of last year after a 30-month battle with glioblastoma. She was awarded a posthumous DVM during commencement ceremonies this May with her family accepting it on her behalf.

Dr. Pam Clark’s path to veterinary school wasn’t traditional or easy, but it was driven by unwavering determination. As a young girl, Pam dreamed of becoming an “animal doctor,” and growing up in Southern California, UC Davis was the only realistic option for veterinary school as out-of-state tuition was financially impossible. Pam excitedly wrote to UC Davis veterinary school during high school, only to be discouraged when a letter came back telling her, “don’t even bother applying, we don’t take women” (which, in reality, they did—just very rarely). 

From growing up a 3-block walk to the San Francisco Zoo and going on “stroller safaris” with her family, to becoming a Board-Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine™, Dr. Daniela Yuschenkoff’s career has recently come full circle. It was a proud moment for Dr. Yuschenkoff finding out she had passed the rigorous, 2-day exam. After over 3 years of preparation and 6 weeks of serious studying, she claimed that those two days were the “smartest I’ll ever be!”

Dr. Joan Dean Rowe recently won the George McConnell Award, given at the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners (AASRP) annual meeting.

The award recognizes a small ruminant practitioner who has given extraordinary service to both AASRP and small ruminant practice.

Dr. Rowe is a professor emeritus of population health and reproduction and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She is a past president of the AASRP and has held several leadership positions within the dairy goat industry.

2024 Alumni Reunion Weekend

The school had an incredible time hosting nearly 300 alumni and friends the last weekend in October to celebrate milestone reunions, outstanding achievements, and so much more. Classmates enjoyed reconnecting, hearing stories and memories and learning about all the new and exciting things happening at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Guided by compassion, collaboration, and connection, Dr. Michelle (Sanborn) Schack's passion for large animal health and well-being has been at the forefront of her inspirational career as a dairy cattle veterinarian, DairyKind educator, and food safety advocate.